The shuttle to Gala
In Niseko we skied for the first time. This time, our first go at snowboarding. Our ryokan runs a shuttle bus to Gala Yuzawa, so after breakfast we hopped on.
Gala has its own Shinkansen station, and the rental and locker rooms are right inside (lockers ¥1,000). Our boards were waiting.
All suited up. You can barely see us.
Up the gondola
The gondola takes you from the station up to the main base, and it’s not cheap: ¥6,000 for the two of us, plus ¥3,500 for lift tickets.
We had an instructor for the day, who taught us how to stand up, how to fall, and how to fall again.
Ramen break
Lunch at the base food court: two bowls of ramen and a lot of sitting down. ¥3,450.
The afternoon
Back on the slope. It snowed nonstop all day.
Our boards, resting in the snow. So were we.
But Minmin did get going by the end of the day.
The outdoor bath
Back at the ryokan, Rilakkuma had found the decorations in the lounge.
And the ryokan’s outdoor bath for the sore legs. Steam, snow and quiet.
Yakitori at Yuzawa Shokudo Daruma
Dinner was at Yuzawa Shokudo Daruma, a short walk away in the snow and rain.
Yakitori, a big salad and beer. ¥7,299 for the two of us.
Onward to Iwappara!
Information About Gala Yuzawa
A ski resort with its own Shinkansen station (Gala-Yuzawa, open in winter). A gondola takes you from the station building up to the main base, where the rental, lockers, restaurants and lifts are.
PS: Many Yuzawa hotels run a free shuttle bus to Gala. Ask at the front desk for the pick-up times.