Maiko was definitely worthy of a day trip whilst we were in the Yuzawa area. We visited on a Monday and the place was almost deserted with the exception of the obligatory school groups in the beginners’ areas. We saw the masses and masses of snowboard and skis for rent in the day centre, which gave us a bit of an idea about what the crowds must be like on some weekends.

We visited during early season of a bad snow year so the off-piste was very twiggy, but we could see the potential of the place, and there was no competition for the powder.

This is a fabulous place for beginners and also a good spot for powder hounds trying to escape the conservative Yuzawa ski resorts that ban off-piste skiing.

See the Maiko ski resort overview page for information on the pros and cons of Maiko, and also see the Japanese ski resorts ratings to see how we rate Maiko versus other ski area. See our video here