Standing 2145 metres above sea level, Mount Naeba is one of the major peaks of the expansive Joshinetsu Kogen National Park. Within easy reach of Echigo-Yuzawa Station – a convenient stop on the Hokuriku Shinkansen Line running from Tokyo to Niigata – Naeba has developed into a popular all-year-round destination. Subject to have snowfall, Naeba boasts the largest area of interconnected ski fields in Niigata – including Naeba, Kagura and the smaller Tashiro ski resorts – and in early summer, hosts Japan’s largest music festival, Fuji Rock Festival.

Through summer and autumn, Naeba offers visitors outstanding hiking and nature photography, easily accessed using the ‘Dragondola’ ropeway. Running 5.5km from the Sanroku Station at the base, to the upper Sancho Station, the Dragondola claims to be the longest gondola in the world. At its most spectacular in October and November thanks to the stunning autumn leaves, a visit to Mount Naeba should be on the itinerary for any visitor to nearby Yuzawa town.