Nozawa or Myoko?

[estaked]

Planning a trip to Japan in February 2018. Most of our skiing will be traveling around Hokkaido, but we have 3 nights to spend at either Myoko or Nozawa between stops in Kyoto and Tokyo. Any insights, opinions, experiences? Would prefer to avoid the heavy tourist areas and get the best bang for our buck for 2 days of riding. Thanks.

 

[Jisei]

Hello there. I live in Tokyo and often go skiing around those areas.

First of all, after Hokkaido anywhere you go will probably not feel as exciting so keep that in mind (Hokkaido is THE place for Japow).

Concerning Nozawa or Myoko, well if you are looking to avoid heavy tourist areas Myoko is a bit less than Nozawa.

I really like Myoko Suginohara as you have wide groomers, jumps park and some nice off-piste tree running altogether despite being smaller than Nozawa.

Nozawa is good too (famous for backcountry + hot springs), especially if you are looking to experience some more authentic Japanese culture (the town nicely preserves traditional architecture) but it is more packed with visitors due to these reasons.