[Experience] Rice Terrace Snowshoe Walk & Tea Time on the Snow

In this experience, you'll walk in kanjiki (traditional snowshoes) through the snow-covered rice terraces. These beautiful rice terraces have been cultivated since ancient times and passed down through the generations. Tokamachi still thrives on the Satoyama lifestyle, centered around the rice terraces. Put on your kanjiki and let your imagination wander back to this traditional local lifestyle. Led by a guide, you'll put on your kanjiki and walk across the snow, blending into the scenery. The view of the winter rice terraces covered in pure white snow is truly breathtaking. After walking for a while, you'll enjoy a special tea time on the snow. You'll enjoy locally harvested natural Kuromoji tea and sweets. Be sure to enjoy this winter experience unique to a snowy country.

The beautiful rice terraces that have been passed down since ancient times in Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture, are transformed into a blanket of snow in winter. In this experience, you will wear traditional snowshoes, a traditional folk tool, and walk through the rice terraces covered in pure white snow. The view of the rice terraces in winter, shrouded in silence, is truly a spectacular sight that can only be found in a snowy country.

Led by a guide, you will take a stroll around the rice terraces and their surrounding area for approximately one hour. You will not only enjoy the scenery, but also gain a deeper understanding of the role of rice terraces in the Satoyama area and the local lifestyle that developed in this snowy region. The real pleasure of this tour is the opportunity to imagine what life was like in the past while listening to the stories of a guide who knows the local area inside and out.

After enjoying a walk through the snowy fields, you will enjoy a special tea time on the snow. You will be served natural, locally harvested "kuromoji tea" and sweets. The experience of enjoying warm tea and sweets in the great outdoors after a workout is exceptional. You can fully enjoy winter in a snowy country using all five senses.