Akakura Onsen Hotel Korakuso

We stayed at Hotel Korakuso while we were skiing in Myokokogen. The hotel was booked by my brother-in-law but it was impossible to find any English reviews so we weren't sure what to expect. I'll take you through step by step what this hotel is like. Getting there We flew into Narita Airport. Boarded the Narita Express to Tokyo Station then the bullet train (shinkansen) to Nagano. Then got on a local train to Myokokogen. From there, we took a taxi (about 10-15 minutes) to Hotel Korakuso. Arrivals There was so much snow in Myokokogen, the taxi dropped us on the street in front of the hotel. When you enter the hotel, you take your shoes off and wear slippers that the hotel provides. Check in was fine and two guys brought our bags to our room. What the hotel is like This hotel is difficult to describe. It's a 4-storey building (actually two buildings joined up) with winding corridors and an interesting collection of knickknacks and curiosities. There is a room with a fireplace, movie projector, kids play area, sofas, and counters that have items for sale but no one is manning the shop. There is a giant stuffed bear toy that sits in one of the chairs.There is also a games room in the basement, a coffee house (which was closed the whole time we were there), a dining room and an onsen (hot springs bath). It's an older building with some nice features but overall could use an update. The staff are super friendly and helpful but don't speak much English. The room The rooms are traditional Japanese. We slept on futons on the floor with lots of blankets and duvets because there is no central heating! This was the biggest surprise of this hotel. Instead, they supply a heater with a propane tank. There is a clear warning to use the heater only with the window open to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning so we had a strike a fine balance between staying warm and keeping the fumes down. The good thing is that Myokokogen isn't that cold compared to other ski resorts we've stayed at so cracking open the window was fine. Otherwise, the rooms were spacious and came with bathrobes and a tea set. We also liked the heated toilets. The onsen There are separate onsens for men and women. The men's (which I did not use) was quite large although my husband complained about the algae. The women's was pretty small and the dressing room was cold so instead we walked across the road to the Hotel Akakura and used their very nice, large indoor and outdoor onsens. Breakfast/dinner Breakfast was included and from Monday-Wednesday was excellent. From Thursday-Saturday, it was buffet style (Japanese and Western) and the food seemed to deteriorate in terms of quantity and quality. We had traditional Japanese dinner twice at the restaurant which was excellent. Town The town of Myokokogen is really cute. There are lots of restaurants and small shops to buy snacks. The Udon noodle place underneath Pomodoro Pizza is a must. What struck me though is the snow. There is a LOT of snow. More snow than I have ever seen and I grew up in Canada. The locals seem to spend a fair amount of time on snow removal and not just from the street but the roofs! Skiing The snow conditions were great which makes the skiing great. We bought passes that let us ski both sides of the mountain (Kanko and Onsen). I would describe the mountain as a good beginner/intermediate place to ski. If you are an advanced skier, you would probably find the runs a bit boring after a day or two. On our last day, we skied at Sugahara which we really enjoyed. Some challenging runs and good powder through the trees. You can take a free shuttle bus but because of all the snow, it takes awhile to travel between ski areas. Babysitting We brought our 10-month old baby with us and he spent a few hours each day with Shige-san who babysat him at Myoko Snowsports. She was great and the baby room was really cute. It's 2000 yen per hour (about USD$20/hour). Overall, it was a fun cultural experience. If you are expecting a more Western style hotel, then I would stay across the road at the Akakura.