Where is Suginohara Myoko?
Suginohara is one of the Myoko Kogen ski resorts, located in the Niigata Prefecture 31km north of Nagano City. The
Suginohara Ski Resort and the associated village of Suginosawa Onsen are 6km southwest of the Myokokogen town and train station, 5.7km south of Akakura Onsen (the main ski village of Myoko Kogen), and
Ikenotaira is adjacent to Suginohara and 4km away by road.
Driving to Suginohara Myoko
Having a car provides a lot of flexibility to explore the Myoko Kogen ski resorts and the other nearby ski resorts in Niigata and Nagano. If you’re staying in
Suginosawa accommodation, having a car will also provide some flexibility to go for dinner to the Myoko Kogen restaurants in Akakura Onsen. You can
rent a car with English GPS in Nagano or at the Tokyo airports.
The telephone number of the Suginohara Resort for GPS navigation is 0255-86-6211 and it’s a really easy drive to get there. You can park at the base of the Suginohara Gondola or a little further up the hill where the Restaurant Azalea is located. Parking is free on weekdays whilst weekends and holidays attract a fee.
Travel to Suginohara – Multi-Day Stays
If you’re staying in Suginosawa accommodation, there are a couple of options for getting to Myoko via
trains or
bus from the airport including shuttles or train/bus combos with
Nagano Snow Shuttle. Your accommodation can then provide a transfer from the Myokokogen train station or the Akakura bus stop, or you may need to catch a taxi.
If you’re using the trains, an alternative to heading to the Myokokogen train station is the Joetsu Myoko train station (see Japan Travel Navitime for routes, fares and timetables). From Joetsu Myoko there are shuttle buses to Suginohara.
Bus Between Suginohara & Other Parts of Myoko
For day trippers from Akakura Onsen (or other parts of Myoko Kogen), there are a couple of morning shuttle buses to Suginohara that depart from near the Akakura post office. Your accommodation should be able to provide you with a timetable but generally they don’t get there in time for first lifts at Suginohara. The buses seem to do a bit of traipsing around the Myoko area with stops at Akakura Onsen Ski Resort, Akakura Kanko Ski Resort, Hotel Windsor, Alpen Blick Spa in Ikenotaira, Ikenotaira Tourist Office, Ikenotaira Pension Village, and Suginosawa Fire Station, so the trip can take 30 to 40 minutes by bus.
If you’re staying in Suginosawa, there are shuttle buses to Ikenotaira, Akakura Kanko and Akakura Onsen but the bus gets there too late for first lifts.
If you’re staying in Suginohara and want to go out for dinner in Akakura Onsen, your options are self-driving or taxi, or your lodge might provide periodic shuttles.
Getting Around Suginohara & Suginosawa
With very limited options for shops and evening restaurants in Suginosawa, your main commute is likely to between your accommodation and the slopes of Suginohara Ski Resort. A good proportion of the
Suginosawa accommodation is ski-in ski-out or very close to the slopes, whilst other accommodation is about 5 minutes walk from the access lift.
There is a concentration of lodging around the Suginohara Pair Lift #1 which is close to the Den pub at Red Fox Lodge Myoko and also the onsen. There are also other lodgings where are about 1km to the west, so it’s a 15 minute walk if you want to go to the pub or onsen.
Other Ski Resorts Near Sugi
Myoko Kogen makes a good base to road trip to other nearby ski resorts in Nagano and Niigata Prefectures. From Suginohara:
Other ski resorts that are possible to reach for a day trip are:
Togakushi;
Shiga Kogen;
Kijimidaira; and
Ryuoo. See the map above for other nearby ski resorts.