Japan in Winter: Snow Monkeys, Hakuba Powder & Kyoto in the Snow

Meiji Jingu

Gravel approach under bare winter cedars, and the quietest the shrine gets all year.

Shibuya Sky

Sunset falls before 5pm in a Tokyo winter, so the observation deck gives you golden hour and full neon in one visit.

Omoide Yokocho

Six-seat yakitori counters with kerosene heaters and smoke in the alley — the warmest room in Shinjuku.

Golden Gai

Two hundred bars in six lanes. Look for a door with an English sign if it is your first night.

Senso-ji

Arrive before ten and Nakamise is walkable rather than shuffled.

Nakamise-dori

Ningyoyaki straight off the griddle, eaten hot in the cold.

Tokyo Skytree

Winter air is the clearest of the year — Fuji is visible from the Tembo Deck far more often in January than in August.

teamLab Planets TOKYO

Barefoot through warm water while it is freezing outside. Book the slot in advance.

Roppongi Hills

The Keyakizaka illumination runs mid-November to Christmas, with Tokyo Tower framed at the end of the street.

Jigokudani Monkey Park

Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Nagano is 90 minutes and covered by the JR Pass, then the Nagaden line to Yudanaka. From the car park a 1.6km snow-packed forest path leads to the hot spring — wear real boots, this is not a paved walk.

Shibu Onsen

Nine public baths along a cobbled street, walked between in a yukata and wooden geta.

Zenko-ji

One of Japan's oldest temples, and the pitch-dark underground passage beneath the main hall.

Nagano Station

Nagano is soba country — eat it cold even in February, which is how it is meant to be served.

Happo-one Snow Resort

The 1998 Olympic downhill course. Rental and lessons at the base; the Alps view from the top gondola is the reason to come.

Hakuba Happo Onsen Mimizuku no Yu

Outdoor bath looking straight at the Hakuba range, and the correct thing to do with cold legs.

Hakuba Iwatake Mountain Resort

Gentler than Happo and better for a second-day skier, with the Iwatake Green Ropeway view over the valley.

Hakuba Station

The Echoland strip between the station and Wadano is where the izakayas and ramen counters are.

Matsumoto Castle

The oldest surviving keep in Japan, and black lacquer against snow is the single best photograph of this trip.

Nakamachi Street

White-walled kura storehouses turned into craft shops and coffee.

Matsumoto Station

Limited Express Shinano to Nagoya, then Shinkansen to Kyoto. About four hours door to door.

Nishiki Market

You arrive in Kyoto in the early evening. Nishiki closes early — be in before seven, and in winter it is the emptiest you will ever see it.

Pontocho

A lantern-lit lane one alley wide, running along the Kamo river.

Kinkaku-ji

Gold on snow is the shot everyone wants and almost nobody times. Be at the gate for opening after a cold night.

Ryoan-ji

Fifteen rocks in raked gravel, ten minutes' walk away, and far quieter.

Fushimi Inari Taisha

The torii tunnels thin out above the Yotsutsuji junction — most visitors turn back there.

Kiyomizu-dera

The veranda at dusk, with the city lighting up below.

Hanamikoji Street

Gion's main lane. Walk it, eat off it, and do not photograph the geiko.

Arashiyama Bamboo Grove

Eight in the morning is the difference between a photograph and a queue.

Tenryu-ji

The garden was laid out in the 14th century and has not been redesigned since.

Togetsukyo Bridge

The Moon Crossing Bridge, with the Arashiyama slopes behind it.

Kyoto Station

Haruka Limited Express runs direct to Kansai International in about 80 minutes.

Kansai International Airport

Allow three hours; the winter departure banks out of KIX are busy.