Echigo Yuzawa

Yasunari Kawabata set his Nobel Prize-winning novel 'Snow Country' in this mountain town in southern Niigata, and the landscape he described, buried in some of Japan's heaviest snowfall, still defines the place. Over a dozen ski and snowboard resorts are within easy reach, and the Shinkansen whisks you from Tokyo Station to the slopes in about 70 minutes. The town itself is compact and walkable, lined with onsen ryokan, sake tasting rooms, and shops selling local Koshihikari rice. In warmer months, the surrounding mountains offer hiking, river activities, and rice planting experiences at local farms.