Myoko

Myoko is one of my favourite areas for snow. It sits in Niigata, about two hours from Tokyo by Shinkansen and then a short bus or local train. It gets very heavy snow — around 13 metres a year. Several small resorts sit around Akakura, an old hot spring village with seven natural hot springs. The feeling is quieter and more traditional than Hakuba. You come here for the snow and the calm, not for a busy resort town.

For families, the runs are easier to enjoy than they first look. Suginohara has one of the longest runs in Japan at 8.5 km, and it is gentle enough that an intermediate skier can ride the whole thing without stress. The view of Lake Nojiri from the top is one of the best I have seen from a chairlift.

The part I always come back for is the tree skiing at Madarao. Tree runs usually mean risk, but Madarao keeps them inside the marked area. Trails like SAWA and Bear Family Adventure are cut and groomed through the forest, so you get the feeling of skiing through trees without the danger of true backcountry. If your family wants to try tree runs for the first time, but you do not want to take real risk, this is the right place to start. That mix is hard to find anywhere else in Japan.

I will be honest about one thing. Myoko has weaker support than Hakuba. There is less English, fewer English lessons, fewer hotels, and fewer shuttle buses. If you are completely new to Japan and arrive with no plan, you may find it hard. So I would not send a first-ever Japan trip here without some preparation. But if you have skied in Japan once before, and you want somewhere calmer with great snow and a bit of adventure, Myoko is the area I would pick.