Japan is quite a mountainous country. Flatland accounts for only 20% of the land mass – the remaining 80% is mountains. It will therefore probably come as no surprise to know that many of the country’s colder areas boast great destinations where you can enjoy downhill skiing and snowboarding.

One such destination with easy access from the Nagoya area is Hirugano Kogen Ski Resort, which is located in the Gifu Prefecture city of Gujo, to the north of Nagoya, and features a number of ski slopes of different levels of difficulty, from novices on up.

To get there, I took advantage of the Dragon's Pack one-day ski-tour package offered by Meitetsu Kanko Bus. This comprehensive deal includes transportation, boots, skis and poles or snowboard, ski wear, goggles, gloves, and a lift pass good for unlimited rides on the day of the tour.

The tour is priced at 11,500 yen for adults (age 19 and up) and 9,500 yen for children age three to 18. (Children less than three years old cannot participate), Reservations can be made online in English or Chinese. I printed out my reservation confirmation form, and on the day of the tour I took it to the Meitetsu Bus Center at Nagoya Station. The fourth-floor bus center is easy to find – the escalator that takes you to it is located right in front of Nana-chan, the giant female figure that's one of the station's landmarks.

At the bus-center counter I showed them my reservation form, paid for the tour, and received my voucher and the English-language flyer. They then directed me to the boarding point, where I got on the waiting bus and took my assigned seat.

The ride to the ski resort took about three hours, with two stops to pick up and drop off other passengers, as well as a break at a highway rest area. Drop-down TV monitors in the bus's ceiling provided multilingual information at each of these stops, so you're kept aware of what's going on at all times even if you know zero Japanese.

When we reached the resort, I headed to the indicated exchange counter, where I paid a 500-yen deposit and received my lift pass. They also provide a flyer in English that shows how to get around the resort facilities and where to pick up your gear as well as voucher ticket for said gear, which I then used at the nearby rental shop.

After changing into the ski wear, I headed to the lift! I now had a good six hours to enjoy myself on the slopes.

The lift pass is electronic – you just slap it onto a scanner to open the turnstile. Some people put their passes in armbands, so they just had to touch their shoulder or elbow to the scanner to get through the gate – a handy trick I hope to remember the next time I go!

After a bit of fun on the slopes I was ready for some food, so I decided to take a break and headed for the food area. What first caught my eye was a stall selling agepan – deep-fried buns containing sweet or savory fillings. I opted for one filled with spicy keema curry – warm and delicious!

My appetite now fully whetted, I took the stairs to the second-floor restaurant, where I enjoyed Japanese-style curry and rice topped with croquettes of Hida beef, the local brand of high-quality wagyu beef. Mmmm!

After that, it was back to the slopes for an afternoon of more skiing fun.

A few hours on, with the scheduled departure time approaching, I returned all my rental gear and retrieved the 500-yen lift-pass deposit.

I also treated myself to one last thing: a bowl of Takayama ramen, another specialty that the region is known for.

Then, full and warm, I was ready for the ride back to Nagoya!