“Ski first thing in the morning and then go to work,” “after five, go to night skiing,” and “only ski on days when
the conditions are good,” are common phrases that every ski and snowboard enthusiast envisions.
With the spread of telework due to the new coronavirus, the concept of workation, which is a combination of work and vacation, has also emerged. Once again, workation is to use telework, etc., and work while enjoying leisure in a place different from the usual workplace, such as a resort area, a hot spring area, or a national park. If you look at the workation page of the Japan Tourism Agency (here) , there are actually various workcations, but here I would like to talk about satellite office workcations.
In a nutshell, the benefits of workation are the reduction of stress by working wherever you like and the creation of extra time for hobbies and rest by eliminating travel time.
With the promotion of telework and the development of a working environment, people can concentrate on their work online during the day without having to relocate. It is possible to work freely, such as enjoying skiing and snowboarding to the fullest.
But just because you can work anywhere doesn't mean you can work anywhere.
It goes without saying that there are attractive ski resorts with abundant snow, but to a certain extent, it is desirable to have places that are easily accessible, such as metropolitan areas, and where eating and drinking and shopping are not inconvenient. Therefore, Minamiuonuma City in Niigata Prefecture is recommended for skiers and snowboarders who do not compromise on skiing or work.
It is located in a good location, two and a half hours by car from Tokyo, or 70 minutes from JR Echigo-Yuzawa Station by Shinkansen.
There are 10 (!) ski resorts in the city, including Ishiuchi Maruyama, Maiko Snow Resort, and Hakkaisan Ski Resort.In addition, neighboring Uonuma City and Yuzawa Town include Suhara, Naeba, and Kagura, all of which are an hour away by car. Nearly 20 ski resorts are accessible within range. Depending on the conditions of the day, you can choose countless places to ski, and the ways to enjoy it are endless, such as powder, tree run, backcountry, park, freeride, and slope cruising. I actually did a workation in such a land and experienced what kind of convenience it has.
I chose Ishiuchi Maruyama Ski Resort as the base for this trip. Ishiuchi Maruyama is a place in Minami Uonuma City that borders Yuzawa Town. Therefore, there is an advantage that the Yuzawa ski resort is closer and the options increase.
Why did you choose Ishiuchi Maruyama as a base among the numerous ski resorts in Minamiuonuma?
・The slopes are vast and have many slope changes.
(13 lifts, maximum run length of 4km, run area of 236ha) .
・Because the night game area is wide, you can fully enjoy the night.
Ishiuchi Maruyama is one of the largest ski resorts along the Kanetsu Expressway. For that reason, there are plenty of course variations, and any user can enjoy it no matter who they come with.
day , but I imagined a magnificent view in my mind's eye.
The gondola and lift are on the same overhead line. The gondola can carry 10 people and the lift can carry 6 people.
GALA Yuzawa is connected to Yuzawa Kogen, and
three ski resorts are connected.
you can enter if you have equipment such as a helmet.
area you want to go to first after a snowfall
's unique scenery is dotted with restaurants run by locals.
, such as Italian, yakiniku, and hamburgers .
n't get tired
of just carving on the steep slopes There are also 6 non-compacted snow areas, all of which are steep slopes. It's the best ski on a snowy day.
After skiing for a while in the morning, it's working time in the afternoon.
The accommodation "La Famille Nakakaku" is equipped with high-speed wi-fi, so you can work anywhere in the building. I will concentrate on work here until the evening. In Ishiuchi Maruyama, there are lodgings such as "Ishiuchi Ski Center" and "Mont Blanc" on the slopes where you can stay and work. You can ski the fast track every day and enjoy the extraordinary life of living on top of the snowy mountains.
After work, when the sun goes down, I went to the night game, which I was looking forward to this time. Speaking of Ishiuchi Maruyama, it is a night game. According to the owner of the inn, many locals only come to ski at night. The reason for this is that there are fewer people than in the daytime, and the snow quality at night is perfect for carving skiing. If it snows, the powder will be as light as Hokkaido.
What I felt when I actually experienced the workcation in Minamiuonuma was the difference in stress. No crowds, no commuter trains. Open scenery is right next to you, and you can interact with local people. The tiredness of work is blown away by skiing and snowboarding every day. Even if you are doing what you love at work, taking a break is still important. I want to produce results at work, but I also want to enrich my private life. It was an opportunity to reconsider the work-life balance between work and personal affairs.
By the way, the final goal of the workation is still immigration.
The center of Minamiuonuma City is an area called Muikamachi.
It is located about 20 minutes north of Ishiuchi Maruyama by car. Hakkaisan Ski Resort, Maiko Snow Resort, and Muika Snow Resort are also nearby, and within a 5-minute walk, there are Aeon, Komeri, Daiso, Tsutaya, supermarkets, major electronics stores, Nitori, McDonald's, etc. Minamiuonuma is one of the best snow country. Let me add that it is a super comfortable environment to live in.
In Minamiuonuma City, we are planning to hold an online seminar for workation and a local exchange meeting including a backcountry tour. If you want to experience a new life, let's participate.
●About online seminars
Opportunities for telework are increasing, and the way of thinking about work and leisure is changing. So, in Minamiuonuma City, which is two and a half hours from the Tokyo metropolitan area, while working from home, three people who have experience migrating to know how to enjoy things unique to snow country Minamiuonuma, such as skiing/snowboarding, are talking about "snow, food, and housing." We will introduce telework in Minamiuonuma City under the theme of
Date: February 14, 2022 (Monday) 19:00-20:30
Click here for the application form
Organizer: Minamiuonuma City Community Development Promotion Organization
Management: Nature Experience Village
Inquiries: Nature Experience Village / Takemiya (kigurumi41244124@gmail.com)
●Regarding
the local exchange meeting You can participate in the local exchange meeting with priority given to online seminar participants. You can experience the telework environment in Minamiuonuma City, the local leisure and work time allocation, and free backcountry tours. Details will be announced at the online seminar.
Date: 1st Saturday, February 26, 2022 8:00-16:00
2nd Sunday, February 27, 2022 8:00-16:00
Time schedule (tentative):
8:00 Meet at ski resort
8:30 Start backcountry tour
11:30 End backcountry tour
12:00 Lunch
13:00 Opinion exchange meeting
14:00 Telework facility experience in the city, etc.
16:00 Dissolution ( Shiozawa area)
*The schedule may change due to the influence of the new corona.
Capacity: 12 people each time (Priority given to online seminar participants, lottery will be held if the number of applicants is large)
Participation fee: Free (including backcountry tour fee and lift fee) Please pay your own parking fee.
*There is a half-price subsidy system for round-trip transportation expenses to the site (maximum 10,000 yen, private car, Shinkansen possible).
Meeting: 8:00 Minamiuonuma city ski resort
dissolution: 16:00 Minamiuonuma city Shiozawa
Application method: We will inform you at the online seminar.
Organizer: Minamiuonuma City Community Development Promotion Organization
Management: Nature Experience Village
Inquiries: Nature Experience Village / Takemiya (kigurumi41244124@gmail.com)
