Warm up with hot pot inside a snow hut
A kamakura is a dome-shaped hut built from packed snow, a winter tradition in Japan's snow country. In Iiyama, in northern Nagano and about two hours from Tokyo by shinkansen, you sit inside one with your group around a steaming nabe, a hot pot shared at the table. It runs only in midwinter and must be booked, so plan it for a January or February trip.
A village of snow huts in Iiyama where each kamakura is booked by one group for a meal of noroshi nabe, a miso hot pot with pork, mushrooms and local vegetables. The thick snow walls keep out the wind, and the bubbling pot warms the small room. It opens only from late January to late February, depending on snow, so book ahead on the official site.
A minshuku, a small family-run inn, a few minutes' walk from Kamakura no Sato, where you rent a whole renovated farmhouse for your group. In winter, guests can have a hot pot dinner in a private snow hut in the garden, then sleep in the old house. The snow hut meal comes with a stay plan that must be booked in advance.