Yesterday, I walked about 9 kilometers from Ryuoo Ski Park to Yudanaka Station.
There’s usually a free shuttle bus, which I normally take.
The towering snow walls made walking a bit intimidating, but over the past few days, the snow has melted quite a bit, making it much easier to walk.
Partway through the walk, “the Shinetsu Five Mountains” (Mt. Madarao, Mt. Myoko, Mt. Kurohime, Mt. Togakushi, and Mt. Iizuna) came into view, along with breathtaking scenery of vast apple orchards.
It took me about 1 hour and 50 minutes to reach the station, where I soaked in an onsen before taking the shuttle bus back.
At the end of the month, I have my annual tradition of walking the entire 45-kilometer loop around all the Yamanote Line stations, so I need to get my legs ready.