Today, Brompton and I went to Otari Onsen Yamada Ryokan in Nagano prefecture for a day trip. The region is one of the most snowfall areas in Japan.
Snow usually piles up 2 to 5 meters there in winter. It is not a good condition for a bike ride but I wanted to go to the place to prove how well a pair of Schwalbe Stud Tyres work with Brompton in this hursh environment.
From Tokyo Station, you can take Hokuriku Shinkansen to Itoigawa Station then change the Oito line to Minami Otari Station.
At Minami Otari Station, you get on a bus with Brompton to Oonagi-shita, the last bus stop. In summer season, a bus directly goes to Otari hot spring but does not in winter because of a heap of snow there.
When you arrive at the last bus stop, you start climbing a steep snow road by Brompton to get to the destination.
It's an amazing hight of snow walls along the road.
Now Brompton and I were approaching the hot spring lodge.
Finally arrived at Ooyumoto Yamada Ryokan. Yamada Ryokan (Yamada Hotel) was founded more than 400 years ago. The main building was build in Edo period and the new building was completed in 1914.
All of the six buildings in the premises are registered as Japan's historic heritages by the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
Let's go to that hot spring hut.
Beautiful bath shed! But in order to enter, how can I go over this snow-covered corridor...
Somehow I reached the bath. Amazing scenary with full of snow, traditional buildings and a white mountain was awaiting me
I enjoyed this special ocasion in the hot spring looking over the beautiful snow valley.
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