Balancing work with skiing and snowboarding | Trying out workcation in Minamiuonuma

2022/02/09

Common phrases like
"ski first thing in the morning, then work," "night skiing after 5," and "only ski when the conditions are good" The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the spread of teleworking, and the concept of workation, a combination of work and vacation, has also emerged. Workation, in a nutshell, is the act of utilizing teleworking and other methods to work while enjoying leisure time in a location other than your usual workplace, such as a resort, hot spring resort, or national park. If you look at the Japan Tourism Agency's workation page (here) , you'll see that there are actually many different types of workation, but here we'd like to talk about satellite office-style workation.

To put it simply, the benefits of workation include reducing stress by working from a place of your choice and creating extra time for hobbies and relaxation by eliminating travel time

With the promotion of telework and the development of workation environments, it is now possible to work freely, focusing on work online during the day without having to relocate, and, as mentioned at the beginning, enjoying the nature and skiing and snowboarding that is right in front of you in the mornings, evenings, and on weekends

However, just because you can work anywhere doesn't mean that any place is good. It's best to have an attractive ski resort with plenty of snow, as well as some degree of access to urban areas and easy access to restaurants, shops, and other places.
For skiers and snowboarders who don't want to compromise on both their skiing and their work, we recommend Minamiuonuma City in Niigata Prefecture.

Minamiuonuma is surrounded by mountains such as Tanigawadake and the Echigo Sanzan mountains

Conveniently located just two and a half hours by car from Tokyo, or 70 minutes by Shinkansen to JR Echigo-Yuzawa Station, this area is known for its heavy snowfall, and is one of the snowiest areas in Japan. The city itself is home to 10 ski resorts, including Ishiuchi Maruyama, Maiko Snow Resort, and Hakkaisan Ski Resort. Furthermore, in neighboring Uonuma City and Yuzawa Town, there are nearly 20 ski resorts within an hour's drive, including Suhara, Naeba, and Kagura. Depending on the conditions that day, there are countless options for skiing, and the possibilities are endless, from powder snow to tree runs, backcountry skiing, park skiing, freeriding, and cruising the slopes. We decided

to work remotely in this area and experience the convenience it offers.

The base of my trip this time was Ishiuchi Maruyama Ski Resort. Ishiuchi Maruyama is located in Minamiuonuma city, adjacent to the neighboring town of Yuzawa. This means that it is closer to the Yuzawa ski resort, giving me more options

We stayed at La Famille Nakakaku, located at the central entrance of Ishiuchi Maruyama. One step outside and you're right on the slopes. Accommodation costs 8,800 yen for two people, one night and two days. A family of ski lovers will warmly welcome you in a homely atmosphere. Their hearty meals made with home-grown vegetables and Koshihikari rice are also popular

The reason why we chose Ishiuchi Maruyama as our base out of the many ski resorts in Minamiuonuma is

・The slopes are vast and varied. (13 lifts, the longest run is 4km, and the ski area is 236 hectares)
・There is a wide selection of food on the slopes, so the best part of the trip - eating - is not neglected.
・The night skiing area is large, so you can enjoy it to the fullest at night.

Ishiuchi Maruyama is one of the largest ski resorts along the Kan'etsu Expressway, and as such, it offers a wide variety of courses that can be enjoyed by anyone, regardless of who you are with

From the summit, you can see the Uonuma Plain in its entirety.
Unfortunately, it was cloudy that day, but I could still picture the magnificent scenery in my mind.

The world's most advanced combilift. The gondola and lift are on the same overhead wire.
The gondola can carry 10 people, and the lift can carry 6 people.

Beyond the summit is a connecting course to GALA Yuzawa.
Beyond GALA Yuzawa is connected to Yuzawa Kogen, which
connects three ski resorts.

There are three tree run areas within the site, and
you can enter if you are equipped with a helmet and other gear.
This is the area you want to head to first after a snowfall.

Ishiuchi Maruyama is the array of local restaurants scattered throughout the slopes

each offering a unique cuisine, including Italian, yakiniku, and hamburger

The course is wide and has a variety of slopes, so you'll never get bored just carving
. There are also six ungroomed areas, all of which are steep.
On snowy days, it's the best feeling to ski.

After skiing in the morning, it's time to work in the afternoon. The hotel where I'm staying, La Famille Nakakaku, is equipped with high-speed Wi-Fi, so I can get work done anywhere in the hotel. I concentrate on my work here until the evening.
At Ishiuchi Maruyama, there are accommodations scattered halfway up the slopes, such as Ishiuchi Ski Center and Mont Blanc, so I can stay there and do a workation. I can ski on the first track every day and experience the extraordinary experience of living on a snowy mountain.

Since I have the chance, I decided to work in a restaurant with a view of the slopes. When I get tired, I can just look up and be soothed by the snowy landscape in front of me, so I can always work in a relaxed state

After work, once the sun had set, I headed off to one of the things I was looking forward to this trip: night skiing. When you think of Ishiuchi Maruyama, it's all about night skiing. According to the owner of the inn, many locals come just to ski at night. This is because there are fewer people than during the day, making it easier to ski, and the quality of the snow at night is ideal for carving skis. When it snows, the powder is apparently as light as that in Hokkaido

It's true that the number of people was sparser than during the day. And above all, the combination of the night lighting and the sunset was beautiful. The moment when I switched from work to hobby

There are 10 courses where you can ski at night (excluding the connecting walkway). My personal favorite is the Omaruyama slope. The slope on the right is a groomed run with a moderate incline. The slope on the left is ungroomed. And the night view of Minamiuonuma city is beautiful!

What I felt when I actually experienced workation in Minamiuonuma was the difference in stress. There were no crowds and I didn't have to ride the commuter train. The open scenery was right nearby, and I got to interact with the local people. The fatigue from work was blown away by skiing and snowboarding every day. Even if you're doing what you love at work, it's still important to take a break. I want to achieve results at work, but I also want to have a fulfilling private life. It was an opportunity to reconsider the work-life balance between work and personal matters

By the way, the ultimate goal of workation is probably to emigrate

The center of Minamiuonuma City is an area called Muikamachi, located about a 20-minute drive north of Ishiuchi Maruyama.
It's close to Hakkaisan Ski Resort, Maiko Snow Resort, and Muika Snow Resort, and within a five-minute walk you'll find Aeon, Komeri, Daiso, Tsutaya, supermarkets, major electronics stores, Nitori, McDonald's, and more. Minamiuonuma is one of Japan's snowiest regions, but it's also an incredibly comfortable place to live.

Minamiuonuma City is planning to hold online seminars for workation and local networking events including backcountry tours. If you want to experience a new lifestyle, why not join us?

●About the online seminar:

Opportunities for teleworking are increasing, and attitudes towards work and leisure are changing. This seminar will introduce teleworking in Minamiuonuma City, located two and a half hours from the Tokyo metropolitan area, with the theme of "snow, food, and housing," and will feature stories from three people who have moved to Minamiuonuma and are familiar with the snowy region's unique ways to enjoy skiing and snowboarding while also working remotely.

Date and time: Monday, February 14, 2022, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Application form here

Organizer: Minamiuonuma City Urban Development Promotion Organization (General Incorporated Association)
Operated by: Nature Experience Village
Inquiries: Nature Experience Village/Takemiya (kigurumi41244124@gmail.com)

seminar

participants will be given priority and will be able to participate in the on-site networking event. You will be able to experience the teleworking environment in Minamiuonuma City, how to allocate your leisure and work time locally, and take a free backcountry tour. Details will be announced during the online seminar.

Dates: 1st session: Saturday, February 26, 2022, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
2nd session: Sunday, February 27, 2022, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Time schedule (planned):
8:00 Meet at the ski
resort 8:30 Backcountry tour begins
11:30 Backcountry tour ends
12:00 Lunch
13:00 Discussion session
14:00 Experience teleworking facilities in the city, etc.
16:00 Disband (Shiozawa area)
*The schedule may change due to the impact of COVID-19.

Capacity: 12 people per session (priority will be given to online seminar participants; if there are too many applicants, a lottery will be held)
Participation fee: Free (including backcountry tour and lift tickets) *Please note that participants are responsible for their own round-trip transportation costs to the site, food and drink costs such as lunch, and on-site parking fees.
*There is a system in place to subsidize half of the round-trip transportation costs to the site (up to 10,000 yen, private car and Shinkansen accepted).
Meeting time: 8:00 Ski resort in Minamiuonuma City
End time: 16:00 Shiozawa, Minamiuonuma City
How to apply: Information will be provided at the time of the online seminar.