Akakura Kanko Hotel

Exceptional, majestic, magnificent...all words I would use to attempt to describe Akakan. But mere superlatives are insufficient. This is the best hotel in which we have stayed. With history dating back to the 1930s, the main building has been kept meticulously over the years as to somehow evoke that romantic past, but also not to feel dated or aged. The newer Premium/Spa and Suite wings are worthy, luxurious additions that adds lots of options. Rooms: We tried two rooms: Deluxe twin with bathtub and Premium (P3) with private outdoor onsen, each for three nights. The hotel is not cheap...this combination ran a little more than JPY400k total for two people, mid-January, breakfast but no dinner (would love to know how others have booked at 50k/night with half board!). But even at these rates you are getting your yen’s worth. The deluxe twin, located in the main building just off the reception area, was a great room, spacious and luxuriously refurbished, and with a direct view of the slopes. The bathtub enjoys its own small room and even a separate air-conditioning system. That said, I’d probably recommend either saving a bit with a slightly lower category room, or going up to the private onsen room (located in the more modern Spa and Suite wing). This is because the public open air onsen in the hotel is among the best I’ve ever seen across a wide variety of Honshu and Hokkaido resorts and Ryokan, and the only way you’ll probably want to skip it is if you’ve got one of your own. Hopefully the pictures speak for themselves but that room is even larger (and these rooms are huge in terms relative to other Japanese ski resorts), and just of the highest quality all around. Loved the electronic fireplace, heated bathroom floors, convenient shower cubicle, and, of course, the generously sized, temperature-adjustable onsen. Skiing: Akakura Kanko boasts a fantastic location right in the middle of its synonymous ski area, allowing you to hop on the freshly groomed slopes before anyone else in the area. First lifts ran around 8.30, so you can take a lovely, untracked run down from the locker area around 8.20 and expect no to minimal queue. Lift tickets for the Akakan side run a reasonable JPY3,000/day if you buy at the hotel, and 5,800 if you include the connecting Akakura Onsen side, which in our experience was less crowded and a good shout for at least a couple of days. Restaurants: Can’t go wrong with either the buffet breakfast or the slightly more formal, table service option in the Premium wing at Aqua, which is a nice change of pace for more relaxed days. Since we were not on half board, we only ate dinner twice at the hotel, once at French and the other at Aqua. Course meals run somewhere close to 10k per person. Quantity isn’t huge but quality is high, and the meat (beef, venison, lamb) entrees were particularly nice. The bar near Aqua is beautiful, offers thoughtfully-crafted cocktails with a nice happy hour, and in our experience wasn’t crowded. Still, you might want to venture out to Akakura Onsen town using the shuttle (~10 minutes, last one leaves at 6 or 6.15) some nights, though you’ve got to sort out your own return (and taxis were not readily available in our experience...recommend booking ahead!). If you’ve got a car you can park right outside the hotel, which gives you a ton of optionality. On the whole, Akakan is the top option in Myoko, and surely one of the best in Japan. And even though Akakura onsen town appears to be taking on a bit more of a foreigner-oriented feeling these days (verging on Niseko et al...), Akakan retains its own entirely unique aura.