[Niigata Prefecture] Lotte Arai Resort, one of Japan's leading powder snow ski resorts

Lotte Arai Resort is a multi-purpose resort facility in Myoko Kogen, Niigata Prefecture, where Korean-owned LOTTE Hotel, which operates more than 30 hotels in seven countries, has made its first foray into Japan. In the spring, you can enjoy spring skiing and cherry blossom viewing, in the summer the largest tree adventure and indoor pool in the country, in the fall the leaves change color, and in the winter, skiing on the finest powder snow in one of Japan's snowiest areas. Mount Okenashi, towering behind Lotte Arai Resort, is one of the snowiest areas in Japan, with an annual snowfall of about 18m, and the snow quality is the finest powder snow that skiers from Japan and abroad long for! There are a total of 14 slopes. About 80% of the slopes are ungroomed areas (avalanche terrain) for advanced skiers. This overwhelming amount of snow and superb slopes have been recognized, and it won the top prize in the Japan category at the World Ski Awards 2020, the highest honor in the ski industry, and won four categories in the Japan category at the Ski Asia Awards 2020 hosted by SKI ASIA: Best Ski Resort, Best Powder Ski Resort, Best Family Ski Resort, and Best Snow Sports School. Personally, I don't ski, so I just took the ropeway up, but on a good day, you can see all the way to the Sea of ​​Japan, and it was quite a spectacular spot. Indeed, the snow quality is powdery, so you can't make snowmen or snowballs. It would have been nice to ski. There are also plenty of kids' facilities here, so you can safely play on snow sleds and outdoor play equipment, which looked like fun. I visited during the COVID-19 pandemic, but there were many foreign expats there. The hotel's restaurant was buffet style, and the large bath was a hot spring open-air bath with a snow view! It was lit up at night, creating a fantastic snow-viewing corridor. #Hotel review #Niigata Prefecture #Ski resort #Resort #Snow scenery