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Nikko: A Cross Country Skiing Experience in Oku-Nikko

Friday, February 10, 2017

Although Japan is most known for downhill skiing (you can check out all my blogposts about skiing in Japan here) there are some places where it is possible to try out cross country skiing as well. Last weekend I had the opportunity to try out cross country skiing in Nikko thanks to an event organised in leadership of former ambassador of Japan to Norway, Mr. Kawai. The event took place at Koutoku (光徳) in Oku-Nikko (lit. "Inner Nikko").
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Participants getting ready for the ski event. In the background is our hotel, Nikko Astraea Hotel
Along with people from the local community we were a group of participants from the Norway-Japan Society who also took the trip from Tokyo to join in on the event.
We stayed at Nikko Astraea Hotel in Oku-Nikko, a hotel that was situated in the middle of the ski track. Outside the hotel they had a separate building providing rental of the necessary ski equipment.


Group photo of all the participants.
The hotel had 5 different courses one could choose from, varying in length from 1 to 10 km. We divided the participants into two groups, one for beginners and one for more experienced skiers. There's a saying in Norway about Norwegians being "born with skis on their feet", so needless to say all of the Norwegian participants went for the more advanced course.
Our group was led by the Norwegian ambassador to Japan, Mr. Rimestad. Although he apparently hadn't had the chance to go skiing that frequently during recent years he soon took the lead in the track.
Our group ended up going for the 10-km trail taking us up some hills and around the whole hotel area; the second half of the trail was the same as the trail taken by the beginners. For beginners the 5 kilometer course is probably quite alright though; we actually caught up with some of the beginners at the end of the trail. In total we spent around 90 minutes on the full course, so it was a really nice exercise.
In action!
It was great to spend the day outdoors in the snow. The Nikko area has a lot to offers also when it comes to sightseeing, so if you're visiting the area you might want to spend some days here with a fun combination of outdoor activities and historical attractions.
For people interested in renting ski equipment at the hotel it costs 2300 yen/day. If you're a staying guest at the hotel you receive a 500 yen discount. The hotel also has rental of snowshoes for 2,000 yen/day.

■ Basic Info
  • ・Place: KOTOKU cross country ski resort
  • ・Address：〒321-1661 Tochigi-ken, Nikkō-shi, Chūgūshi, 栃木県日光市中宮祠光徳
  • ・Access: 1 hour drive from Nikko Station
    (Timetables for busses going towards Kotoku-Onsen・Nikko Astraea Hotel can be found here / Japanese only)
  • ・Official Home Page：http://www.nikkoastraea.com/en/

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