Enjoy outdoor trips in the cold season. Glamping facilities are popular even in winter.

[Hokkaido] Niseko Cottage Bongo Square: Enjoy the silvery white world and winter sports

Niseko Cottage Bongo Hiroba is a recommended facility for enjoying the experience of camping in the snowy scenery, which is the best part of winter outdoors. It is about 3 hours by express bus from New Chitose Airport. Niseko in Hokkaido is world famous for its high-quality powder snow. Come to Niseko and experience the feeling of having the world of silver all to yourself.

Bongo Square is located amongst grasslands and forests, with a panoramic view of Mt. Yotei and the Niseko mountain range, and there is even a stream on the premises. On sunny days, the contrast between the blue sky and the snow is beautiful, and you can enjoy an outstanding sense of openness.

There are three ski resorts within a 10-minute drive, making it a perfect base for winter sports. You can enjoy skiing and snowboarding on a variety of courses, from those for families and beginners to those for advanced skiers, so why not visit various places and find a course with the scenery and difficulty that suits you best?

The glamping facility at Bongo Square is made up of trailer houses and bell tents, and is equipped with furniture, bedding, and shared showers.

A particularly popular service is BBQ on the snow. Hokkaido is a treasure trove of delicious food. Bringing your own ingredients and enjoying an outdoor meal is special and will be a memorable entertainment in itself.
*Please note that there may be days when the event cannot be held due to bad weather such as blizzards.

Niseko Cottage Bongo Square

[Gunma Prefecture] "Onsen Glamping Shima Blue" - Experience the outdoors while warming up in the hot springs

Hot springs are a classic winter travel destination that warms your body from the inside out. At "Onsen Glamping Shima Blue" in Gunma, you can enjoy hot springs while glamping.

Shima Blue is located in the venerable Shima Onsen, which was designated as the first national hot spring resort in 1954. It contains a lot of metasilicic acid, which has a high skin-beautifying effect, and is highly popular even among the many famous hot springs in Gunma.

The facility offers seven types of guest rooms. It consists of five cabins and two dome tent storage cabins, and all rooms have an open-air hot spring bath with carefully selected running water. It is located along Fusenkyo Gorge, where the Shima River flows, and when you step out onto the open terrace, you can enjoy the pleasant sound of the river.

There are also luxurious meals that incorporate elements of camping, such as a BBQ where you can fully enjoy the local bounty of Gunma. Enjoying a hot meal in the cold air is something special. You can enjoy the hot springs, the scenery, the space, the food, and the outdoor experience to the fullest.

The facility also has a sauna, which has become popular in recent years. This is charged separately, but like the open-air bath, it is completely private, so you can use it without worrying about crowding. Having opened in 2017, it has a new and stylish design. This glamping facility allows you to comfortably enjoy both the cold of winter and the warmth of hot springs and saunas.

Hot Spring Glamping Shima Blue

[Nagano Prefecture] Snow Peak Field Suite: Enjoy a bonfire on the snowy plains and a full-course meal prepared by a top chef

Hakuba Happo-one is a mountain resort with a magnificent view of the Northern Alps. Snow Peak FIELD SUITE HAKUBA KITAONE KOGEN is a glamping facility located on the Kitaone Plateau at an altitude of 1,200m. There is a shuttle bus from Shinshu Matsumoto Airport to Hakuba. In the evening, enjoy a full course meal using local ingredients prepared by a chef who trained at a Michelin-star restaurant in Italy.

The venue for this tour is a dining area in a quiet, closed ski resort. You can enjoy a blissful moment in a spectacular snowy area, watching the sun set over the Ushiro-Tateyama mountain range, and sipping after-dinner drinks around a warm bonfire.

The chef is Shingo Suzuki, who trained in Italy for six years and has a wealth of experience working in Michelin-starred restaurants. To ensure that you can experience the perfect marriage of flavors with each dish, sommelier Sho Yoshihira, who also has a background as a chef, has selected Nagano wines.

The tour starts with pickup at each accommodation in Hakuba Village. You will board a ski lift and head to a glamping field in the clouds. After enjoying an aperitif around a bonfire, you will savor a full course meal in a warm room. After the meal, you can soak in the afterglow at the bonfire bar, and finally, you will ride a snowcat (snow vehicle) to descend the mountain while admiring the night view of Hakuba Village and the starry sky.

The facilities and services are supervised by Snow Peak, a popular outdoor brand. The resort aims to promote the "restoration of humanity" as the company promotes, set in a luxurious field with the majestic 3,000m-class mountains of the Northern Alps spreading out before your eyes.

Snow Peak FIELD SUITE HAKUBA KITAONE KOGEN

[Kagoshima Prefecture] "Holly Camp" where you can enjoy whale watching only from January to March

Amami Oshima has a warm, comfortable subtropical climate, where some of the world's most beautiful nature and tropical culture coexist. At Holly Camp, located about a 10-minute drive from Amami Airport, you can enjoy a variety of activities throughout the year, but one experience you can only have during the winter months of January to March is humpback whale watching.

Humpback whales only come to the warm waters of Amami Oshima at this time of year to give birth and raise their young. Seeing the dynamic swimming of humpback whales up close is sure to be an unforgettable memory.

You will stay in a vintage trailer overlooking the sparkling emerald green ocean. Only one group per day is allowed, so you can enjoy a private time. Amami Oshima is warm, so you can enjoy marine sports even in winter if you wear a wetsuit. Playing with the sparkling coral sea during the day and being surrounded by a starry sky at night will be the ultimate relaxation time away from everyday life.

The specialty dish is an Italian BBQ prepared by the chef using ingredients from Amami. The original course menu enhances the extraordinary feeling. Enjoy glamping to your heart's content in a private space unique to the outdoors in the tropics, different from a hotel.

Holly Camp

One of the best parts of traveling is being out of the ordinary. When we hear the word camping, we tend to think of warm seasons, but that's why glamping in the winter is so special. We hope this article will help you choose a travel destination this winter, even with the restrictions in place.

*Some content was updated on October 27, 2023.

Related article

6 Winter Activities in Kushiro and Akan. Enjoy rare experiences only available during this season at a great price.

If you're looking for a different experience this winter, there's a perfect place for you. That's the Kushiro-Akan area in Hokkaido. In addition to the mystical location covered in ice and snow, there are plenty of winter activities to choose from, including hiking, canoeing, and crane watching. What's more, you can enjoy these activities at a discount by taking advantage of the "Kushiro Experience Discount" currently being implemented by Kushiro City.

ontrip.jal.co.jp

Experience an "ice adventure tour" to fully enjoy winter in the Nanae Onuma area of Hokkaido

In the southern part of Hokkaido, there is the Hakodate-Nanae Onuma area, which is easily accessible from Hakodate Airport in about 30 minutes and where you can enjoy the great outdoors. In winter, a beautiful world of silver spreads across the land, and there are many activities that can only be enjoyed during this time of year. In particular, the "Ice Adventure Tour" on the frozen Lake Onuma is a special experience like no other. If you enjoy the cold to the fullest and move your body, your mind will also become refreshed. Let's go on a trip to get energy from the great outdoors.

ontrip.jal.co.jp