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Hands-on "Snow Experience " Tour

Tsunowawa "Kabu" Turnips (Indigenous Winter Vegetables)

Grinding "Natto", Fermented Soy Beans

Cooking Natto-jiru Miso Soup

The Main Entrance to "Funa-bansho" (Embarkation Site)

"Sendo" Boatman with me

The Boat you take

Inside the Boat (We are on the same boat!)

The Autumn Leaves Changing Colors Along the "Mogami Gorge".

Hands-on "Snow Experience " Tour

Nature & Outdoor

Joined 2017

Kuniaki S.

4.89 / 5

(9 reviews)

Identity Verified

Interview-Based Quality Checks

Yamagata

English

6 hrs 30 mins

Private tour (only you and Kuniaki S.)

Up to 8 people

This tour is focused on the three wintery activities in the snowbound area of Yamagata. First you can enjoy shoveling the 3-meter-deep snow and digging the stored vegetables (turnips) out of the snow. Second you'd like to cook them with the help of a local cuisine specialist and appreciate the traditional food on the spot. Third we take a breathtaking boatride down the Mogami River.

Itinerary

This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!

09:00 AM

Meeting Point

Shinjo Station (JR East, Yamagata Shinkansen Bullet Train Terminal)

- We meet at West Exit, facing the main street. I'll be there with a welcome board in hand. We'll take a train (now a substitute bus) for JR Furukuchi St. (40 mnts) There local people will pick us up and drive us to Tsunokawa village. (20 mnts)

10:00 AM

1 Tsunokawa (Tozawa Village)

You shovel off about two-meter-deep snowfall to dig out the vegetables preserved for the winter.

It is quite a lot of labor for you! But no wonder it's fun!

It sure is once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you!!

11:00 AM

2 A Farm-House at Tsunowawa

You can make natto-jiru (miso soup seasond with natto, fermented soybean ) and onigiri rice balls using the vegetables you just dug out.

The locals kindly help you cook all the dishes.

While enjoying delicacies, you can listen to locals talking about their ways of life, especially how to survive a long freezing winter.

02:30 PM

3 Funabansho（ Boatride Boarding House)

Last but not least, you can take a boat down the Mogami River, enjoying the breathtaking snow-capped forests from the boat.

The gate to the embarkation site is a must-see, really old-fashioned and traditional.

Just take a photo with that gate behind you!

You take a seat around a kotatsu (electric foot-warmer covered with a quit) .

The boatmen's storytelling and Mogami river song is just funny indeed.

Not only Japanese can they sing in Chinese or Korean. Just ask them!

You can also drink some sake (Japanese rice wine) on the boat if you'd like.

(Be careful not to drink too much, though!)

You can buy some souvenirs at the disembarkation site if you'd like.

Back to JR Furukuchi St. shuttle bus. (20 mnts)

There change buses for Shinjo St. (40 mnts)

Ending Point

Shinjo Station (JR East, Yamagata Shinkansen Bullet Train Terminal)

Want to personalize this tour?

This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.

Inclusions & Exclusions

What‘s included

Guide fee, Hotel pick-up fee in Shinjo city

What‘s not included

Transportation ( you and guide / per person):

JR train (substitute bus): 1,000 yen

Boatride Shuttel Bus: 500 yen

In case of Taxi (4 persons): About 20,000 yen in total

Between Shinjo St. and Furukuchi St.

Activity fee ( Digging andCooking, you and guide / per person) : 5,000 yen

Boatride fee (you and guide / per person): 2,800 yen

Tour Important Information

Yamagata is famous for its heavy snowfall, and this region (Tsunokawa, Tozawa village) has about 3-meter-deep snow every winter. I'd like all the tourists to make the most of this tremendous amount of snow and go through hands-on experiences with this "White Monster".

As your fun and fabulous activities, we've prepared two things in connection with the snow. First, digging the winter vegetables (traditional Tsunokawa "Kabu" turnips) out of the accumulated snow. Second, with these ingredients cooking local food "Natto-jiru" (Natto-based miso soup with lots of vegetables) and "Onigiri " rice balls making. Why not enjoy your own cuisine with us? Lastly you'd like to visit one of our sightseeing hotspots, a boatride down the Mogami River. If you are lucky, you can happen to take a "Kotatsu"(a foot warmer with a quilt all over)-installed boat and warm yourself in it. From your boat you can appreciate marvelous and magnificent scenery of snow-capped cedar forests on both sides right in front of your eyes! It sure is a must-see you can't miss when you visit Yamagata.

Snow digging is available only after we have enough snowfall during this coming winter season. The period may be from around January 15 to March 15. Just in case we don't have much snowfall, we have a substitute plan instead of snow shoveling activity.

Tourists are requested to make a reservation for the activities (snow-digging and cooking "natto-jiru") 4 days ahead of their visit day.

This is a daytime tour taking about 6.5 hours. If you'd like to spend overnight, you can stay in "Minshuku", Japanese-style inn at the cost of approximately 8,000 yen per person.

This tour is available only during the winter months when we have abundant snowfall, presumably from mid-December to mid-March in that area.

Important message from the supplier

I'm available from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday through Saturday.

Transportation fee and lunch of you and a guide will be paid by the customer.

If you book me before making inquiries, please note that you may be requested to pay extra guide fee for hotel pickup (about 5,000 yen) depending on the location. So, please ask me first.

Cancellation Policy

Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time

Joined 2017

Kuniaki S.

4.89 / 5

(9 reviews)

Identity Verified

Interview-Based Quality Checks

About Tour Guide Kuniaki S.

I've been involved in English education at public junior high school and prefectural board of education for more than 40 years as a teacher, teachers' consultant and a principal.Now retired, I’m very interested in introducing many places of historical interest and scenic beauty in my hometown to international visitors to Japan.My motto in life is ”once-in-a-lifetime encounter”. I'm more than happy to help make your trip the most impressive one.

Why don't you get off the beaten track and visit Shinjo and Mogami regions? Shinjo City is now world-famous for its Shinjo Festival, registered by UNESCO as an Intangible World Cultural Heritage, December in 2016. I’m sure that you can definitely enjoy both the festival and the subtle harmony between man and nature in this area.

Reviews

Ann C.

5 / 5

Jan 27, 2026

Ann's Spiritual Visit to her Ancestral Homeland, Oishida

Jan 27, 2026

Yamagata

6 hours 30 mins

Customized

“Family Heritage Tour”

Our guide Kuniaki S was exemplary in connecting us with lost relatives, helping us track down historical documents, and locating our ancestral burial site and temple, all the while teaching us about local customs and stories. He created a tour that was transformative for our family. I still marvel at how he made this happen as it is not the usual kind of tour, and think it is because he has a deep ethic to make a visitor’s wishes come true. And to that end, he persists, overcoming hurdles and challenges and thinking creatively to ensure a memorable and tailored experience. He is also fun and energetic, delighting in storytelling and easy to talk with. Our family feels blessed to have found Kuniaki S, and indeed, we hope to be guided by him again. Ann Curry

Kuniaki S.

Thank you so much indeed for writing me such a fantastic review! What's so special about this tour is that it was a literally unique "family heritage tour" dedicated to you and your folks, which is far from an ordinary sightseeing one. To achieve this aim, we repeatedly discuss the schedule to create the best itinerary ever. Based on your information, I got in touch with , or even visited the relatives, temple, local facilities, and the municipal offices to smooth the path. Thanks to your great cooperation, it all bore fruit. Now I'm more than happy that you all are satisfied with this tour. I do hope to see you all again on your next trip to Oishida. Wishing this tour will hold a special place in your treasure box of memories. Kuniaki S (Guide Name: Pure Water)

Julieta V.

5 / 5

Apr 14, 2025

Hands-on Exciting and Exploring Tour in Sakata (6.5 Hours)

Apr 14, 2025

Yamagata

6 hours 30 mins

“Wonderful Tour of Sakata”

Our guide Pure Water gave us an excellent experience around Sakata, taking us to multiple interesting sites including the Oranda Senbei Factory, Sankyo Rice Storehouses, Kaikouji Temple, and Somaro. He gave lots of interesting historical and cultural context while inviting us to interact and participate, treated us to a delicious lunch featuring iconic foods of the Shonai region, and secured front row seats for us to watch an incredible maiko dance and performance.

Kuniaki S.

Thank you so much for writing a review for me while you are still enjoying a journey on the Diamond Princess. I'm genuinely glad that you all had the time of your life taking a full-day tour in Sakata area with me. Your family members are always amiable and considerate of each other throughout our trip, which did make a deep impression on me! I simly can't say thank you enough for choosing me as your private tour guide this time. When our paths cross again in the future, why don't we delve more deeply into the Shonai region and make another round of fantastic tour with me? I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing you all again. Have a lot of fun reading my translated folk tales. Safe travels back to the States! Kuniaki (AKA: Pure Water)

Robert O.

5 / 5

Apr 8, 2025

Hands-on Exciting and Exploring Tour in Sakata (6.5 Hours)

Apr 8, 2025

Yamagata

6 hours 30 mins

“Great tour with Kuniaki S.”

We had a wonderful Sakata day visit with Kuniaki. After meeting at the port, we reviewed the itinerary and started our tour. The timetable was very well managed. We had sufficient time at each itinerary stop. Kuniaki shared interesting information at each location. He selected a terrific restaurant for lunch and we enjoyed exchanging personal background and travel experiences.

Kuniaki S.

A huge thank you for writing a review for me. I'm genuinely happy that you both had the time of your life through our customized tour. From our conversation I learned that we are just about the same age and that we have a lot in common. I simply can't say thank you enough for choosing me as your private tour guide. While you have time, why don't you enjoy reading "Once Upon a Time in Shinjo", which my fellow English teachers including me translated. I'm sure you will have a fun time. Please treasure the rest of your fabulous tour. I do hope that our paths will cross again in the very near future. Safe travels! Kuniaki ( AKA: Pure Water)