11 Reasons To Visit Japan In The Winter

Above, a view of the falling snow from my hotel room's window. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

My trip to Japan last February was the first time I have visited the country in winter. It was quite interesting, to say the least.

As regular readers of this blog know, I was stuck midway between Narita International Airport and Tokyo in Chiba Prefecture due to heavy snow. Little did I know that when I scheduled my trip, my arrival would be during one of the heaviest snowstorms to hit the Tokyo and Chiba areas in years.

Still, even being stuck in a train car was somewhat fun. It certainly was different.

The Inside Japan Blog has posted an article on the "11 Reasons To Visit Japan In The Winter."

It begins with:

In the autumn there are the turning leaves, in the summer there’s hot sun and lush green landscapes, and in the spring there is (of course) the famous cherry blossom. 

When there are these wonderful seasons to travel to Japan, why choose to come in the bitter depths of winter? Well, I’ll let you in on a secret: winter is actually the best time to travel to Japan. 

OK – so the claim isn’t unqualified. Winter in Japan has its attendant inconveniences, just like any other season. For instance, on the day my family arrived in Tokyo in February for their winter Japan holiday, it was the heaviest snowstorm the city had seen for fifty years (which is just typical). [Ah-ha! The article's writer showed up in Japan at the same time I did! - A.] If you can’t put up with cold weather, the chances are that winter in Japan is not for you. But if you’re anything like me, the following reasons will be more than enough to persuade you that winter in Japan is the best season of all.

I'll have to admit that the eleven reason to visit Japan are good ones. That is, if one is a winter sports enthusiast. Even if one isn't, they are worth taking into consideration.

The first reason is quite obvious: there are no crowds. I'll let you read the article to find out what the other ten reasons are.

To read more, go here.