Come to the Snow Festival!
The Hachimantai-Appi Snow Festival is being held in Hachimantai until the 28th of February! There was a fireworks display celebrating the beginning of the festivities, and about 1,000 fireworks were set off at the Hachimantai Resort Panorama Ski Area!
During the Snow Festival, if you stay at a lodging facility in Hachimantai, you can get a discount on lift tickets for Hachimantai Resort and APPI!
Here the New Limited Edition of Sake!
Washinoo (pronounced washi-no-oh), the local sake brewery of Hachimantai, released a new limited edition sake yesterday!
All of the sake made at Washinoo uses spring water that filters down from the glorious volcano that towers above the city, Mt. Iwate. Using a combination of the skill of the brewmaster and the modern scientific knowledge of the owner- who graduated from the Engineering Department of the best university in Japan, Tokyo University, Washinoo continues to create uniquely pleasing sake.
See the Sea of Clouds!
On some beautiful days in January, it is still possible to hike up Mt. Iwate – assuming you leave before dawn and have all the proper gear that you need.
But when you go to the trouble – you can see aspects of the mountain that few people are able to. For example the shape of the snow on the summit forms an interesting feathered pattern that is called a “shrimp tail” in Japanese.
Hiking to an Ice Falls
If you’re wondering what it might be like to snowshoe out from the Prefectural Forestry Museum in Hachimantai to the Nanataki Ice Falls, look no farther!
A Warm Welcome to Pension Mutti
Located in Appi Kogen’s Pension Village, Pension Mutti welcomes all guests with warm, open arms. Aiming to offer guests an experience as comforting as if they were in their own homes, their owner speaks fluent English, making it well-known as a place to stay for foreign visitors.
Bread Lovers Welcome! Located Near the Hachimantai Ski Resort Area
Pension Palette, where visitors can try both Japanese wagyu beef and red king crab in a single meal. The owner is particularly skilled at baking, and their croissants are very popular.
Discover Nanataki Ice Falls!
Every year, Nanataki Falls in Hachimantai freezes to form a gargantuan ice falls. People from all over Iwate make the 2.5km trek through the snowy forest to see this breathtaking natural creation.
This winter has been colder than the last few years, and we’re getting lots of snow. So I decided to go explore the area around Nanantaki Falls and check the progress of the waterfall on January 3rd, despite the fact that it usually doesn’t freeze until the end of the month – so most people go in early February.
Perfect Powder in Hachimantai!
We are getting tons of snow all over Japan this week, and in Hachimantai, the powder is perfect!
Whether you’re staying near APPI, in the Hachimantai Onsenkyo, or near the Panorama Ski Area, there are buses that will take you everywhere you need to go!
Enjoy Hachimantai’s Snow Resorts to their Fullest with a Convenient Local Bus!
Hachimantai City in Iwate Prefecture is home to not one, but three famous ski resorts: APPI Kogen Ski Resort, and Hachimantai Resorts Panorama and Shimokura. Together with its excellent powder snow and heavy snowfall, it’s one of the best places in Japan for skiing.
Nanataki Falls are Starting to Transform!
The Nanataki Falls in Hachimantai are starting to freeze! This famous ice falls is glorious to see every year – and lots of people make the snowshoe hike through the forest to see it each winter.
Explore an Ancient Sacred Place
Sakuramatsu Shrine in Hachimantai is one of my favorite places to go (besides the mountains) in the winter. This ancient shrine has a rare dragon/serpent shrine built into a cliff, and the atmosphere is really otherworldly.
But most people that come here visit for Fudo Falls – one of the 100 most beautiful waterfalls in Japan. In another month or so it will freeze into a magnificent ice falls, but for now it’s still flowing. This waterfall also has a rather mysterious history as a center for Shugendo training. Buddhist Mountain Ascetics would stand under the falls while chanting the Heart Sutra as part of their spiritual training hundreds of years ago.
‘Tis the Season to Go Snowshoeing!
Winter is nearly here! This is arguably the best season to enjoy Hachimantai, though of course there are all sorts of exciting activities throughout the year. That said- winter is particularly breathtaking up here!