A clear-ish morning
Day two on the boards, at Iwappara. We woke up feeling like we’d been hit by a truck, exactly like the morning after our first day of skiing in Niseko. Equally hard, equally painful. The snow had stopped and the valley was looking pretty.
Lift tickets for the two of us were ¥7,600.
Up we go
Iwappara is all wide, gentle slopes, which is exactly what we needed.
Liang, taking a moment. Many moments.
Curry break
Lunch was curry rice at the base (¥2,700), and a coffee from the canteen (¥400).
The afternoon
After lunch the clouds lifted a bit and we got the view all the way down the valley.
By now we could both get down without sitting every ten metres. Mostly.
Boards back, and a snowball fight at the bottom.
Yukiguni Gyunabe
Rilakkuma had a snack back at the ryokan.
Dinner was at Yukiguni Gyunabe, Snow Country beef hot pot. It comes out buried under a mound of white “snow”, which melts into the broth as it cooks. ¥7,194 for the two of us.
That was the end of Snow Country. Onward to Kyoto!
Information About Iwappara
A family-friendly ski area outside Echigo-Yuzawa with wide, gentle runs and views down the valley. Good for beginners.