Madarao Kogen
Also known as: THE MADARAO, Madarao Mountain Resort, linked Tangram
Between Nozawa and Myoko; forested bowl
Can the whole group come?
Who in your group gets a good week at Madarao Kogen - the terrain split, the ski school, and what the people not skiing do.
Beg 30 / Int 35 / Adv 35; ~60% ungroomed
Beginner courses + Kid's Park at base; regroup at main base
Onsen (Madarao Kogen Hotel baths), sledding, Kid's Park
Family-friendly; kids' lessons (English); under-12 ski free; no formal nursery documented
English schools (Action Snow Sports, Madarao Sports Academy); on-site rentals
Reputation is advanced tree skiing; families served at base
Snow & season
Very high; heavy Shinetsu/Japan-Sea powder (~10-13 m annual)
Typically mid-Dec to late Mar/early Apr
mid-Jan to mid-Feb
Peak late Dec-Feb + holidays; midweek quieter
Moderate pistes + deep gladed tree runs
Whiteout; tree-run avalanche risk (a rare in-bounds slide occurred on Powder Line)
The mountain
30 courses (49 incl. Tangram); 10 official tree-run courses
10 official gladed tree-run courses + Free Ride Park; deep untracked powder
Popular with international powder crowd
Getting there & lift pass
Adult day ~JPY 5,000-5,500; joint pass covers Madarao + Tangram
Permits and operators change - confirm before booking.
Iiyama Station (Hokuriku Shinkansen ~1 h 50 from Tokyo) + ~30 min bus/taxi
Bus from Iiyama; direct Tokyo coach ~5.5 h
Base + on-slope restaurants/cafes; hotel dining
Madarao Kogen village lodging
Iiyama hub
Patrol & safety
Patrol at main base; tree/off-piste terrain carries real avalanche risk
In-bounds tree avalanche risk documented
Iiyama Red Cross Hospital (~30 min); Nagano City Hospital
This profile is desk research, compiled from public sources - not a first-hand ski resort report. Coordinates are approximate.