Hi everyone! I’ll be going to Japan in January 2025 with my family and it’s going to be our 5th time back. We’ll be spending 7 days there starting in Tokyo. Since my family and I have been in Tokyo 2 times already in the past, we’d like to go somewhere with a snowy area for a few days. We were considering Sapporo but I heard the train takes 8 hours to get there and we’d rather not board another flight from Tokyo to Sapporo.
I searched for snowy areas near Tokyo and have narrowed it down to Nagano and Yamagata. My family and I plan to spend 3 nights in either one of these places but we’re not sure which one is the better place to go to. I was also thinking if it’s possible to go to both but it would require us to buy 2 separate JR Passes and seems more costly.
So, I’m here to ask where it’s better to stay for 3 nights – Yamagata or Nagano? If you have other snowy areas to recommend, please let me know as well. If it helps, this is what I’ve planned on doing for either of the places:
Yamagata: Ginzan Onsen, Zao Onsen Ski Resort, Yamadera, Zao Fox Village
Nagano: Kurumayama Snowshoe Trekking, Snow Monkeys, Matsumoto Castle, Zengoro Falls
Would appreciate any help. Thanks!
by darkdisgrace
