A thousand year old hot spring village in Nagano prefecture with a large ski area rising directly above it, and one of the most atmospheric places to ski in Japan.

Thirteen free public bath houses are scattered through the village streets, maintained by the residents, and using them is part of the day rather than an extra. The skiing has a substantial vertical with a good spread of terrain, deep snow through midwinter and long descents back to the village.

The Dosojin fire festival in January is one of the great festivals in Japan and worth planning a trip around. Tokyo is around three hours away by bullet train and local connection.