Skiing in Nagano

Went up to Nagano for the weekend (about 9 hours drive North…3 hours from Tokyo). I grew up in Wisconsin, so as much as I constantly complain about hating the cold, I am pretty familiar with mounds of snow and ridiculously high snow drifts. I was not prepared for snow drifts that were 3 meters high, some of which covered the houses’ 2nd stories. The snow was so high, that the streetlights were covered, and the locals carved holes in the snowbanks, for candles…creating luminaries to guide tourists to their hotels. The ski conditions were pretty good…although the slopes were not very challenging. Overall, I had a great weekend away with 2 days of skiing, onsening, and lots of excellent food. However, I realized that no matter how long I stay away from Wisconsin, I will never be nostalgic of those ridiculously cold winters, or of all that snow.