Myoko Restaurants & Bars

The nightlife at Myoko Kogen is not particularly vibrant yet it is much more upbeat than many other Japanese ski areas, with the range of restaurants and bars being a strong point of Myoko Kogen. Most Japanese visitors have dinner at their hotel as part of their accommodation package, whilst due to the number of gaijin in town, the Myoko Kogen restaurant and bar trade continues to do well with over 50 establishments to choose from.

The traditional bars (izakaya) are the most prevalent and a great spot to mingle with new friends and sample lots of Japanese treats. Most of the bars and restaurants have some form of an English menu, so you might not get lots of opportunities to use google lens.

Akakura Onsen Restaurants

Most of the Myoko restaurants are in Akakura Onsen. There are a range of Japanese restaurants including ramen, soba, yakiniku, and udon noodle restaurants as well as izakayas, and most of the fare is reasonably simple. If you’re looking for a grand dining experience, your best bet is to look at options at the better hotels and lodges in town.

It is highly recommended to make a booking for dinner, especially if you have a large group or want to go to a small restaurant or izakaya.

One of the most delightful restaurants in Myoko is Harumi in the main street of Akakura Onsen. It’s a charming classic Japanese eatery that serves up lots of small bites such as yakitori.

On the corner at the top of the main street are a couple of izakayas, Kei and Asagao. Both offer great food and a cosy atmosphere.

Nearby is Sennin Izakaya, tucked down one of the side streets. This tiny bar serves up simple food such as okonomiyaki via an English menu as well as lots of kanpai.

The main street also has a few creperies where you can buy savoury crepes, or head there for a decadent dessert after dinner. One of the crepe shops also sells burgers.

Food trucks and huts are also growing in popularity, with the leader of the pack being Kebab 501 in the main street of Akakura Onsen. The queues can get really long because it’s reached cult status, almost akin to Fergburger in Queenstown.

If you’re hankering for a real coffee (which can be hard to find in Japan), head to the café at Powder Recon near the Kebab van or Joey’s.

If you’re driving to Akakura for dinner, free evening parking can be a little tricky, although there is parking behind the post office for a fee.

[AdListings collection="Japan" category="Myoko Kogen" subcategory="Akakura Onsen Restaurants"]

Akakura Onsen Bars

The Myoko nightlife scene is centred around Akakura Onsen. There are a few little sedate bars such as Avaya where you can have a quiet drink and a feed, or more vibrant Myoko bars that can get a bit rowdy at times.

For après ski drinks, Grape and Grain at Hotel Taiko is nice for a sophisticated drink, which may go down particularly well if you’ve just had an onsen at Taiko. Karaoke may be on the menu too.

The Skate Bar with its tiny skate ramp is probably the most vibrant bar in town. It stays open until late, and it’s reminiscent of the olden-days of Myoko Kogen with its super smoky atmosphere.

[AdListings collection="Japan" category="Myoko Kogen" subcategory="Bars Akakura Onsen"]

Akakura Kanko Restaurants

Shin-Akakura doesn’t have a large range of restaurants, so not surprisingly some people staying in this area get a taxi up to Akakura Onsen village.

The magnificent Akakura Kanko Hotel has a couple of very upmarket restaurants. Sorbier offers French a la carte modern creations, whilst Shirakaba provides modern Japanese cuisine. Café Terrace is more casual and suitable for lunch with great pastries, sandwiches and views.

[AdListings collection="Japan" category="Myoko Kogen" subcategory="Shin Akakura Restaurants"]

Ikenotaira and Suginohara Restaurants and Nightlife

Ikenotaira Onsen has a handful of restaurants.

At Alpen Blick Hotel is the aptly named Beer Hall Restaurant Tatra that has all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink packages, and a brewery on-site. Only go there if you are super hungry because it’s rather expensive and equally crap. When we visited they took about half an hour to process our payments, then told us because we were late, we only had one hour (until 9pm) to utilise the all-you-can-drink plan. The big beer hall was freezing cold and so was most of the food. The only way to ensure we had hot food was to reheat it on the little cookers on the table. And to make sure we didn’t drink too much, the service was really sloooooooow. Getting the picture??!

Near the Landmark Onsen Café in Ikenotaira is Arakin Ramen, which is delightfully cheap and cheerful and has ramen (obviously!), other noodle dishes, salads and lots of small bites.

Suginohara Ski Resort has lots of daytime restaurants, however in the evenings most people retreat to their hotel or pension, and there is really only one evening restaurant in Suginosawa Onsen. The Den at Red Fox Lodge serves up Aussie style pub grub such as parmas and burgers.

[AdListings collection="Japan" category="Myoko Kogen" subcategory="Ikenotaira Onsen Restaurants"]
[AdListings collection="Japan" category="Myoko Kogen" subcategory="Suginosawa Onsen Restaurants"]
Down in Myokokogen town there are 20+ bars and restaurants. There is a collection of eateries near the post office and another group to the north on route 39.