THE SECRET SAUCE

We will introduce you to some secret spots that are within 2 hours drive of Madarao Kogen Area​.
​So beg, borrow or steal a car and get on the road less traveled!

Yuzawa town and Kagura Ski Area

The Mountains

Yuzawa in Niigata Prefecture is known as “yukiguni” or “snow country”, based on a Nobel-prize winning Japanese book that described the hard life in the frozen area in winter. It was set in the hot spring town of Yuzawa.
Yuzawa is now only 75 to 80 minutes on the bullet train, though in the past was a rather isolated, snow=locked area. But the yukiguni is wonderful today because all that snow is awesome for skiing and boarding. There are about a dozen ski resorts within the Yuzawa town area, including Naeba, Gala Yuzawa and Joestsu Kokusai. But our favourites are Kagura and the lesser known ropeway at Muikamachi Hakkaisan Ski Resort.  

The Sake

Niigata is generally regarded by Japanese people as having the best sake in Japan. Again, it is about the snow. There are areas in the mountains of Niigata that receive over 10 metres of snowfall a year. Owing to the fresh water and clean air that comes from the copious snow in the region, it makes the area perfect for creating sake. Most Niigata sake houses put their efforts into producing handcrafted sake of incredible quality. Hakkaisan though is the classic Niigata sake and is renowned throughout Japan. But it also has an abundance of smaller sake factoroes that makes a sake tour through the area a must-do activity.

The Snow Country

Nobel Prize-winner Yasunari Kawabata's Snow Country is widely considered to be the writer's masterpiece, a powerful tale of wasted love set amid the desolate beauty of a rural, mountainous Japan. At an isolated mountain hot spring, with snow tumbling down and a frozen landscape, Shimamura, a wealthy man from Tokyo meets Komako, a lowly geisha from the country. Doomed love, stark landscapes and a general state of misery- the perfect ingredients for a Nobel Prize. Hopefully you will have more fun in Niigata than these two poor wretches did!
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Kagura Ski Area

Kagura Ski Area is a bit beaten up and a bit out of the way, but has access to some of the best tree skiing in Japan.

Kagura Ski Area

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For more information about Kagura Ski Area check out 

Kagura Ski Area

Togakushi

The Mountains

Togakushi is a picturesque village nestled in the mountains near Nagano City. It has one of the oldest shrines in the area and is related to the original Ize Shrine that was the birthplace of the Shinto religion. In Japanese mythology, it was said  that  the Sun Goddess, Ameratasu, who created Japan, hid herself in a cave in present day Kyushu after her brother had misbehaved. In order to get the sunlight back, one of the other deities grabbed the cave's stone door and threw it away and that old stone door flew all the way to Togakushi.  The name Togakushi literally means "the hidden door". Now the hike up from the shrine to Mount Togakushi is one of the great walks in the area. The entrance lined with massive ceder trees is a particular highlight, although the whole area is ruggedly spectacular. 

The Ninja

Daisuke Nishina, the famous ninja master, was said to have been the first person to use Togakushi as a hide out and it later became a base for more black hooded thieves in their various nefarious activities through the years. It is isolated and rugged and would have provided a perfect hideout. Now the Togakushi Ninja Village is one of the best ways hide out with your kids and keep both yourself and the little brats entertained for less than 10 bucks. Cheap, quirky and original, it is well worth a visit. The Ninja House is a great laugh and worth the price of admission alone.  Have a bowl of steaming hot hand-made soba noodles to complete the day and there you have it: the quintessential day in Togakushi.
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The History

For more than 1000 years, Togakushi has been a major centre for Japan`s Shinto religion. Later, the Buddhists thought it was so cool that they stole it off the poor Shintoists, before the Meiji government stepped in and returned the shrine to its rightful owners and made them play nicely together again. Togakushi is old. It is said that the upper shrine, or Oku-sha, was  first constructed in the 5th year of the Emperor Kogen (210 BC). Togakushi shrine was a pilgrimage sight for Buddhists and Shintoists during the following eight centuries and the caves were generally a place of refuge to ascetic monks, run away samurai and assorted quacks escaping the rat race. Today, it still presents a nice way of running away from the rat race, as long as its not on a long weekend, when the rat race will most certainly come to Togakushi

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Togakushi Ski Area

Togakushi Ski Area is the best undiscovered treasure for skiers and boarders in the Madarao/Myoko area. Only 45 minutes from Madarao, it has fantastic terrain and great powder.

Togakushi Ski Area

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For more information about Togakushi Ski Resort check out  

Togakushi Ski Area

"Some beautiful paths can't be discovered without getting lost..."

- EROL OZAN