NECK 14 Posted May 28, 2013 Author Share Posted May 28, 2013 Good link. Thanks I hope it's ok for mr wiggles to post the one he knows Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 The Wikipedia entry says that it went under 1.1 billion yen in debt. I make that out as nearly $11milion at todays rates. Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 It also blames poor access as one of the reasons why it failed Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 1993年に開業した典型的なバブル型リゾート施設ではあったが、標高が高く雪質の良さや5月まで滑走な可能なゲレンデ、温泉施設などを拡充し続けたことで集客は良く、瞬く間に消えていった他のバブル型リゾート施設と比べると長寿の部類に入る。 2000年代に入り、スキーヤーが激減したことに加え、2005年のシーズンには豪雪すぎて集客がままならないという状況(積雪が無い状態でもアクセス自体は悪かった)となり、2006年7月10日に運営会社は11億円以上の負債を抱えて経営破綻した。 2013年現在もスキー場とホテルは閉鎖状態となっている。 Link to post Share on other sites
Error404 0 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 They even had their own brewery. Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 I think the blog I saw was a different one. On the one I saw, the guy sounded like he ran into a crew from TabiTabi on noboards when he went to Hakuba Highland. One of the Japanese magazines did a massive article about Arai. Apparently none of the main planners walked up the hill beforehand. They simply flew over it in helicopters. The mountain itself was totally unsuited to what they were trying to do. Any high end resort needs sunny weather and big beginner runs, not endless blizzards and narrow runs on windy ridges with a dirty great river in the middle of the resort waiting to gobble up " I only ski offpiste, me" types. The upper gondola station was also perched above an impressive cliff band. If you liked powpow, it was pretty good though. You'd get crews of powderhounds camping in the car park. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 Apparently none of the main planners walked up the hill beforehand. They simply flew over it in helicopters. That's really hard to believe isn't it. Link to post Share on other sites
pdoull 2 Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 Does anyone boot pack or similar there now , not allowed or shhh. Link to post Share on other sites
Bushiman 6 Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 Looks like I will be checking it out with a buddy tomorrow. Well, that buddy is me and it was truly wild seeing that place again after having ridden there back in 2004/2005... In fact, I didn't even remember the whole Plaza part! -How I could've forgotten that epic complex I have no idea... The resort was pretty decent to ride back in the day. The terrain was varied, quite open, it all funneled down into one valley like Cortina so you couldn't get lost, and they had a backcountry gate that they would open if conditions allowed. The backcountry gate gave you access to a 15~20min ridge-line hike up to the peak above the resort, which in turn gave you 5~6 nice turns in a completely open bowl. The crazy thing is that the last time I rode there, I spoke to the manager as I was unhappy that I'd paid full whack for lift tickets, and yet most of the big/longest pistes were closed; un-groomed and roped off. This was mid-season!? Conditions were good and the snow stable. I told him that it was bad business not having a huge ski-resort up and running 100%, as that's what us customers were paying for/expecting. I said that people will not bother to come all the way out here to ski if you don't make the effort. You'll go out of business! Anyway, he apologised, understood where we were coming from, but if we didn't like how the resort was run, we shouldn't return.... Next year they were closed! Link to post Share on other sites
NECK 14 Posted May 29, 2013 Author Share Posted May 29, 2013 Looks like I will be checking it out with a buddy tomorrow. Well, that buddy is me and it was truly wild seeing that place again after having ridden there back in 2004/2005... Yes Bushiman, that buddy is you Link to post Share on other sites
2pints-mate 0 Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Looks like I will be checking it out with a buddy tomorrow. Well, that buddy is me and it was truly wild seeing that place again after having ridden there back in 2004/2005... In fact, I didn't even remember the whole Plaza part! -How I could've forgotten that epic complex I have no idea... The resort was pretty decent to ride back in the day. The terrain was varied, quite open, it all funneled down into one valley like Cortina so you couldn't get lost, and they had a backcountry gate that they would open if conditions allowed. The backcountry gate gave you access to a 15~20min ridge-line hike up to the peak above the resort, which in turn gave you 5~6 nice turns in a completely open bowl. The crazy thing is that the last time I rode there, I spoke to the manager as I was unhappy that I'd paid full whack for lift tickets, and yet most of the big/longest pistes were closed; un-groomed and roped off. This was mid-season!? Conditions were good and the snow stable. I told him that it was bad business not having a huge ski-resort up and running 100%, as that's what us customers were paying for/expecting. I said that people will not bother to come all the way out here to ski if you don't make the effort. You'll go out of business! Anyway, he apologised, understood where we were coming from, but if we didn't like how the resort was run, we shouldn't return.... Next year they were closed! Sounds like YOU were the one that caused it to go under! Bad person!! Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Nah, it was deffo Blair-san. Link to post Share on other sites
Bushiman 6 Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Sounds like YOU were the one that caused it to go under Nuffin to do wiv me Guv'nor! I'm innocent! I was trying to tell him where he was going wrong! Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 You might be too late to tell Kandatsu Kogen, but you might just be able to save them if you do 1 Link to post Share on other sites
onsen tamago 0 Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 It's not as if Niigata is short of onsen hotels..... That's right and this place wasn't your typical Japanese onsen type place. It was more Western everything. Link to post Share on other sites
NECK 14 Posted May 30, 2013 Author Share Posted May 30, 2013 Sounds like YOU were the one that caused it to go under Nuffin to do wiv me Guv'nor! I'm innocent! I was trying to tell him where he was going wrong! I reckon your bushy grilling scared them all from coming back to work Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Apparently not walking up the hill resulted in them failing to notice how bumpy and craggy the terrain was. I remember them routinely opening later than other local resorts in spite of how snowy the location is, and Blair saying that they needed 1.5 meters plus to get the groomers out. My impression was that there were offpiste deaths every year at Arai, at a time when offpiste wasn't that popular with Japanese. People falling into rivers and going over cliffs. The reason I mention it is that its the last thing you'd want in the paper if you want to fill those huge hotels with school trips on weekdays. Big hotels in the middle of nowhere with no izakayas and little obasan shops selling cigarettes nearby are just what schools normally want. Folks going there on the weekend got the luxury of getting on the highway behind everyone heading back from Myoko, Shiga Kogen, and Nozawa. That must have been fun. Club Med seem to do okay in Japan, so maybe it was a case of wrong location, wrong time, but not such a bad idea. Link to post Share on other sites
r45 4 Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 People falling into rivers and going over cliffs. Sounds good, that! Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 So maybe it was a case of wrong location, wrong time, but not such a bad idea. I think it was. In a different time and place, it could perhaps have been a real success story. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Who are the owners? Link to post Share on other sites
HoTRoD 2 Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 The owners were a company called Arai Resort Management or something, but they went bust. I think the honour goes to the local govt now, not a private company. Link to post Share on other sites
oo 1 Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 So they just going to let it rot? Link to post Share on other sites
norcal 5 Posted June 14, 2013 Share Posted June 14, 2013 Cool thread and nice pics Neck! Followed all the 'abandoned' links on here...turns out one of the places (Hashima island) was a model/inspiration for a scene in Skyfall: From Wikipedia: In the 2012 James Bond film Skyfall, the island served as an inspiration for the lair of villain Raoul Silva but filming did not take place on the island itself. One section was recreated at Pinewood Studios in Great Britain and the rest via CGI. Link to post Share on other sites
NECK 14 Posted June 15, 2013 Author Share Posted June 15, 2013 Cool thread and nice pics Neck! Followed all the 'abandoned' links on here...turns out one of the places (Hashima island) was a model/inspiration for a scene in Skyfall: Yeah that place looks amazing! I have actually been to a few different abandonments, including another ski resort, but I have to say that Arai was the most interesting one so far for sure. Link to post Share on other sites
fukdane 2 Posted June 15, 2013 Share Posted June 15, 2013 It was actually in Skyfall. The boat ride approaching it. Link to post Share on other sites
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