Hakuba is a village and valley located in Nagano Prefecture.
Hakuba is best known for being a venue for the 1998 Winter Olympics, and is a popular destination for nature lovers, skiers, climbers, and even artists who take inspiration from its striking mountain ranges. If you want to experience a vastly different version of Japan than what's pictured in movies and tourist guides, keep reading, because Hakuba may become your new favorite place in the world.
Things To Do in Hakuba
Hakuba by Drew Bates is licensed under CC BY 2.0
As a part of the Japanese Alps, Hakuba offers something unique in every season.
It is covered with snow from late fall to the end of March, which is when its famous ski resorts attract thousands of visitors. There are ten resorts, including Jiigatake, Hakuba Sanosaka and Hakuba Happo-one. All of them are equally breathtaking and offer ski and snowboarding slopes, but each attract different kinds of visitors, depending on whether they're beginners or professional athletes. These resorts also organize international competitions, such as the Free Ride World Tour, a ski and snowboarding competition for free riders.
From March to the end of summer, Hakuba transforms into something entirely different. As the snow retreats, lush greenery, cherry blossoms, rivers and walking paths are revealed. This makes it an ideal time for those who love to explore the outdoors, and besides hiking, you can also try out paragliding and kayaking tours.
Hakuba is located in central Honshu, the main island of Japan, and can be reached by first taking a Shinkansen train from Tokyo to Nagano station, then taking local buses or trains to Hakuba Station or Happo Bus Terminal. Several shorter transfer lines are also an option for more distant places.
Where To Stay In Hakuba
Hakuba by Charlotte Marillet is licensed under CC BY 2.0
The largest town in the valley is Omachi, counting less than 30,000 residents and offering a quiet life, unaffected by the tourist boom and modernization of Japan's metropolitan areas. Although small, it offers all the facilities you need for a comfortable life, including kindergartens, schools, community centers, and of course, restaurants and shops.
Hakuba is dotted with many other villages and small towns, all sharing the same relaxed charm. When tourists arrive in the area, they most commonly go to Echoland, which is packed with restaurants and bars and has a surprisingly lively nightlife scene during ski season.
Regardless of the particular village or town you choose in Hakuba, you can expect a lower monthly rent than in more urban parts of Japan. A larger percentage of houses and apartments are on sale than for rent, as many apartments are being rented to visitors during the ski season.
Therefore, make sure you have enough time to search for an apartment, but when you do find one, you can expect to pay between 30,000 ($273) and 100,000 yen ($910) for a cozy apartment, which is significantly less than in larger cities in Japan.
Conclusion
If you want to live peacefully in nature, experience rural Japanese life and exciting outdoor activities every day, you'll love Hakuba. The nearby ski resorts have inspired many businesses to set up shop in the area, so there won't be a shortage of places to shop and restaurants to try, while the skiing resorts allow you to meet and hang out with thousands of visitors who pass through the valley every year.
Sources: Travel Japan, Inside Japan Tours, Hakuba Valey, Gurunavi, Snow Japan, Trip101
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