Special tours starting from June 28th

If you have done a canyoning trip with us before and want to take your adventure to the NEXT LEVEL then check out one of our SPECIAL canyoning tours.  All of these tours are full day trips into some of Japan's BEST canyoning sections!
The trips are physically demanding as most require a decent hike in to access the start of the canyon, ranging from 30 mins to 2.5 hours depending on the course. The time in the canyon itself is also very long, with a lot of time in the water, swimming, jumping, sliding, rappelling, climbing, walking and scrambling. The shorter special courses like Deer Canyon with only a short access walk still requires 7 hours, and our hardest physical trip, Iron Canyon requires a total of 10-11 hours.

Last waterfall of Crystal Canyon - 35m

The various courses all emphasize different types of canyoning. For example, Deer Canyon is an awesome technical canyon where you can do a lot of rappelling down some big waterfalls. Yamanashi Canyon on the other hand, is solely a whitewater canyon that is all slides, jumps and swims.
As each of the courses are located in different altitudes and geographical areas the seasons for each course differs. Yamanashi, Deer and our Okutama courses are all open from late June,  but Crystal does not open until late August when the snow has melted high in the alpine and the weather starts to stabilize.

Yamanashi Canyon - Itsutsugama section

The best season for many of our special trips is actually in September as the summer storm season has typically passed but the temperatures are still warm enough to spend the day in the water.  This makes it possible to access some of the larger alpine canyons like Crystal and Iron Canyon.

If you want to try out a special course but are not sure which one to go for then contact us and chat with the guides. We can make sure that you get on the perfect course for your level.

High water Spring rafting has started!

The melting snow is swelling the lakes and rivers and the dam is now releasing. High water season has begun!
The snow pack was pretty decent this year so the high water can be expected to last until around mid June. Depending on the amount of rain in rainy season (mid-June until late July) we may even have good water right up until summer this year.
The standard half day rafting covers 12-15kms of whitewater, ranging from grade 2-4. The course changes depending on the flows on the day but we typically run 3 main canyon sections.

Our popular full day rafting trips in Minakami will be running for all of May weekends. Over 25kms of whitewater bliss with a delicious BBQ lunch.

Come up and experience the Mighty Tone river at it best!

Special Tours kick off June 1st

The Special Tours get underway with a trip to Deer Canyon this weekend. It is tour for repeat customers as most of these full day trips involve more thrills than the half day versions.

Deer Canyon is over in the Kusatsu area and has plenty of vertical as well as some amazing sliders.

The Special Canyon Team are running Deer on 1st/2nd of June, and 8th/9th June. Spaces are limited so round up your friends that have been canyoning before and get ready for an amazing day of adventure.

Christmas at GALA

Blue skies for Christmas Day at GALA this morning. Stunning views of the valley and the surrounding mountains. The clouds are gathering in the distance so there is still the chance of a White Christmas. It snowed all yesterday so great conditions out on the hill.

Some festive folk hitting the slopes today.

GALA Yuzawa preparations

GALA Yuzawa are put the finishing touches on the resort and getting ready to open their doors on Saturday 22nd December for another long season that should see them open until Golden Week - weather permitting.

We'll be there this year offering group and private lessons in English.

The desk is just opposite the main ticket counters so should be pretty easy to find. (It's also opposite the crepe shop which could turn into an expensive addiction!) Swing on by and say hi if you're there. I'll be the one with chocolate sauce and cream round my mouth.

White stuff falling from the sky...

November 19th

Wet, cold weekend but that means snow up high....

White appearing on the mountains around the lodge and things looking good up at Tenjin.

Hopefully can ride Kagura from Friday...

Pre-season ski training

The snow is falling and we're getting excited. Bit early to be dusting off the gear yet but we are getting some dry land practice in. We're currently playing around with the Sweetspot Ski Trainer. It is a balance trainer that slips on over your ski boots and promises to help you find that elusive centered balance that is so important on skis.

It's challenging though really good fun, and we can definitely see that mastering this would pay dividends when we are out on the slopes. Wearing ski boots in the office is a bit weird though.

Can't help but think that geta, the Japanese traditional footwear, were just waiting for the invention of skiing...

If you want to get a head start on your form this season we'd definitely recommend jumping on a pair of these. Head on over to the Sweetspot Ski Trainer site for more info (and there is also an awesome free ebook on ski technique if you are look for some pre-snow reading.

+ Ariticle in the UK Telegraph

Snow down low

We've had a few dustings up high recently and last night we even had a bit of snow outside the lodge. A good few centimetres up at Tenjin and Houdaigi too.

Houdaigi is still aiming for a December 15th start to the season and Tenjin are saying mid December as well.

The Alpine Lodge opens on Friday 14th December this winter and we'll be ready to get those turns in early - care to join us?

JR Kanto Area Pass

Most people know about the great value of a JR East Pass which lets you travel on the trains and bullet trains around eastern Japan as much as you like for your chosen period. There is a lesser known sibling to this pass that lets you get up to this area as well as several other great tourist destinations - the JR Kanto Area Pass

The adult ticket is 8,000 yen for three days unlimited travel within the area. You can also pay a supplement if you plan to head further afield (e.g. up to Yuzawa costs an extra 1,000 yen). Usually the trip for the airport to Jomo-kogen one way costs more than this ticket, so it is great value, especially if you are trying to take see a lot in a short time.

If you are planning to come up here for a showshoe tour or a quick winter break, this might just be a good option.

Nozawa Onsen planning to open Dec 1st

It is all eyes to the skies at the moment as everyone waits for the snow. Nozawa Onsen are planning to open their slopes for the season on the first of December.

Our instructors will be available for ski lessons and snowboard lessons from day one, so drop us a line and get your booking in.

It is an awesome resort with some great slopes for beginners and plenty of terrain to challenge other levels, a good park and a half pipe. The town itself is really unique with lots of narrow, winding streets, some super-hot, free onsen and a very cool feel to it. We can put you in touch with some great accommodation options over there if you are interested.

Autumn Colors

As we get deeper into autumn the temperatures are getting cooler and the snow keeps dusting the local peaks. The autumn colors are getting really spectacular.

There are gangs of hikers roaming the trails and a steady stream of buses heading up to Tanigawadake Ropeway. Stunning time to be up in the mountains (though if you are agoraphobic caving might be more your thing.)

Snow up high

We woke this morning to a dusting of snow up on the local peaks again. Cold temperatures this week, especially over night and the snow is coming down to about 1000 meters. Far to early to get excited yet but even a little dusting of snow is good news.

We're still waiting for Tenjin to announce their opening date so at the moment Kagura is looking like the best bet for some early season turns when it opens on Friday 23rd November (which just happens to be the start of a 3 day weekend.)

Winter 2012/13

Summer Season over and winter just around the corner. Pretty cold over here right now so fingers crossed for some early snow.

Alpine Lodge will be open from Friday December 14th. It is starting to get busy for Christmas and New Year so get your bookings in soon to avoid disappointment.

The resorts are starting to put their projected opening dates up...

Houdaigi - December 15th
Norn - December 20th
Minakami Kogen - December 22nd

Still no word from Okutone or Tenjin.

Sure to be some good early season deals on for the first turns of the season. Ski & Snowboard Lessons will be good to go as soon as the snow is on the ground.

Goodbye Green Season

Summer season 2012 comes to a close - the end of 6 months of fun on the river. Thanks to everyone who made it up to Minakami this summer and we hope to see you all again this winter or next year for plenty more fun. It'll probably look much like this year with the river adventures kicking off late April and running through until the end of October.

In the meantime if you are looking to get out and about, the autumn colors in Minakami are nearing their best and we are running caving tours until the snow comes. If you enjoyed the rope work in the canyon then caving offers plenty more challenges.

Winter is just around the corner. The Alpine Lodge will be open from mid-December for the whole winter. The first backcountry dates have been announced - the basic tour takes you to some great terrain and will teach you how to safely make your way out into the backcountry. Snowshoe tours will operate on the weekends (and at other times too if you have a group) and with courses in Minakami and Yuzawa there is plenty of exploring to do.

The instructors are good to go for ski and snowboard lessons. As soon as the snow falls and the resorts open we'll be out there. We regularly go to all resorts in Minakami and all resorts in Yuzawa, as well as Nozawa Onsen. We'll also head further afield if you need an English speaking instructor - we've worked with clients in Shiga Kogen, Kijimadaira and even up in Niseko. Just drop us a line to let us know how we can help.

Backcountry Tours 2012/13

With the first snows of the season dusting the tops of the local peaks this week, our thoughts are turning to winter.

The backcountry guides have put their heads together and come up with the initial schedule for the 2012/13 season. If snow and weather conditions allow the main trips are set for

January 13th - Kagura
February 2nd - Hotaka
February 23rd - Hotaka
March 16th - Kagura

The guides are available for group bookings or for private guiding too, so if those dates don't work, drop us a line and we can see what we can work out. As always there is lots of interest from advanced riders and pro-teams in the steeps at Tenjindaira which is always high up on many hit lists.

Fired up for the Hangi

After tour today we're having a big end-of-season hangi. The stones are heating up in the fire, the pit has been dug and there are baskets of meat and vegetables ready to cook. It's going to be a real feast and there are plenty of folk here hanging out for a good feed... Swing by if you are in the area.

There's some local Minakami boar under all those vegetables

Thank you KGV!

Last week we packed KGV International School from Hong Kong back to the airport after an action-packed, fun-filled week of adventure. It was great to have the students back in Japan and we look forward to seeing them again next year for another autumn school trip in Minakami.

The schedule was packed with hiking, rafting, canyoning, canoeing, a trip to the artisan craft village and plenty of other activities besides.

Great memories, great experiences and the chance to make new friends from all over the world. For a multi-activity, residential school trip Minakami is a fantastic destination.

Winter 2012/13 Openings - GALA Yuzawa

Gala have just finished their Summer Season and right on time have put up their new 2012/13 winter website.

They kick off their winter on Saturday December 22nd

GALA is the easiest place to go for a day on the snow with a bullet train link straight from Tokyo or Ueno into the base building. You can rock up in the clothes you are standing in and rent everything you need for a day in the mountains, enjoy the snow, have an onsen and then hop back on the train home.

It is also a long season with the resort due to be open until Golden Week.

For the Freestylers there is a great terrain park there and on weekends and national holidays from early April they roll out the air bag at the base of a big kicker so you can really fine tune those moves or try that big, new trick you've been thinking over all season.

We'll be running lessons there all season from first lift to last lift. Don't forget the awesome deals that you can get from the View Plaza Travel Agent in the main stations - great packages on bullet train tickets, lift tickets and rentals for a fraction of the normal cost.

Canyoning in Nara - Oct 6, 7 & 8

It's moving into autumn which is when we get to head out to some special locations for some truly amazing canyoning experiences. Places we can't go to all the time but are high on our list of high thrills Japanese adventures.

For the long weekend in October we are heading to Nara to hit up a very special course.

It is a one day tour on any of the days of the long weekend in October (6-8). 25,000JPY per person with lunch and a recovery onsen included. Spaces are limited so get your names in early.