Tubby Beaver 209 Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 So if this place is closed, is there anything stopping people just hiking up the mountain on their own accord? Not that I plan on doing that anyway, was just thinking.... Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 I wonder why "they" bought the place? Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 You could hike maybe. Link to post Share on other sites
Snow-Woman 0 Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 If you really want to Just go to Suginohara up the road! Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 I like Suginohara. Myoko is a good place, it should get more love. Link to post Share on other sites
spook 0 Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 i'm thinking of myoko for a few weeks next year. it looks good! Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 Not sure about a few weeks, but... thing about Myoko is that Nozawa & Shiga Kogen are all within easy reach. A few weeks in that region sounds like a fine idea to me. Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 Myoko is nice but even though they are close Arai gets 30 to 40 % more snow. Myoko also has a few avies in the trees every year so be carefull. 2 years ago one fella was lost untill the spring. Link to post Share on other sites
spook 0 Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 yep cool. didn't mean for a few weeks at myoko, should have made that clear. it just looks like a fun area to hit for 4 days or so. thanks for the advice! Link to post Share on other sites
base40 0 Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 It is a good area. And Myoko the mountain is very cool, quite impressive looking. Link to post Share on other sites
griller 9 Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 I wonder how much snow Arai got this last season as Myoko got a ton. Anyone been to those buildings of late? Are they maintaining them all? Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 It has been nearly 2 years since they filed for bankrupcy... someone took over so you'd think they were at least keeping it ticking over in terms of maintenance. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted June 10, 2008 Share Posted June 10, 2008 Yeah Myoko had an awesome amount of snow last season, I was in Suginohara and couldn't believe the powder. Link to post Share on other sites
BagOfCrisps 24 Posted June 11, 2008 Author Share Posted June 11, 2008 Looks good Myoko, wouldn't mind going. But we must not distract from our Tohoku plans. (maybe) Link to post Share on other sites
wattiewatson 0 Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 The best day i had last year was at Myoko. I think it was Christmas, either that or New Years. I would say over half a metre fell in fell in Suginosawa village and more on the hill. Doesnt sound that impressive but you put half a metre over the roads and things stop moving pretty fast. I had to do a good 2 hours of digging to get to the resort. Matt Link to post Share on other sites
grungy-gonads 54 Posted June 11, 2008 Share Posted June 11, 2008 Myoko will be quite close to you won't it? 30 minutes or so over the mountain? Is the road going over past Madarao closed in winter? Link to post Share on other sites
sarat 0 Posted July 2, 2008 Share Posted July 2, 2008 Some of the locals I talked to hadn't heard anything recently either. Not a good sign. This time last year there was a rumour that someone was going to take it on but it all came to nought. A real pity. Still, I think it was the right idea - just in the wrong place. Nozawa, Shiga, Hakuba or Akakura would have been better. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted July 3, 2008 Share Posted July 3, 2008 Originally Posted By: Sara T Some of the locals I talked to hadn't heard anything recently either. Not a good sign. This time last year there was a rumour that someone was going to take it on but it all came to nought. A real pity. Still, I think it was the right idea - just in the wrong place. Nozawa, Shiga, Hakuba or Akakura would have been better. what do you mean Sara? I have no idea about Arai, what was it like? Link to post Share on other sites
SnowJapan Admin SnowJapan 178 Posted July 3, 2008 SnowJapan Admin Share Posted July 3, 2008 Here are 30 reviews of Arai Arai reviews Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 I have read them I was just interested in what she meant Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 how can you read 30 reviews and not have an idea? Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 or how can you read 30 reviews full stop. Link to post Share on other sites
Rag-Doll 0 Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 Arai had these things going for it: - really great spa - very good/great hotel - really good italian restaurant - fairly handy from Tokyo, certainly no further than the other Nagano resorts - very sensible off piste policy and with steepish ungroomed terrain which on a good day could be as good as any inbound terrain in Japan -nice onsen - very professional guest service set up, very professionally run place Arai had these things against it: - bloody expensive hotel - dreadful resort layout and geography which meant there were only a couple of decent lifts and one very long gondola ride, lots of very dangerous out of bounds terrain and many of the groomers were ridge line runs - very limited beginner and lower intermediate runs -dreadfully exposed to high winds and bad weather so there was a better than even chance of a white out or the top being closed when you visit In short - a good idea poorly executed. Had the hotel and spa complex been located in Hakuba or some other place that offered a better snow experience it might have done quite a bit better. I went there for perhaps 3 or 4 weekends and had white outs most of the time but on the one day it all came together with 50cm of fresh snow and clear skies, it was as good as anything I've experienced in Japan over 7 yrs and 20 odd resorts Link to post Share on other sites
Rag-Doll 0 Posted July 4, 2008 Share Posted July 4, 2008 I have a special fondness for Arai. It was at Arai after a particularlly good day where I managed a couple of high speed non-painful rag-dolls through deep and steep snow that I understood what it was to have a good day on the snow. Link to post Share on other sites
okonomiyakiman 0 Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 I went about 4 years ago in my first winter here. Thought it was a fantastic place, and still the best few days I have had on the snow here in Japan. Link to post Share on other sites
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