Facilities & Services
Each of the main ski resorts of
Myoko Kogen – Akakura Onsen, Akakan, Ikenotaira and Suginohara – have well developed services and facilities, some of which are run by private operators. The other Myoko Kogen ski resorts have more of a no frills approach to facilities.
Myoko Kogen Ski Rental
There are various rental shops in Myoko Kogen if you don’t have your own ski or snowboard gear, or don’t want to take your equipment to Japan because you’re likely to max out on your airline baggage limit.
Myoko Snowsports is the most popular ski rental shop with Westerners, in part because the staff speak English. They are the best option if you’re after fat skis, and they also have standard and performance ski and snowboard sets for adults and kids. Rental rates are towards the high end for Japan, but the hire equipment is of good quality, and if you also need ski lessons, the package deals will significantly discount the rental costs. Myoko Snowsports is located at the base of Akakan on the Champion side, a little further down the road from the post office, so if you’re staying at the top of Akakura Onsen the location might not be convenient. The location is great if you’re staying in Shin-Akakura or Akakura Kanko, and they offer complimentary overnight storage of rental equipment.
The Akakura area has various other ski rental shops including the two locations of Aoyama Sports. The prices are similar to that of Myoko Snowsports, although they don’t have powder skis. Many of the hotels also rent out ski and snowboard equipment, but the quality may be dodgy and you may end up with rear entry boots!
At Suginohara Ski Resort there is the Okamoto Sports shop as well as various other rental outlets. Seki Onsen has Seki Onsen Ski Rental, whilst there are also ski and snowboard rentals at Ikenotaira.
Free-heelers can rent telemark equipment at Myoko Backcountry. They also hire out some backcountry equipment such as avalanche beacons and snowshoes.
Myoko Ski School
Each of the major Myoko ski resorts has a ski and snowboard school, and the Akakura area has several, but the instruction in English is somewhat limited. The Yodel Ski School at Akakura Onsen Ski Resort offers private lessons in English, whilst the only ski school to offer some group lessons in English is Myoko Snowsports at Akakan Ski Resort.
Myoko Snowsports offer group lessons for little kids aged 3-6 in the morning or for the full day. They have two dedicated kids’ ski areas as well as an indoor kids’ centre, and thankfully they offer complimentary storage for kids’ equipment, so there’s no need to lug their equipment up to the ski area. Myoko Snowsports also provide group lessons for children aged 7-14 for the full day including lunch, so adults can fully go and rip up the powder by themselves! Prices are a bit cheaper than Australian ski school and considerably less expensive than upmarket USA resorts, and the rates for Myoko Snowsports kids lessons are significantly cheaper per day for 4 days or more.
For adults Myoko Snowsports only offer ski lessons in a private format. They have 3 or 5 day private camps that aim to accelerate learning, or offer standard private lessons for 2.5 to 6 hours. These private lessons are suited to beginners or more experienced riders, or to learn to ski or board powder.
Myoko Backcountry Telemark Ski School offers telemark lessons in a private format.
Myoko Kogen Child Care and Kids Facilities
Day care is available for toddlers from 6 months old in the same building as Myoko Snowsports at the Akakura Kanko ski area. A little further down the road is the Windsor Hotel who offer childcare for children aged 6 months to 2 years old. Prices are approximately 1000 yen per hour.
Child care is also available up at the Yodel area of Akakura Onsen ski area, but if your child isn’t on skis it may be a little bit of a challenge to get them up there. This area also has a good kids’ play park.
Various hotels can organise babysitting, although there is no guarantee of the sitters being able to speak English.
Eating On Mountain
All of the ski resorts have on-mountain eateries for lunch.
You won’t go hungry at Suginohara Ski Resort. The base area has a large cafeteria and there are lots of restaurants across all areas of the resort.
The base areas of Akakura Onsen Ski Resort have lots of privately owned ski-in ski-out restaurants and izakayas, many of which are very cute. The largest restaurant is up at Yodel. One advantage of Yodel is that you can sit outside on nice weather days, but a major downside is the hideous yodelling music! If the noise of the music isn’t enough to kill you, the din from the bingo type games may tip you over the edge. Nearby is the BBQ buffet where you can completely pig out!
At Akakura Kanko, the Maple Restaurant is a popular place for lunch considering its proximity to the top lift. Or for a much more refined lunch, stop in at the Akakura Kanko Hotel terrace café. They have pastries, sandwiches and beverages, and even though you may have to pay astronomical prices for crap coffee, the views from the terrace are to die for, and it’s nice to see how the well heeled Japanese people live.
Banking and Internet Facilities
Cash is king in Japan and this applies to Myoko Kogen too. Many of the restaurants and shops don’t accept credit cards, but thankfully it’s possible to access the all important yen in Myoko Kogen. The post office in the lower part of the Akakura Onsen main street has an ATM that accepts Maestro/Cirrus cards. The post office is open Monday to Saturday (Sat only in the morning), but not on public holidays.
The town of Myoko Onsen also has a 7-Eleven with an ATM.
If your accommodation doesn’t have internet, the Hunter Bar at the top of Akakura Onsen town has wireless internet.