Getting To Seki Onsen

Getting To Seki Onsen

Where is Seki Onsen?

Seki Onsen is just to the north of Akakura Onsen, the main village and ski area of Myoko Kogen, and about 12km from the town of Myokokogen. Seki Onsen is about 3km by road from Tsubame Onsen (a spooky looking little onsen village that’s mostly closed down during winter).

Seki Japan is located north of Nagano in the Niigata Prefecture.

Despite its close proximity to Akakura, it takes a while to get to Seki Onsen during winter. Considering it’s a bit difficult to get there, the most common way skiers and snowboarders get to Seki Onsen is via a multi-resort tour.

Driving to Seki Onsen

It’s only 4km by road from Seki Onsen to Akakura Onsen via Tsubame Onsen, but this road is not open in winter. Seki Onsen Ski Resort can be accessed on Road 39, off the main route 18, a route of 15km that takes about 25-20 minutes depending on snow conditions.

You can pay a small fee for “rock star” car parking, or walk an extra hundred metres and park for free.

Public Transport to Seki

The closest train station is Sekiyama (on the Myōkō Haneuma line), which is 8km from the ski area. From the station, it’s about 20 minutes via a bus (multiple schedules per day) or taxi to get to Seki Onsen.

Getting to Seki from Myoko Akakura

Japan Snow Access provides shuttles between Akakura Onsen and Seki Onsen, but the schedules seem to change depending on demand. Generally there are only a couple of schedules per week and it only operates in the peak of the season. Check with the Myoko tourism association for the latest schedule.

Seki Onsen Guided Ski Tours

Another option to get to Seki Onsen could be a guided ski tours. There are several companies that do day trips to Seki from Akakura and other nearby ski resorts.

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Getting Around Seki

The Seki Onsen village is tiny and you’ll have no problems navigating it on foot within about 5 minutes.

Other Ski Resorts Nearby

Just below Seki Onsen on route 39 near the Seki car parking are two tiny little ski resorts that seem barely operational. Myoko Ski Park is on one side of the road and Kyukamura on the other. Both are ideal for beginners and are unlikely to be frequented by international visitors.

Other Myoko ski resorts:

  • Akakura Onsen and Akakura Kanko ski resorts (Myoko Akakura) – 15km by road to the south
  • Ikenotaira – 14.5km – south of Akakura
  • Suginohara – 17km – south of Ikenotaira

There are many other nearby ski resorts. Distances from Akakura Onsen:

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