JAPOW! ❄️⛷️❄️
The northern island of Japan is known for its snow, or as it’s sometimes called, JAPOW, the finest powder snow in the world.
This weekend we got to experience it first hand!
The island of Hokkaido is only about 40km from Russia and is actually the same latitude as Buffalo, New York and northern Italy.
For this trip we stayed in a town called Asahikawa which is situated in the central part of the island — a large flat valley surrounded by high peaks.
Side note: Hokkaido is also the country's largest producer of wheat, soybeans, potatoes, corn, milk, and beef, so the valley is filled with farms (the average size is around 64 acres).
There were several ski areas nearby, so we tried a different one each day!
The snow did seem fluffier here, but I was honestly expecting it to be more abundant. I think the winter has not been as cold as previous years… it sure felt cold this weekend though (in the 20s during the day and single digits at night).
Our faces were frozen most of the time, so our smiles are a little awkward, but we had a great time playing in the snow!
We even got to do cross-country skiing. It took us a few attempts, but we finally figured out that we could rent skis at the train station (and there was a secret 5km groomed trail right behind the station)!
I haven't been in years, but I got my rhythm back pretty quickly. The girls picked it up quickly, too!
In the evening, the town is full of festive lights and cozy restaurants. We found lots to do after the sun went down (which is good, because it sets around 4pm)!
On our last day we had to stop at Royces’ chocolate factory on our way to the airport. (It's the most famous Japanese brand of chocolate, and a common omiyage from Hokkaido) -
It was a little bit of an undertaking to travel through all of the snow this weekend, but worth the trip!
Hope everyone is staying safe and warm!!
OMG! I'm snow jealous right now. The hokaido ice cream all day, all night.....with some lactaid lol
Oh, I love seeing the north island! What a fun place. Are you going back up for the Sapporo Snow Festival in February? Did they have any melon ice cream (even in the cold winter)? Great fun.