Learn to Mush in Minakami

Enjoy a dog-sledding adventure in the Gunma mountains

While most winter resorts offer skiing and snowmobiling, Minakami Kogen is the only place in Honshu where you also can try your hand at dog-sledding.      

Meet your canine team, hook up your sled, and learn how to “mush”—the special ways of directing the dogs along the snowy trail. Under your command, they will pull you through the snowy wonderland of Gunma’s mountains. It’s a lot of fun, and easy enough that even elementary school-age students are welcome, making this a truly family-friendly activity. This unique activity is also available throughout the normal ski season.

If all that’s not enough, you can also add snow rafting, airboarding (a new sport from Switzerland in which you ride on your stomach on an inflatable surfboard-like unit for a great sense of speed across the snow) and cross-country skiing to the mix. Finally, finish up by unwinding in the resort’s picturesque rotenburo (open-air bath) under the steadily falling snow.

Access: From Tokyo Station, take the Joetsu Shinkansen to Jomo-Kogen Station (about one hour). A free shuttle bus is available from the station (about one hour). 

Dog Sledding Trial Run (Minakami Kogen Resort 200)