Official Travel Guide of Shinanomachi, Nagano

The official story is that Canadian missionary Dan Norman just got tired of the crowds at Karuizawa, and, in 1920, headed off on his motorcycle, to find a new place to avoid the summer heat of Japan’s big cities. But I much prefer Paul Swanson’s version. “Legend has it that Dr. Norman and some of his acquaintances wanted to escape the stifling Karuizawa society—afternoon teas and the like (not so much, it seems, the heat)—and went forth to find a place where people could relax all day,” he says. “Meaning, lying in the sun or floating on the lake without being looked at suspiciously. They found a mountainside overlooking Lake Nojiri which was being used to gather wood and make …

Skiers and boarders staying in Shinano-machi have it pretty good: a quiet, natural setting; delicious food; great views; friendly people. All around are some of Japan’s finest ski areas, with ski runs for every level of skier and boarder to choose from. And, in fact, you don’t even have to leave Shinano-machi to enjoy some outstanding snow and services, because there are two great resorts right here. They frame the area, in fact: Kurohime Kogen Snow Park, on the eastern slopes of the mountain of the same name, on the west side of the town; Tangram Madarao Tokyu Resort to the east, just across Lake Nojiri on the north-facing slopes of Mt. Madarao. Both provide a wide range of ski …

If you take a look at an aerial photograph of the area on the northeast side of Mt. Iizuna, with Mt. Kurohime just to the north, you’ll see something interesting in the forest. It’s not hard to do today, with all the online mapping service available with just a swipe of a finger or a click. Much of the forest area at the foot of the mountain appears as big blocks of trees, all made up of one color, with all the trees the same shape. Now go a little further northeast, and there’s a sudden break. It looks like a wall: on one side is big, dark green trees (actually forests of sugi—cryptomeria, sometimes called Japanese cedar). On the …