Myoko Kogen | Complete Guide to the Historical Niigata Ski Resorts ⛷️

Myoko Kogen | Complete Guide to the Historical Niigata Ski Resorts ⛷️

Today we’ll be visiting a lesser known ski  resort here in Japan called Myoko And Myoko is actually kind of like Hakuba where it’s actually  a collection of multiple ski resorts and today   we’ll be visiting Akakura Kanko and Akakura Onsen so let’s get going.

Myoko has quite a long history being one of the oldest resorts in Japan, but it is probably more famously known for having one of the longest runs in Japan, which we’ll show you a little bit later in this video.

To get to Myoko though, the easiest option is to take the shinkansen to Nagano station. From there you can either take the local train about 45 minutes to Myoko Kogen Station, which is the closest station to the resorts,

But we would actually recommend getting a rental car and driving about 40 minutes to the resorts as the resorts and mil are actually a bit far from each other. Okay enough talking – let’s go check out the resorts. The first two resorts we’ll be  visiting here at Myoko are Akakura Kanko

Or also known as Akakan and Akakura Onsen and these two resorts are actually connected to the top of the mountain. We’ll be starting here in Akakura Kanko and halfway through the day we’ll make our way over to the onsen, where we’ve heard there’s a lot better restaurants over in that area.

It snowed a bunch last night and it’s actually snowing quite hard right now now so the visibility isn’t too great today. First run of the day – not bad to get things warmed up. There’s some icy parts, some nicer parts. Time to go check out some of the more advanced runs.

Supposedly, the steepest slope in all of Japan is in this resort so we’re going to try to find that and we’ll check that out and see actually how steep it is. So this is the black slope at the top of the mountain,

But it doesn’t look that steep, so I don’t think this is the steepest one, so we may have to find a different place. That definitely wasn’t the steepest slope, but it is ungroomed so the snow quality there was actually a little bit better than the intermediate courses but it is quite moguly for snowboarders.

Akakura Kanko isn’t super large. There’s only about maybe a little over 10 different runs here and so this morning I think we’ve done all the runs and we weren’t able to find the steepest run so I think it might be over on the Akakura Onsen side. Time the cross over to Akakura Onsen.

We’re actually going to go swing over there grab some lunch and then continue snowboarding some more this afternoon, We just made it to the Akakura Onsen town and it’s a super little cute town town and in my opinion one of the coolest parts  of this area.

And so we’re going to find a place to eat for lunch and then continue riding some more this afternoon. We do really have to come back here for dinner one of these nights because I think this place has the highest concentration of restaurants in the whole Myoko region.

Get some food and then back to some snowboarding this afternoon. We just got on a lift at Akakura Onsen and this may be the oldest looking lift I’ve ever been on. I think this resort is actually an older resort.

A lot of the lifts are pretty old and actually pretty slow as opposed to the  Kanko side, which is definitely a lot newer and a lot more modern. One thing I’ve noticed about Akakura Kanko and Akakura Onsen

Is these slopes are a lot emptier compared to a lot of the other big name resorts here in Japan and so if you’re looking to to avoid the crowds a bit definitely recommend coming here instead of the other more popular resorts.

Just look at this large slope over here. There’s almost no one on it except for just a couple people. So we’re currently heading up a chairlift to the top of one of the black slopes here at Akakura Onsen

And we believe this is the steepest one because at the bottom we looked up and it definitely looks super steep. Well here’s the top. Doesn’t look too bad right now. Okay this place looks really steep. Let’s give this a shot.

So honestly I can’t say for sure if it’s the steepest slope in Japan or not, but it was definitely very steep. It was actually quite nice too. All the snow was super powdery. Very few people were going through it so it made it a lot more fun, but definitely beefegh…

Whew it’s cold, can’t seek properly. So we just wrapped up a full day here at Akakura and so supposedly tonight there’s a big snowstorm coming, so we’re expecting a large amount of snow tonight, which means there’s going to be a lot of fresh powder tomorrow morning

And so with that in mind we’ll  be heading over to Suginohara, another resort here at Myoko for what we hope to be another amazing day of powder snowing here in Japan. Good morning again everyone. Another day another resort  here at Myoko. Today we’ll be checking out Suginohara.

Suginohara also boasts one of the longest run in all of Japan at 8.5 km, so we’ll definitely check that out and show you guys what that’s all about. Apparently it snowed about 55 cm of snow last night so we’re super excited to go to the top of the mountain and get some fresh powder.

So let’s get shredding. Check this out. The benches here are made out of snowboards so it’s super neat. The top lift isn’t running yet and there’s so many people waiting in line for it as well, so we’re going to do another lap and then come back to here when it’s open.

Perfect timing for the top lift. This is the start of the a 8.5 km route, but with all the fresh powder we’re first going to check out some of the more advanced slopes and take advantage of the fresh snow and then we’ll come back to this later in the day.

Those were some amazing powder runs and quite comparable to some of the best runs I’ve had even in Hokkaido all thanks to probably the biggest snow dump they’ve had here this season. Like Akakura Kanko, Suginohara is also not a very large resort as there’s only five lifts here, but they serve a variety of amazing runs.

Except for the two person lift at the very bottom of the resort, all the other lifts have the wind coverings or is the gondola so it makes it a lot more comfortable especially in really cold weathers like today. Finally getting ready for the 8.5 km run. Let’s go!

Oh my god. This is so tiring and long. Whew. Just finished the 8.5 km run. Oh my god, it was so long and tiring. We had to take a couple breaks. I had to switch hands a bunch of times.

Holding this camera was really tiring, but it was actually pretty cool it’s a lot of fun. Definitely recommend doing the run at least once if you’re here just so you can say you’ve done one of the longest run in Japan.

I wouldn’t do laps on it because the runs at the very bottom are pretty flat and may not be that interesting as in my opinion the best runs at Suginohara are at either the top or the middle sections. Whew, what another amazing day here at Myoko.

Good morning. So today we’ll be heading to the last of the largest resorts on Milo mountain called Ikenotaira and conveniently it’s only about a 5 to 10 minute walk from our accommodation option so we’re just walking over there right now and we’ll check out what this last resort has to offer.

We have another beautiful day, a bright blue sky day, but on the other hand that means the snow quality may not be as good. Like the other Myoko resorts, this resort also isn’t very large as there’s only a total of six lifts. Unlike the other two resorts so there’s no Gondola here.

At Ikenotaira, there’s not a lot of advanced and very hard runs. The majority of the runs here are groomed fairly wide but also not that steep and so great for beginners and intermediate riders. For more advanced riders, you may find the slopes here not as steep to your liking

So instead what I recommend is there’s actually this pretty big tree area in between the groom runs at the top of the mountain, which I highly recommend or you can check out the park.

This is actually super neat. On a clear day like today, you can actually see the resorts on the other side of this valley. Straight in front of us I think we have Madarao and way back over there we have Nozawa Onsen.

And over there I think we can see a bit of the northern Japan sea as well. We also have a beautiful view of that lake over there. I’m not actually sure what that lake is, but it’s pretty stunning.

What I think I’ve also like about the Myoko resorts is even on a day like today, which is a public holiday, the resorts are still fairly empty compared to a lot of the other bigger name resorts.

So if you’re looking to avoid some of the crowds and find some good riding options definitely check out the Myoko resorts. We just wrapped up an awesome day here at Ikenotaira, which also wraps up an amazing week here at Myoko Kogen.

We had a wonderful time here and just wanted to recap and share some thoughts about Myoko Kogen in general as well as which resorts you recommend for which groups of people. Myoko Kogen is a lot smaller compared to a lot of the other big name resorts here in Japan.

And so what that means is each individual resort only has about five lifts or so. and so you can definitely have a lot of fun in each resort, but if you’re the type that likes to explore and check out different types  of runs, Myoko may not have that to offer for you.

On the other hand, because Myoko is less well known, there’s a lot fewer people here and so there’s almost no wait for the lines The busiest it gets is on the weekends and still compared to a lot of the other resorts, it’s still a lot emptier.

As for the resorts, Suginohara is famous for the 8.5 km route and is definitely very very long and worth checking out at least once and generally what we’ve heard is the staff there doesn’t care as  much you’re riding below the chairs or going off track.

As for the two resorts in Akakura, Akakura Kanko and Akakura Onsen Those only two resorts here that are connected together, so if you’re looking to explore a little bit more you can definitely check out that area.

It’s also connected to the Akakura town, which has a lot more to offer, including plenty of amazing restaurants For beginners, you probably want to look at either Ikenotaira or Akakura Onsen as both of those areas have plenty  of beginner friendly runs. For advanced riders, Suginoara is probably your best bet.

I do need to also point out there is one other smaller resort here in Myoko called Seki Onsen, but it’s so small literally only  has like two lifts and two runs. It’s completely ungroomed so great for powder days, but beyond that I wouldn’t really recommend it.

And that’s a wrap of the Myoko resorts – a great collection of smallerish resorts up here in the Niigata prefecture. Thanks again for watching and we’ll see you guys in the next one. Oh I think I can ride this trail back home.

Join us on a powder snow adventure through Myoko Kogen, Japan. Our video takes you on a tour of this underrated area off the beaten track, showcasing the amazing ski resorts, powder-packed runs, and the breathtaking scenery that makes Myoko another must-visit destination for snow enthusiasts.

🗻 Key Highlights:

Explore the diverse ski terrain of Myoko Kogen, including renowned resorts like Suginohara and Akakura.
Experience the thrill of long, scenic runs with stunning panoramic views of the Japanese Alps.
Uncover insider tips for an unforgettable ski trip, from powder-chasing strategies to the best après-ski spots.

This was filmed in Feb 2023.

📌 Featured Resorts:
* Akakura Kanko Resort – https://maps.app.goo.gl/vHydPgYjHtuoNu9r7
* Akakura Onsen Resort – https://maps.app.goo.gl/xfmd5LAenKrjm5w7A
* Suginohara Ski Resort – https://maps.app.goo.gl/CxH5S2aenZjcGwS78
* Ikenotaira Onsen Ski Resort – https://maps.app.goo.gl/nz2wE11HpvB564eY6

Note: we were told the run in Suginohara was the longest run in Japan, but sounds like this may actually be in Nozawa Onsen.

📸 Gear:
* GoPro Hero 8
* Insta360 x3
* Rode Wireless Go 2

📖 Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:37 Akakura Kanko
02:08 Akakura Onsen
04:17 Suginohara
06:23 8.5KM LONG RUN
07:28 Ikenotaira
09:18 Closing thoughts

🎵 Music

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