Nagano, Japan

Nagano is known for it's skiing, snow monkeys, the Japanese Alps, castles, and onsens (more on onsen's later.) 
The peak time to visit is in the winter, to view the snow monkeys- the only place on Earth where monkey's bathe in hot springs. Tourists come from all over the world to view this area that is buried in snow 1/3 of the year. Nagano is 4.5 hours away from Yokosuka, the city in which we live. We decided to take a quick 2 day, one night trip to experience in this magical winter wonderland! I'll be sprinkling a few travel tips along this post for local friends who plan to visit. 

Along the way, we stopped at Matsumoto Castle which is a historic castle that dates back to 1594. For us, it was a nice way to break up the drive (3 hours into the drive) but was rather anti-climatic. We've been to the Odwara Castle which was more impressive in our opinion. Either way, we stopped and had a nice walk around, stretched our legs and ate some lunch. 

(Tip: Parking lots about a block away from the Castle are half the price of parking at the Castle.) 

Tolls: Most of Japanese highways are toll roads. The cost to Nagano was less than $70. 

Ryokan

An hour and a half later, we arrived at Shimoya ryokan in Nagano.  A ryokan is a Japanese version of a bed and breakfast. Japanese rooms have the beds on the floor (they are thick pads) along with a dining table that is on the floor. The staff was so friendly and welcoming, they even had us follow them to the snow monkey park because they knew a short-cut. For others not driving, they will drive you in their vans.  While we loved the authentic experience of staying in a Japanese style room, the beds were really hard and made for a rough nights sleep for all. The heat did not extend into the bathroom so it was like going in a Igloo. We still enjoyed the authentic experience, and the patio views of the snow storm while we were tucked in were stunning. 

To be honest, this wasn't even in the top 5 best ramen we've ever had but after you've all soaked nude together outside in a japanese onsen while being snowed on, knowing you're going back to your hotel to sleep on floor beds together, it still gave us all the warm and fuzzy feels comfort ramen can give.

Onsen.. a natural hot spring
Before dinner, we headed out to the onsen which is a "bath house" with an outdoor hot spring. In Japan, these come in a few varieties, both public and private - mostly nude and most do not allow tattoos. Our private onsen was set in stones, and the snow came down as we soaked in the hot spring. The water was way too hot for Nicolette unfortunately. Afterwards, we devoured some ramen at a local restaurant. The thing we liked most about the location of where we stayed was the minimal amount of tourists. It really felt "local" and it was nice to get away from the everyday city crowds of where we live. Sorry, no picture's of this experience ;) 

Snow Monkey's 
The best part of seeing the snow monkey's is the 1km "hike/walk" along a steep and windy path of the forest. We were lucky getting there early after a snowstorm, the path was not too slippery and easy for all of us. I've heard stories of the terrain being much more slippery but it was beautiful... absolutely breathtaking. The snow monkey's were fun to watch up close and personal, and it's a unique experience. They do stink but nothing unbearable... the kid's enjoyed talking about all their poop along the path- kid humor! 

We don't need chains.. he said....
For those still reading... we decided to check out Ryuoo Ski Park which has "Adventure Land" with tubing for children and families. It was only 15 minutes away from our hotel, but throughout the trip I constantly asked Nick if he thought we needed to put on the snow chains. At this point, he was irritated with the question. We both grew up in Arizona and it does snow there. But, being raised by my grandparents, I never went skiing or out adventuring in the snow. Nick did... so he's the expert. Until, we did need the chains and we were stuck on a icy hill with the tires spinning and car sliding around. We both tried pushing, nothing was working. Nick managed to reverse us down the hill, and we found another road we could make it up but I was stressed about getting back down the whole time. 

Word to the wise: Always listen to your wife! Use the the chains, preferably before you NEED the chains. Oh- and make sure they are the right size. We had chains, but when we finally went to put them on, they were too big. Sorry hun, had to tell the tale, the true story. 

Unfortunately, after all that drama to get there, Adventure Land was closed but we could rent a sled for $5 and Nick and Roman set out for a little fun while I stayed in the warm car and Coco napped. It was 24 degrees and my nerves were shot after the ride up the hill. Roman had the time of his life, he loves the snow and being outside. Nick spent the entire trip bring pelted by snowballs from Roman with no complaints! 

We are looking forward to going back for a future skiing/boarding/tubing/sledding trip!