Where is Seki Onsen?
Seki Onsen is just to the north of
Akakura Onsen, the main village and ski area of
Myoko Kogen, and about 12km from the town of Myokokogen.
Seki Onsen is about 3km by road from Tsubame Onsen (a spooky looking little onsen village that’s mostly closed down during winter).
Seki Japan is located north of
Nagano City in the
Niigata Prefecture.
Despite its close proximity to Akakura, it takes a while to get to Seki Onsen during winter.
Bus to Seki Onsen
In previous years there were daily buses between Akakura and Seki Onsen, but these seem to have been discontinued, which is probably a good thing because the small Seki ski area might not cope with a bus load of extra people.
Lodge Shuttles to Seki Onsen
Several of the Myoko lodges based in Akakura and Ikenotaira offer shuttles to the Myoko ski resorts, which could include Seki Onsen on some days. These may be included as part of the accommodation package or for an additional fee. Examples include
Kitsune (Red Fox) and
Myoko Forest Lodge.
Driving to Seki Onsen
It’s only 4km by road from Seki Onsen to Akakura Onsen via Tsubame Onsen, but this road is not open in winter. Seki Onsen Ski Resort can be accessed on Road 39, off the main route 18, a route of 15km that takes about 25-20 minutes depending on snow conditions.
You can pay a small fee for “rock star” car parking, or walk an extra hundred metres and park for free.
Public Transport to Seki
The closest train station is Sekiyama (on the Myōkō Haneuma line), which is 8km from the ski area. From the station, it’s about 20 minutes via a bus (multiple schedules per day) or taxi to get to Seki Onsen.
Seki Onsen Guided Ski Tours
Another option to get to Seki Onsen could be as part of a
guided ski tour, either day guiding or a multi-day trip. There are several companies that do day trips to Seki from Akakura and other nearby ski resorts.
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Getting Around Seki
The Seki Onsen village is tiny and you’ll have no problems navigating it on foot within about 5 minutes.
Other Ski Resorts Nearby
Just below Seki Onsen on route 39 near the Seki car parking are two tiny little ski resorts that seem barely operational because often they’re not! Myoko Ski Park is on one side of the road and it hasn’t opened in recent years, yet hasn’t announced permanent closure. Kyukamura on the other side of the road consists of one gentle run so it’s ideal for beginners.
Other Myoko ski resorts:
There are many other nearby ski resorts. Distances from Akakura Onsen:
If you're changing accommodation between Myoko and Hakuba, Nozawa Onsen or Shiga Kogen, there are inter-resort shuttles with
Nagano Snow Shuttle.