12. Toshichi Onsen Surviving the snow on Mt. Hachimantai 藤七温泉 八幡平で雪を忍ぶ

Both of the roads that go up Mt. Hachimantai – the Jukai Line and the Aspite Line – close from late October to April, and so does Toshichi Onsen. “We close up shop at the end of October every year and start boarding up all the windows to keep the snow out,” Takao says. “Smaller structures, such as dressing rooms and fences, get disassembled so they won’t be crushed by the snow, and we dismantle all the pipes that feed hot water into the baths as well. We only have three or four days before the roads are closed, so we have to work like crazy.”

But the real struggle begins in mid-April before Toshichi Onsen reopens at the end of the month. First, Takao has to get permission from the two relevant prefectures to use the roads, which at this stage have been cleared of snow only about halfway up the mountain. Takao and his staff drive as far as they can by car, then make their way through the snow to the ryokan, pulling everything they need behind them on a sled, like polar explorers.

“Once we get here, we have to dig our way into the buildings and check for wind and snow damage. The sheer weight of the snow is enough to actually push the buildings out of place! Sometimes there’s five meters of it, right up to the eaves – and once in a while even eight or more. But the deeper the snow, the less the damage, because the snow actually protects the roof from the wind,” Takao explains.