Hi there! Natalia at Hakuba Mominoki Hotel here.

Among visitors from outside of Japan Hakuba is mostly famous for its ski resorts, but actually it has so much to offer off-season as well, I thought I’d tell you more about how it is like in other seasons. Here goes!

Spring. When you think of Japanese spring, the first thing to come to mind is cherry blossoms. Whilst Hakuba might not be the obvious choice for it, cherry trees bloom much later here compared to Tokyo area, so it’s a great place to enjoy it if you’ve missed it somewhere else. The best time to come is around the 20-25^th April, but even in the beginning of May there might be some left. Bear in mind though that it might get a bit busy during Golden Week. There might be not as many cherry blossom trees around here as in more famous areas, but where there are, it’s an amazing view with snow-peaked Japanese Alps.

Summer. There is so much to do here in summer – hiking, camping, mountain-biking, rafting, paddle boarding and canoeing on the lake, you name it. Most of the ski resort gondolas are open in summer-autumn season as well. Mountain trails are very well maintained and you do not need a guide to enjoy it, be it an easy half-day hike or a two-week trekking tour into the mountains. Mountain huts are located literally near every peak, so you do not even need a tent. On a hot day head to Aokiko lake for some paddle boarding – you can just plunge into the lake if you feel like it (surprisingly it’s not too cold for a lake of 60 meters deep!). In august it might get a bit busy, so I think the best time to come would be around mid-July, just after the rainy season. Beginning of September can also be a really good choice, as with the start of school in Japan, Hakuba becomes really quiet while it is still very warm and most of the activities are still running. There are also quite a few places in Hakuba where you can enjoy a magical sight of dancing fireflies at night (best from beginning to middle of July). By the way, we organize free firefly tours for our guests during this season.

Autumn. This is of course the season to enjoy stunning “koyo” – viewing of autumn leaves. Whilst most of the visitors come to Hakuba in October for it, in my opinion the beginning of November is still great to enjoy it. That is when the autumn colors descend all the way down to the base of the mountains and you can enjoy it just by walking around in the village. Some of the gondolas are still open till about November 5-10. If you are lucky you can even enjoy a view of “san-dan-koyo”, with snow-capped mountains, red and yellow foliage in the middle and trees still green at the base. The snow has been late these past couple of years, but fingers crossed!

Our hotel is planning to open in July and we have a glamping site, a tree house, BBQ site and an outdoor bar – please do not hesitate to visit even if you are not staying with us 😉

＜グランピングも充実｜長野県白馬村　樅の木ホテル＞

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