11 Meters of yearly snow fall, nine ski resorts and only 3.5 hours from Tokyo
Once a stop along the the Salt Road, an ancient route used to bring salt and marine products from the coast to Japan’s inland cities, today the Hakuba Valley is home to nine different ski resorts.
This area was once a part of Shinano Province, a region controlled by the Matsumoto Domain during Japan’s feudal era. Now a part of Nagano Prefecture, the valley is lined to the west by the Hida Mountains, part of the sprawling mountain ranges collectively known as the Japan Alps.
The modern town of Hakuba was established in 1956 by the merger of the villages of Hokujo and Kamishiro. Thanks to lake-effect weather patterns from the Sea of Japan, the area is known for its ample snowfall, with an annual average of over 11 meters.
On the northern edge of the Hakuba Valley lies one of Japan’s hidden treasures. Easily mistaken with the Italian resort that shares the same name, Hakuba Cortina ski resort is among the valley’s top spots for deep powder skiing.
After arriving to Tokyo, our plan was to take the Hokuriku Shinkansen, a bullet train that makes the journey from Tokyo to Nagano in just two hours. From there, we’d rent a car and drive the last part to Hakuba. Our goal was to be mobile, following the storms and catching the deepest powder that Japan's main island of Honshu had to offer. We didn’t book any hotels in advance to be able to change plans quickly.
“No Hotel and no car: an open road to powder paradise”
Since the offices in Sweden were closed during Christmas holidays, I didn’t have time to pick up an international driver’s license before the trip. Luckily, Tof Henry told me that he already had an international license, so we would be good to go to rent a car in Japan.
With the car rental agreement ready to sign, Tof handed over his international license to the Japanese rental agent, who in the same second shook his head and politely informed us, “Sorry sorry, Mister. Old license stop working 2015.”
And that was it. We never got our car, our plans foiled by a small piece of paper confirming in multiple languages that your driver’s license is valid, which only costs around $40 back in your home country. We were forced to change plans from playing chase the storm, to just holing up at one location instead.
“If you’re renting a car in Japan, always make sure someone in the group has a valid international driver’s license. They won’t give you a car without one!”