Japan – Spring Break

Japan for Spring Break?  It may seem like a hard location to recommend but if someone is looking to experience something truly unique for Spring Break, Japan is an interesting and cool choice.

Heading into the mountains of Japan and skiing at one of its many resorts is an interesting story in itself and will provide your travelers with great pictures and fond memories.  There are nearly as many ski resorts in Japan as there are in the United States and they get plenty of snow thanks to being in the path of the Siberian weather pattern.  Two main regions for skiing in Japan include Sapporo (location of 1972 Olympic Winter Games) and Nagano (location of 1998 Olympic Winter Games).

Aside from skiing, Japan offers plenty of other incredible sights for any world traveler looking to knock this location off their bucket list.

Activities

Skiing in Japan

• Sapporo Snow Festival
  • Incredible Ice Sculptures and Statues
• Vibrant nightlife
• Lots of snow for great powder conditions
• Skill levels from beginners to off-piste experts
• Bullet train gets skiers from Nagano to resorts in 90 minutes
• See the “snow monsters” – wind and snow creates unique shapes

Jigokudani Monkey Park

• See these wild monkeys up close and even hanging out in a natural hot spring
  • Most photogenic during the snowy months
• Beautiful park setting

Sagicho Matsuri Fire Festival

• Dates back to the 16th century
• 13 neighborhoods construct elaborate floats, once presented, they are set on fire

Sapporo Beer Garden and Museum

• Tour the Sapporo museum for free

Cities/Towns

Many of the most popular Japanese destination are near ski resorts so whether your customers fly into Hokkaido or Tokyo, they’ll be near the slopes and countless other amazing and must-see attractions.

Tokyo

• Capital of Japan
• Tokyo Tower – Eiffel Tower-inspired with a couple observation decks
• Mt. Fuji is just a couple hours away
• Asakusa – a popular Tokyo neighborhood with the Senso-ji Temple and many shops and restaurants
• Ueno Park – a beautiful park which includes the Tokyo National Museum, Ueno Zoo and the National Museum of Western Art

Kyoto

• Many gorgeous temples – Kinkaku-ji Temple, Kiymizu-dera Temple and Ginkaku-ji Temple
• Monkey Park Iwatayama – a steep hike but it’s a great view of Kyoto and you can feed the playful monkeys

Hokkaido

• Sapporo Snow Festival
• Asahiyama Zoo
• Nikka Whisky Distillery Yoichi
• Odori Park – amazing winter landscapes

A trip to Japan doesn’t always come to mind when people think Spring Break but it can be that unique and fun destination for travelers who want something different than the usual Mexico or a Caribbean island location. Places like Nagano and Hokkaido are simply marvelous and feature the type of wintertime fun that is unlike that in the United States.

If a skier or snowboarder inquires about a trip to the mountain tell them about Japan and about the stories they’ll have that will rival what their friends did while on their Spring Break.

Let’s give your clients the vacation they’ve always dreamed of!