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Situated 150km away from the hustle and bustle of the metropolis, it truly feels like another country. The Snow Country Region is nestled in the Japan Alps, and offers clean air and beautiful mountainous surroundings.

'Snow Country' is made up of Echigo-Yuzawa, Minami-Uonuma, Uonuma, Tokamachi and Tsunan in Niigata, Minakami in Gunma and Sakae Village in Nagano prefectures. These towns have grouped together as part of a government initiative to encourage tourism, foster cooperation between neighbouring regions and open up the countryside towns of Japan to international visitors so they can experience the tradition, beauty and culture of life in Snow Country.
This is a model area designated by the Minister of Tourism for Japan.

The Snow Country Region is covered with snow for nearly half a year from the end of every November. It is a very rare climate, even in Japan which is famed throughout the world for the high quantity of that snow it receives.

At the southern part of the Snow Country Region is a mountain named Tanigawa. The mountain is famed for its variable weather especially in winter, when very strong lower pressures comes from the Northern Asian [European] continent direction and  collide head-on with Tanigawa mountain. It is as a result of this that there is an 11-13 metre snowfall over winter every year.

Our Snow Country Region is covered with over 74% forest and natural conservation efforts to preserve this beauty are strongly supported. For example, every summer Snow Country Region hosts the biggest music festival in Japan, Fuji Rock held at Naeba. One initiative at the Festival is 'Saving Fuji Rockers Forest' which is the brainchild of the Ministry of Agriculture & Forestry and a pioneer for collaboration between ministries and popular festivals in Japan.

Due to the high density of natural habitat, this region is also rich in wildlife and abounds in species that thrive in the mountainous environment. It is possible to see Snow Country favourites such as the Japanese Mountain Goat, Black bear, Japanese monkey, marten and many others.

Snow Country is very famous for producing Japan's top quality 'Koshihikari' rice and, from that, Japanese rice wine ('Sake'.) Less well know is the abundance of other local products which vary by season and contribute to the gourmet traditions of the region.

We are promoting restaurants and hotels that use local, seasonal products for their ingredients, prepared with traditional cooking techniques. As in times past, the chefs are using what is available from nature, appropriate for that time of year, prepared in ways that have stood the test of time. These are the traditions that we value and are enthused to introduce to visitors.

The product is named 'A-Kyu Gourmet' [This is a play on words in Japanese meaning this cuisine is "everlasting" and "top grade".] Any restaurant with this ranking comes highly recommended for the standards it upholds and the food it produces.

We are proud of our Snow Country as a top quality ski and summer activity destination. Blessed as we are with natural assets and providing great Japanese service we have every confidence in this area but are embarking on a ranking system with an easily recognisable system of tourism standards.

Recently Snow Country Region has been adopting criteria for Hotels, Activity companies, Guiding services, Transportation services and other operations related to tourism.