Hey Hive!
Sorry for the short hiatus but we're back and I'm currently recounting our anniversary trip to Tokyo back in Feb 2023! It'd been at least 3 years since we visited Tokyo and the last time was pre-covid so we decided to go back and find some new places to explore while revisiting our favourite hot-spots.
Last time, we started on a new journey going on a bus tour to the countryside of Japan, specifically Gunma! After we got some breakfast from a bakery we set off on the bus tour with a bunch of other tourists.
It was my first time taking a bus tour in Japan and we made a pit stop in Kamisato. Sean's been raving about Japan rest stops so it was exciting to see for myself.
They have a bunch of shops and cafes at the rest stop, and a unique stamp for the region as well!
After that it was back on the road and we started going up the mountains so there were some really nice views.
Eventually we arrived at our destination - Tambara Tokyu Resort!
We were here to do some snow activities but first, lunch! There was a buffet lunch included in the tour and the resort also had a restaurant that looked more like a cafeteria.
The food was pretty good, but I was nervous of overeating since we were going to be doing some activities!
7 Feb 2023. Tuesday.
After we were done with lunch it was time to head out into the snow! Luckily we were prepared for the weather but they also had extra coats and equipment for rent.
Thankfully the weather was pretty good as well, it was sunny and not too windy but the air was still cold enough for snow of course.
The tour had some snow activities included but it wasn't anything dangerous like snowboarding or skiing because we're a bit nervous for that. Sledding was fairly simple and made for everyone so we thought it would be okay.
So there was a fairly wide and gentle slope for everyone who wanted to sled, and there were these plastic sleds for people to use as well. They even had pictorial instructions for safety.
I actually don't remember if there was a safety briefing but after that we were off! I was a little nervous at first but after the first ride down it was actually really fun!
The slope itself wasn't very long anyway so the sled only goes about 50m or so?
I think the only real danger was colliding into other people so we made sure to give enough space and take it in turns to go down the slope. It was quite cute seeing everyone have fun, even the older folks!
Both of us had fun going up and down the slopes as well! It was quite exhilarating but not as bad as a roller coaster. I think it was just right for us, since snowboarding would probably be too much.
Here's a short of us sledding!
After we went sledding a bunch of times, we took a break and lots of photos while enjoying the scenery.
It was our first time sledding and was such a fun experience! We could see other people skiing and snowboarding as well but with that amount of equipment I didn't really envy them.
We had about an hour or so to enjoy the sledding so after that it was back on the bus because we had other places to visit!
But before heading back we went to check out the shops to see what they had available.
Of course most of it was just winter gear and sportswear.
You could also buy tickets to come to the resort if you didn't come in with a tour like us. I imagine it's probably cheaper to do it that way if you just want to focus on skiing or snowboarding, which is what a lot of visitors come here to do.
I think the guide said that it was getting harder for the ski resort to get enough snow for the snow activities because of global warming, which is actually quite sad.
So I guess it's better that we went when we did, who knows if this place will still be in operation in about 10 years or so.
After that it was back on the road, down the mountains!
We enjoyed more lovely views on the way down and it was mountains as far as the eye could see. We must've been pretty high up.
We drove down the mountains back onto street level.
Because the next part of the tour was going to be at a strawberry farm!
But I think I'll leave that for next time!
Thanks for reading!
To find out more about me, check out my intro post here!
Check out my previous post in this series!
TacoCat’s Travels #282 (Tokyo): Roadtrip to a Mountain Adventure! 🚌
