With Japan’s borders open and snow already falling on the Japanese Alps, it’s time to book your ski holiday to Niigata, Japan.

Why Niigata you ask? 

• Niigata’s Mt Myoko has the longest ski run in Japan

That’s right! Niigata’s Ski Resorts have Japan’s longest ski run at 8.5km, leaving you more time to swoosh and shred than anywhere else. If you’re more into vertical drops, then visit Naeba for nearly 900 m drops and 22 various runs.

And if the longest ski run isn’t enough, the mountains in Niigata prefecture receive an average of 13 -16 metres of snow each season. In fact, by New Year’s Day, you’ll be skiing on a solid three metres (or more) of snowpack that often lasts through May.

• Niigata is close to Tokyo

You only need 90 minutes on a bullet train from Tokyo and you’ll be greeted by Niigata’s ski slopes, lodges, luxury resorts and spas, ski schools and equipment right out the door. With 10 ski areas and 58 resorts to choose from, you can ski somewhere new every day.

If you want to relax after all the free time you’ll have after arriving so quickly from Tokyo, Myoko has several onsens that provide natural, mineral hot springs to soak and relax those tired ski legs.

• You’re skiing at the centre of the universe

Mt Myoko was once known as “the mountain at the centre of the universe”. Once you arrive and see these majestic mountains with glistening peaks and seemingly endless ski runs, you’ll soon feel like you have landed in skiing heaven.

In fact, Niigata prefecture is also the birthplace of skiing in Japan. In Myoko, the Akakura Kanko Resort first opened in 1937, making it one of oldest ski resorts in the world… and maybe the universe, right? 

There is also a wide selection of accommodations, from luxury spa hotels to friendly, warm family-run “pensions”. Even better are the excellent English-speaking ski schools, rental shops, shuttle buses and everything you need to get you to and from ski areas in and around Myoko.

• Après ski sushi and sake like nowhere else

The Niigata prefecture is renowned throughout Japan for its various flavours of rice, sushi and sake’. In fact, there are sake kura (or breweries) in most cities and towns so you’re never far from eating sushi with the perfect flavoured sake after a day on the slopes. There are also tasting tours where you’ll be able to choose your favourite flavoured sake (or four) then ask your local chef to pair a sake’ to your meal for next level delicious cuisine.

• One of a kind couture and culture

For those who prefer swiping their credit cards instead of swooshing down the slopes, or for the days when your legs need a break from the moguls, Niigata has unique and often one-of-a-kind couture to excite the savviest shoppers.

Maruni Jeans are created and handcrafted in Myoko in a truly unique way. They take pride in the fact each pair of jeans is washed with the near freezing well water from under their shop, which is naturally rich in iron. They then let the fabric “cure” in the snow, and finally left to dry in the Myoko sun. This process creates their jeans’ signature textures, look, and feel, found nowhere else in the world.

Once you’ve put on your soft jeans (or not,) you can set out to explore the traditional Japanese architecture and way of living still predominant with Niigata residents. Homes, pagodas and temples have remained unchanged for centuries, and this traditional Japanese lifestyle must be seen and experienced to be truly appreciated.

To find out more about Niigata prefecture, head to https://enjoyniigata.com/en/