So SJ users seemed to show quite a bit of interest in the Arai Mountain Resort and Spa thread I started a while ago. I actually went to Aokiko a few weeks before my Arai trip, to check out how it looks now and to take a few photos.
Aokoiko ski resort closed just 5 years ago and I know the area well. I used to ride there fairly often during the first few winters I lived in Nagano. it was the middle resort of the Sun Alpina linked resort area and there were a few pretty fun lines between Kashimayari and Aokiko.
I had actually visited the resort a few times since it closed, but only duri