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Joshin’etsukogen NP, Nagano
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At snowboarding’s 1998 Olympic debut, Yakebitai hosted the giant slalom. Canada’s Ross Rebagliati won its first gold, briefly lost it after a positive marijuana test, then kept it when an appeals panel restored it.
On 21 February 1998, a magnitude-5.0 earthquake struck during the first run of the men’s Olympic slalom on Yakebitai—with Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko watching from the stands.
Coins are wedged into the top beam of the 3m torii beside Chigo Pond. Winter snow piles high enough for snowshoers and backcountry skiers to reach the beam—no impossible toss required.
Yamanouchi has protected Chigoike’s 5.6-hectare summit bog as a natural monument since 1976. The clear pond has no stream flowing in or out; its water comes from rain and melting snow.
Nagano 1998 left no permanent facilities on Yakebitai. At the temporary competition venue, even water from the toilets was purified and turned into snow.
At Chigoike, tiny carnivorous sundews grow right at the pond’s edge, catching insects with sticky leaves. Just beyond, 1–2m dwarf pines give way to fir and hemlock trees over 20m tall.
Maries’ firs along Yakebitai’s trail have purple cones, but their sap has another surprise: a sharp, lemony, citronella-like scent that the official trail guide describes as a mosquito repellent.
