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

2022/02/09

Phrases like "skiing first thing in the morning before work," "night skiing after 5 pm," and "skiing only on days with good conditions" are the dream days that every ski and snowboard enthusiast envisions. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the spread of teleworking, and the concept of "workation," a combination of "work" and "vacation," has emerged. To reiterate, workation is the practice of using teleworking and other methods to enjoy leisure time while working in a location different from one's usual workplace, such as a resort, hot spring resort, or national park. Looking at the Japan Tourism Agency's workation page (here) , there are actually various types of workations, but here we will talk about satellite office-type workations.

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 any location will do. Ideally, you'd want a place with plenty of snow and attractive ski resorts, good access to urban areas, and convenient access to restaurants and shops.
Therefore, for skiers and snowboarders who don't want to compromise on either their skiing or their work, we recommend Minamiuonuma City in Niigata Prefecture.

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

This area boasts an excellent location, just a 2.5-hour drive from Tokyo, or a 70-minute bullet train ride to JR Echigo-Yuzawa Station, and is one of the snowiest regions in Japan, recording some of the heaviest snowfall. Within the city, there are 10 ski resorts (!), including Ishiuchi Maruyama, Maiko Snow Resort, and Hakkaisan Ski Resort. Furthermore, in the neighboring cities of Uonuma and Yuzawa, you can access nearly 20 more ski resorts within an hour's drive, such as Suhara, Naeba, and Kagura. Depending on the conditions of the day, there are countless places to ski, and the ways to enjoy yourself are endless, including powder, tree runs, backcountry, park, freeride, and slope cruising. I

actually tried a workation in this area to experience firsthand what kind of 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 offer a wide variety of terrain. (13 lifts, longest run of 4km, skiable area of 236 hectares)
- The resort has a great selection of restaurants, ensuring that the enjoyment of food, a highlight of any trip, is not neglected.
- The large night skiing area allows you to fully enjoy the resort even 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 mountaintop, a panoramic view of the Uonuma Plain unfolds.
Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day, but I imagined the magnificent scenery in my mind.

The world's most advanced combination lift. The gondola and lift run on the same cable.
The gondola can carry 10 people, and the lift can carry 6 people.

Beyond the mountaintop is a connecting course to GALA Yuzawa.
Beyond GALA Yuzawa is a link to Yuzawa Plateau,
connecting three ski resorts.

There are three tree run areas within the resort, and
you can enter them if you have the necessary equipment such as a helmet. These are the areas you'll want to head to first after a snowfall
.

One of the unique features of Ishiuchi Maruyama is the scattering of restaurants run by locals within the ski resort grounds . Each establishment has its own distinct character, offering Italian cuisine, yakiniku (Japanese barbecue), hamburgers, and more

The wide slopes and varied gradients make carving endlessly
enjoyable. There are also six ungroomed areas, all of which are steep.
On snowy days, it's the perfect place to ski.

After skiing all morning, the afternoon is dedicated to working. La Famille Nakazumi, where I'm staying, has high-speed Wi-Fi, so I can get work done anywhere in the building. I concentrate on 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 it's also possible to stay there and do a workation. You can ski the first tracks every day and experience the extraordinary feeling of living on top of a snow-covered 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 central area of Minamiuonuma City is called "Muikamachi." It's about a 20-minute drive north from Ishiuchi Maruyama.
Hakkaisan Ski Resort, Maiko Snow Resort, and Muika Snow Resort are all nearby, and within a 5-minute radius you'll find Aeon, Komeri, Daiso, Tsutaya, supermarkets, major electronics stores, Nitori, McDonald's, etc. I should add that despite being one of the snowiest regions in Japan, Minamiuonuma is an extremely 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:

With the increase in opportunities for teleworking, our perspectives on work and leisure are also changing. Therefore, we will introduce teleworking in Minamiuonuma City, which is 2.5 hours from the Tokyo metropolitan area, focusing on the themes of "snow, food, and housing," while incorporating stories from three people who have moved to Minamiuonuma City and know how to enjoy the unique snowy region of Minamiuonuma, such as skiing and snowboarding, while continuing to work remotely.

Date and Time: Monday, February 14, 2022, 19:00-20:30
Application form ishere

Organizer: Minamiuonuma City Community Development Promotion Organization (General Incorporated Association)
Operator: Nature Experience Village
Inquiry: Nature Experience Village / Takemiya (kigurumi41244124@gmail.com)

●Regarding the on-site exchange event:

Priority will be given to online seminar participants for the on-site exchange event. You will be able to experience the telework environment in Minamiuonuma City, the time allocation between leisure and work on-site, and 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 (tentative):
　　　 8:00 Meet at the ski
　　　 resort 8:30 Start of backcountry tour
　　　11:30 End of backcountry tour
　　　12:00 Lunch
　　　13:00 Discussion session
　　　14:00 Experience of telework facilities in the city, etc.
　　　16:00 Dismissal (Shiozawa area)
*Schedule may change due to the impact of COVID-19.

Capacity: 12 people per session (priority given to online seminar participants; if there are many applicants, a lottery will be held)
Participation fee: Free (includes backcountry tour fee and lift ticket fee) *Please bear the cost of round-trip transportation to the site, lunch and other food and drink expenses, and on-site parking fees yourself.
*There is a system to subsidize half of the round-trip transportation costs to the site (up to 10,000 yen, private car and Shinkansen are acceptable).
Meeting time: 8:00 Ski resort in Minamiuonuma city
Dismissal time: 16:00 Shiozawa, Minamiuonuma city
How to apply: Details will be announced during the online seminar.