Re: snowy escape vs cottage living ?

It depends on whether or not gardening and keeping farm animals is your jam, and also whether skiing and snowbarding and hiking and Japanese aesthetics are your jam.

I love playing gardeners and live in the US south and therefore have never been skiing or snowboarding, so it's an easy choice for me!  If someone else found in-game gardening super-boring and was from Denver and crazy for skiing, snowboarding, and all things Japanese it would be the opposite easy choice for them.  :D