Great Apres Ski or Snowshoe Hotel in Tainai, Niigata

Sports and hot springs are Japanese family members, but the coldness of winter strengthens the familial connection. If an après-winter-sport activity healthier than soaking in a hot mineral bath while breathing snow-cooled air exists, I don't know what that could be. Nothing feels better for the soul and body.

That's why I was soaking in the baths at the Royal Tainai Park Hotel in the quiet town of Tainai, Niigata. The Tainai Ski and Snowboard Area sits on the other side of a small valley from the baths. Bathers in the farthest bath on the hotel's balcony are close enough to watch the action on the slopes, but the distance is too far for the skiers to see the bathers' faces and other body parts.

Only one hotel and ski resort exist at the base of the high mountains. Except for the music emitted by speakers at the ski resort, Tainai is a relaxing and quiet area. Which makes it an excellent location for snowshoeing. The Tainai Ski Resort offers snowshoe tours, but we just wander by ourselves through the nearby healing woods.

 My wife and I had just spent a few hours walking through milky-white forests with our dog and encountered no one. In a park closed to everyone except snowshoers, the three of us strolled up to the top of a two-story snow-clad A-frame cabin and slid down.

As the sun started to set, we wrapped our dog/daughter in a warm blanket in the car and went for a dip. I would have invited her, but she doesn't like water that much, and bringing a dog into a hot spring is not culturally acceptable in Japan.

Non-staying guests can soak for just eight hundred yen, or six hundred yen if you have a ski ticket from the nearby ski resort. Considering the setting and quality of the baths, this is one of the best deals in Niigata.

Besides the indoor bath and sauna, there are two outdoor baths, My favorite is a wooden bath perched on the side of the hotel so that we can look down into a placid river that reflects the colors of the sky. Close to sunset, those colors change slowly from blue or gray to orange and red, finally slipping into blackness until stars spark up the evening.

The water is transparent, but it feels slick because of the mineral content. The Japanese use the onomatopoeic phrase "nuru nuru" to describe this sensation. After bathing, your skin feels smooth, or "sube sube." The more you bathe in Japan, the more onomatopoeic phrases you will learn. That is just one more great reason to enjoy a Japanese onsen. To learn more Japanese for your next intercultural bathing experience, visit the Visual Japanese Onsen/Hot Spring Glossary.