Kiss the Rain

So Fuji Rock has come and gone. It was a wet weekend with heavy rain but it didn't dampen any of our spirits. Some people were well prepared for the rain in anoraks and wellies, while some thought it couldn't get any wetter so they just jumped in the river fully clothed.

Luckily the rain held of on Saturday and it was great dancing with random people in the sun. There were many stages at Fuji Rock but for me Field of Heaven had the best vibe with the Heineken tent a close second (I think I was there but will need to look at some photos to kick start my memory).

So all in all, it was a great weekend and we look forward to similar shenanigans next year.

For Those About to Rock We Salute You.

Fuji Rock begins this weekend so Yuzawa is jam packed with travellers from near and far.

Yuzawa Station has been revamped with new stores hoping to entice the crowds before they head of to the festival site.

Fuji Rock kicks off with a free party today (Thursday 23rd) before the main 3 day event. We are currently in the office but counting down to 6pm so we can go out and party till we drop.

LET'S RAWK!

Guinness World Record. It's Official.

On March 27th 2009 we attempted the world record for the most ski lifts ridden in 24 hours. We had to include a video of the entire attempt, pictures, log books and written statements as evidence and after a long wait, we finally received the official adjudication from Guinness World Records.

The previous record of 44 was set by WeLoveSnow in 2007 and after a failed attempt in 2008; we finally broke the record in 2009 with a total of 46 lifts.

Whilst not the most exciting record in the world (unless you consider sitting down for most of the day and slowly freezing in the process excitement) it shows just how many resorts are available in Yuzawa.

This certificate will take pride of place on the wall with the view only slightly obscured by the filing cabinet.

Summer Charm

Its rainy season here now but we made the best of a clear day by exploring neighbouring Gunma prefecture which is just a short drive from Yuzawa. It is a great place to visit in summer as it has lots of activities available. In Minakami there is rafting, canyoning and bungee jumping but we decided to take the slow approach to our day off. (Cue obligatory tourist shots).

First stop was “Takumi no Sato” which is a unique town, home to craftsmen of various professions. Visitors can enter the workshops and try their hand at the many crafts available. Craft techniques range from “aizome” fabric dyeing to Japanese “washi” paper making. My favourite had to be the business cards made from thinly shaved wood.

Next up is “Vidro Park” where you can see professional glass blowers at work. Visitors can also make their own glassware with the help of experts. I have to say it looks like pretty hot work in the middle of summer with all the furnaces burning. These guys make it look a lot easier than it is.

We hit a rest stop for lunch and were pretty happy to be served a plate of nothing but meat, lots of meat and a nice local beer. I was always told to eat my fruit and veg as a kid so luckily there was the aptly named “Tomato Land” tomato farm nearby. You can go in and pick your own tomatoes for lunch. Doesn’t get any fresher than that.

So if you're looking for something different to do during your summer holidays, then Gunma would be a great place to start.

Ready to Rock?

The Fuji Rock Festival kicks off from the 24th-26th of July , and is causing a lot of excitement here in the WeLoveSnow office! It looks like another great line-up this year with more artists still to be announced.

Rooms are still available for the festival, through they are selling out fast. For your last chance to secure accommodation for the festival dates, check our Hotel Booking Page! We still have rooms for a few hotels, but we expect them to be taken very soon.

Now, where did I put my wellies?....

Spring Fun

Sunday was a pretty hot day but there was still plenty of snow to be had at Kagura. Even in our t-shirts and hoodies we were still pretty hot, which explains why we saw some guys and girls dressed up in their maid outfits!

At this point in the season, the snow park is one of the best places to go. We managed to get some jump and rail practice in, and hopefully we can get a few more runs before the season ends in May.

Upon return, the gondola at Tashiro offered some great views of the lake and surrounding mountains.

Record Breakers: Ski Lift Rides, Most in 24 hours.

Yuzawa is the perfect place to attempt this kind of record as there are so many different resorts in close proximity to one another. WeLoveSnow first broke the record in 2007 with 44 lifts ridden and the same record was equalled in 2008. This meant the pressure was on for 2009 to get past that 44 mark and into the record books. Instead of skiing, this year we opted for snowboards to see if that would improve our chances.

This year’s team consisted of myself (Aaron Doig) from the U.K, Koji Hoshino from Japan, who was the schedule and log book keeper and Kieron Waller also from the U.K, the man with the camera. I’m sure he was relieved he brought a back up camera as the first camera decided to freeze right before the first lift. Work was abandoned for the day to allow this intrepid band a shot at the title.

Conditions had been quite worrying in the days running up to the attempt. Many lifts were closed and there more grass than snow in some resorts. Luckily the snow decided to fall non-stop on the day before the attempt and on the day itself. This meant that more lifts were open which gave us a real boost. However, the conditions proved tricky at Kagura as it was a total white out, making it very difficult to navigate between lifts. One wrong turn could have ruined the whole attempt.

This years attempt took us from Ishiuchi to Gala, Iwappara, Kandatsu, Kagura and Naeba resorts which had a total of 47 lifts open. We rode a mixture of double, triple, quad, ropeway, gondola and magic carpets and finally broke through the 44 mark in Naeba Resort and managed to ride a grand total of 46 lifts. Our gloves and face masks were frozen solid but by the end we hardly noticed anym ore as we had broken the record.

Electrooooooooo Party in Naeba

We headed out to Naeba to see some big name DJ's playing at the huge event hall in the Prince Hotel. After a long days snowboarding we were on a mission to drink and dance until the early hours.

The event, strangely named Wee-Sky a Go Go was a great way to tie up an eventful Saturday. Needless to say, not many of us made it out to the slopes the next day.

Fresh Snow

Our instructors Kieron and Gaz took advantage of some days off and some fresh snowfall to hit Gala and Yuzawa Kogen. As you can see there was plenty of fresh powder to be hit. Gaz has just arrived in Japan and didn't waste anytime introducing himself to the locals!

Feb 28th: Bottle Bar Beach Party

What better way to beat the cold than to set up or very own beach party at the bottle bar. Complete with palm trees, beach shack and summer tunes we danced the night away into the small hours and all involved had a great time.

11th Feb. WeLove Nozawa Onsen

Luckily for us the 11th of Feb was a national holiday meaning we could get out of the office and explore the slopes of Nozawa Onsen for the first time this season. Nozawa Onsen feels a lot like a European ski resort and has masses of terrain to discover, including a great 3km long off piste run (but we can't tell you where it is!). If you do manage to find it, be aware that it is at your own risk because the ski patrol will not be happy and you will get your lift ticket pulled if you get caught.

Nozawa Onsen has a good amount of information signs written in English. Just make sure you obey them so you don't end up like Kieron did.

School's out... on the snow

The snow became the classroom at Iwa-ppara last week as we welcomed students from a school in Tokyo. We had great spring like conditions during the week with bright sunshine most days giving everyone a great goggle tan by the end of the week. The students we eager to get sliding around on the snow but not before a warm up and stretch lead by our instructor Kieron.


Not content with sliding around Iwa-ppara all day the students still had plenty of energy left to go night skiing at the Ishiuchi resort. Even the teachers got involved with one showing off his "skills" in the terrain park and showed the students how not to do it!

Jan 16th: Just another day at WeLoveSnow.

Living in Yuzawa is great due to the massive amounts of snow but unfortunately it is sometimes difficult to get in and out of the office. Here's me and Kieron shovelling away the snow (whilst I take the opportunity to have a smoke with the fresh air...)

You can also see one of our ski instructors, Makiko looking as genki as ever.

Jan 15th: Crazy and Dangerous Fire Festival (Of Cultural Importance)

The normally peaceful village of Nozawa Onsen erupts into fire every year on January 15th. The "Dosojin" Fire Festival is one of the largest of it's kind in Japan and it is an amazing sight. All men aged 42 years sit on top of a shrine. (42 years is considered unlucky in Japan as it translates as Shi-Ni) which means death. All men aged 25 years old (also considered unlucky) must protect the shrine from hundreds of villagers armed with flaming torches, intent on burning the shrine to the ground. The villagers attack the shrine as the men on top scream taunts and jibes hoping that the younger men below can force the attackers back or extinguish their flames. Of course everybody is extremely drunk just in case you thought that trying to burn a group of 42 year old men alive wasn't dangerous enough!



The climax of the festival sees the shrine finally being burned to the ground (minus innocent victims) and everybody returns home with burnt clothes and burnt hair leaving the village in peace once more.




Please see our Nozawa Onsen Hotels page for information on where to stay.