REPORT

The annual Iwatake Thanks Fair event took place today, 1/27 (Sat.), starting at 10:00 a.m. The event started with the sound of drums, played by the members of the Shionomichi Taiko group (pictured), echoing through the venue on the south side of the gondola station where booths were set up to serve and sell food. This year, food trucks from Ramen Zunpachi (Matsumoto), Menya Mametora (Nagano City), and Yatai Ramen Yamachan (Azumino City) were also present (pictured, right).
[South Side of the Gondola Base Station]

A long line formed for the free servings of tonjiru, or pork and vegetable miso soup (pictured), of which 2,000 servings had been prepared. Sake (Hakuba Nishiki), beer, soft drinks, and snacks were also served free of charge. The large prize raffle featured more than 1,000 prizes, including Iwatake season passes for next year, accommodation vouchers for the green season, one-day Iwatake lift tickets for this current season, discount coupons for lessons, and much more.
[South Side of the Gondola Base Station]

The crowd-pleasing pounding of rice into mochi, or rice cakes, with a large wooden mallet also took place and visitors were allowed to participate. Afterwards, the freshly-prepared mochi was served, along with charcoal-grilled rice cakes (pictured) that were enjoyed with oshiruko – a sweet red bean some, as well as the aforementioned pork and vegetable miso soup. At the Mountain Side’s THE CITY BAKERY, grilled marshmallows were served, while a treasure hunt was held at the IWATAKE WHITE PARK.
[South Side of the Gondola Base Station]

I spoke with two people from Saitama and Gunma prefectures (pictured) eating grilled seafood (¥1,000) from the Itoigawa Seafood booth, who told me they were fans of Snownavi and added, “We are getting married, and officially greeted her parents on New Year’s Eve! We timed our 2-night, 3-day trip to Hakuba to coincide with this event. Now that we have some fresh seafood, we’re going to get some of the free sake that is being served.” By the way, the IWATAKE SNOW PARK opened today on the South Slope!
[Sunny Valley Course]

　　　
[Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field Availability Information on 1/27 (Sat.)]
*All Courses are available (=Except for North)
*Available Lifts … Gondola (8:00-), and totally 8 lifts.
*Fees … 1 Day Ticket … Adult Weekends & Holidays JPY5,200, Weekday JPY5,000, 6-12 y/o Weekend & Holidays JPY3,200, Weekday JPY3,000, 60-69 y/o JPY4,800, Over 70 y/o JPY4,600 *A preschooler will be free per adult.
　
＊Printable Rental Discount Coupons!
Carving Ski・Snowboard 1-Day Rental Set JPY3,000 / Outerwear JPY2,500!
Carving Ski・Snowboard High Performance Model Rental JPY500 OFF!
Kid’s Ski・Snowboard 1-Day Rental Set JPY2,500 / Outerwear JPY1,500!
　　
*Request for the original data of our photographs
　

reported by Snownavi