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In 2025, it’s safe to say that Japan is experiencing a tourism boom. Spark up a conversation with anyone, and they’ve most likely just returned, just planned or just added the country to their must-visit list. And upon jetting there myself, it’s easy to see why. Striking an ethereal balance between modernity and heritage, Japan is truly like no other place on Earth. Better still, if you love the idea of a snowy winter wonderland, then consider hitting the ski slopes, as Japan is currently enjoying record snowfalls not seen in years. And with resorts staying open well into April/May, there’s still time to cash in on any holiday or personal days left for carving up fresh tracks of “Japow”, delightful light and dry snow that will leave you spellbound for more.
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Most visitors tend to fly into the popular mecca ski resorts like Niseko in Hokkaido on the northern island of Japan. But for a change, we decided to hop on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, the bullet train that rockets you to the snow region of Nagano, a hub of over 80 ski resorts, from the sprawling Shiga Kogen to the Hakuba Valley, which famously hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics.
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In looking for a ski resort a bit off the popular track but with a guarantee of experiencing this so-called legendary powder, we were recommended Madarao Mountain. In my previous snowboarding grommet life (pre-motherhood and living in the northern hemisphere), I’ve been fortunate to experience the mountains of Snowbird, Utah; Mammoth, California; and Whistler and Fernie, British Columbia, just to name a few. But after a long hiatus from buckling into my board, I was searching for a more meditative (read: easy), uncrowded experience on the slopes. An ex-pro snowboarder friend recommended Madarao for its “Madapow”, meaning its northerly aspects, which enhance the quality of snow despite being a modest vertical mountain for the area of Nagano.
Madarao is a mid-sized mountain, with plenty of snow and no lift lines, making it ideal for a rusty snowboarder like myself, who hadn’t been snowboarding in over 15 years, and my daughter, who was a complete beginner. Even my partner, an experienced skier and former ski patroller, found plenty of challenging alpine tree skiing and ungroomed black runs in this powder playground. Across over 30 ski runs, nine lifts and a vertical drop of 440 metres, the resort, which connects with Tangram Mountain, offers much terrain to explore. On the snowfall front, Madarao usually averages 13 metres, but this year, Japan has experienced a winter of exceptionally heavy snow not seen in decades.
INSET, LEFT: SKI JACKET, ARCTERYX, SHOP NOW. RIGHT: SUMMIT JACKET, THE NORTH FACE, SHOP NOW. SNOW GOOGLES, OAKLEY, SHOP NOW
The heavy snowfalls of Japan’s snow areas are caused by moisture-laden clouds bumping up against the mountains along the backbone of Honshu (the largest of the four islands that make up Japan) and releasing their moisture under the northwesterly winds blowing off the continent or down from Siberia. The result is fluffy, dry snow: perfect conditions for any winter sport lover.
We stayed at the Snowball Chalet Apartments at the base of Madarao mountain. Snowball Chalet is owned by an Australian couple, Dan and Andy Solo, who bought the run-down chalet back in 2016 when the area had virtually been undiscovered by any foreigners. Only local Japanese family-run businesses functioned in Madarao back then.
“Madarao had been a ski mecca in the 70s, an escape from the ‘salary man’ lifestyle, and it even held the second biggest jazz festival in the world at that time”, explained Dan. But after the ski bubble burst, along with most of Japan’s economy in the 90s, so did the town, leaving many of the resorts in the area neglected or closed down entirely. Fast-forward to 2015, and the bullet train’s expansion made it a mere stone’s throw (101 minutes) from Tokyo. As Dan says, “Discovering Madarao and Snowball Chalet was a diamond in the rough. The village was just what we were looking for to bring new life to a ski resort, potentially to go bankrupt or fly.”
Having been nomadic snowboarder enthusiasts most of their lives, Dan and Andy lived in ski towns across the globe until they fell in love with Japan back in 1997. They travelled by push bike pre-Internet and the days of Lonely Planet as their tour guide. After running a ski chalet in Niseko back when it was a sleepy ski town where only locals skied, they discovered what powder conditions were about and a dream was born.
While they both knew what they were looking for, life took on new challenges, and it wasn’t until 2014 that their compulsion took Dan and their fourteen-year-old son Akira back to Japan to seek out a possible ski resort with potential. Andy held up the fort in Sydney while constantly googling ski towns until she landed on page 144 and found Snowball Chalet up for sale, which, as fate would have it, Dan had been scouting nearby. After closing the deal on Christmas Eve 2016, it dumped snow on Christmas day—a good omen by snow-lover standards—and they haven’t looked back since.
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We were welcomed into the Snowball Chalet lounge with apres drinks and a warm fireplace by a cheerful Aussie host, Saxon from Brisbane, who was spending the season skiing and working at Madarao. You’ll find many Aussies working the ski slopes as it’s easy to obtain a working holiday visa. Just remember to check in your snowboots for slippers before you enter, a Japanese code of conduct as well as a good idea for keeping the snow outdoors. I took the opportunity to enjoy a Whiskey Highball while sampling delicious homemade gyoza, local vegetable root pickles, Hijiki Seaweed and soba salad.
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Boasting an extensive library of rare vinyl from all decades to sample, you can enjoy a smooth tune or, on most nights, from 6 pm, there’s a live performer to chill out to post-skiing. There are restaurants and bars nearby, but the options are limited, so booking in advance is advised.
Snowball Chalet has a seamless online concierge service to allow one to select from a variety of restaurants, sort equipment hire and book lessons before arrival. There is a renowned international ski school run by one of the Madarao locals, Aki Kitamura san, who actually owns the popular pizza and burger joint on the mountain as well.
Our lovely Snowball studio was compact (like most Japanese dwellings), inspired by the Edo-era architecture, with no expense spared to recreate a traditional Japanese interior with modern amenities. The perfectly folded yukata sets laid out on the bed, lanterns lighting, tatami mats and screen window doors create the ideal cozy atmosphere and apparently help keep the heat in. We had intentions of taking advantage of the fully equipped kitchen, but given that our priority was skiing we opted for the delicious breakfasts served at the lounge, including a choice of traditional Japanese and Western dishes like dashimaki tamogo (Japanese folded omelette), yuzu-infused miso soup and bacon and egg rolls: all essential to keep the energy for carving up the slopes.
Dan and Andy own and manage several accommodations, including Snowman and Snowball Apartments, both based in Madarao, as well as Shiki in Northern Nagano, a hop-and-ski from Tangram Ski and Golf Resort.
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The real hidden gem is the Yukimi Sano, a Meiji period residence and teahouse. The property has been owned by a Japanese family for over 200 years and includes a tea house, which was originally built for a wedding of a famous artist almost two centuries ago. I found myself meditating peacefully, looking out to an ancient Japanese garden covered in a blanket of snow, which is what the word Yukimi means. Just beyond the garden is a Sankyo, a Japanese rice warehouse that contains a goldmine of family antique furniture and artifacts left in pristine condition for Dan and Andy to incorporate in the interior and decor of Yukimi. Dan’s background in fine arts and object design gives him the artistic eye to create spaces celebrating Japanese traditions and artistry but with a touch of Western comfort. By comforts, Dan expanded that so much of Japan’s traditional old buildings like the Ryokans were beautiful in craftsmanship and detail, but lacked comforts like central heating, mood lighting, and cozy sofas sought after by tourists. Between the Japanese ceramics and artifacts displayed on the finely finished wooden tables, the attention to detail is exquisite.
As Dan recalls the story of meeting a couple in their 90s selling off their “heirlooms” in perfect condition, having collected them their entire life but having no one to pass them down to, he tells me about travelling the length of Japan acquiring beautiful antiques to decorate their residences and allow the appreciation of artefacts to continue.
As far as location goes, Madarao Mountain is ideally situated in the middle of a ring of ski resorts, including Myoko Kogen and Nozawa Onsen. We decided to check out Nozawa Onsen, not only known for having one of the oldest ski resorts in Japan but for the dozen or so public onsens (hot springs), which can date back to the eighth century. What better way to recharge after a day of skiing than soaking in a natural hot spring? Exploring the town of Nozawa Onsen gave us a glimpse of traditional Japanese culture as the town has retained its sense of historic reverence with the village’s narrow alleys lined with shrines and temples. The choice of restaurants, tea houses and even karaoke bars is more extensive than what you’ll find at nearby Nagano, so we took advantage of viewing the famous snow monkeys at the Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park. It was almost closing time, and for the monkeys, it meant feeding time, so a swarm of them of all ages and sizes descended down from the nearby hills and hot springs. I couldn’t help but recall a scene in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, but now in happier times.
Speaking of happier times, we wrapped up our ski adventure after five nights wishing we could stay for more. With so many hidden gems, including snow-covered mountains and nearby towns yet to explore, I’ll certainly be back to experience more of Japan’s winter magic. After all, what’s 101 minutes of time travel from Tokyo? Getting to Tokyo, I guess.
To get to Madarao from either of the Tokyo airports, you can catch trains to Iiyama, and then a bus or taxi to the resort. Or from Haneda or Narita Airports you can get a Chuo Taxi or Nagano Snow Shuttle to Madarao. Book your stay at Snowball Japan now, or discover more about Madarao Mountain.
PHOTOGRAPHY: SEAN SLATTERY
MODELS: GRACE SLATTERY, GABRIEL FLIPP
GRAZIA PACKING GUIDE:
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