I went with the expectation of being able to ski the off-piste areas but my 70+ knees couldn't cope. However the terrain and the snow looked awesome. We had bad weather(but new snow-although it was heavy) but what I could see of the extensive off-piste options made me very jealous of those who were making the most of it. There is hardly any intermediate groomers that are worthwhile so you need to be going to go "hard" with your skiing. The fact that one of its runs is a qualifier for the Freestyle World Tour events tells you a lot about the terrain. If you are thinking of going, you really need to look closely at the trail map!!!!!
The hotel is quite luxurious for Japan with large rooms and good bathroom facilities. The restaurant options are a little limited for more than a few days but although somewhat pricey, again they were of good quality.
Overall, I think strong off-piste skiers will love it, but if you are not yet at that level, it will be a disappointment.
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Great resort with modern facilities, great terrain by Japanese standards and heaps of snow.
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Amazed to see this place is still running after our visit in Jan 2019. If you're after real skiing avoid this place at ALL costs and go to Hakuba or Niseko or other WELL known areas.

We where supposed to stay for 2x weeks but left after 3 days. In short:
- Food not easily available during the day
- Limited skiing for intermediate+ levels
- Resort was still being built

Don't believe the marketing BS about this place. Perhaps good for 1x day but otherwise go to a reputable area... One note we did have a massive amount of snow one evening however this nixed the gondola the next morning for 3x hours -- so no skiing...
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Loved it !

I’m a big fan of freeride with a kid and looking for great convenient spots from Tokyo.
This one got all.

Freeride : Myoko Arai is the spot where you’ll get INSANE amount of snow (records… between 10 and 20m cumulative per year) and the entire ski resort is off-piste authorized. They hosted a Freeride World Tour évent this year.

Kid’s friendly : the hotel is great (ski in/out) with lots kid’s activities / kid’s play room and kindergarden (booking required)
Onsen also kids friendly, went with my 1.5 yrs old, no pb.

Convenient : 2h Shinkansen from Tokyo and 30min free shuttle (booking required but all in English)

Ski slopes are a bit basic but that’s because the full resort is thinking off piste.
Nightlife is a bit low too (everything happens inside the hotel) but that’s fine…
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I’d been dreaming of going to Lotte ever since hearing of it shortly after opening, though stories of in bound avalanches made me a little nervous.

I had the opportunity to ski lotte in late January 2022 in the middle of some great storm cycles. Initially as a day trip from Myoko, but I loved it so much I ended up rebooking the end of my holiday to stay and ski and even skied the day I flew home.

Lotte is a bit of an unusual resort even by Japanese standards. It has some flat slopes and slow chairs for beginners at the base. The rest of the mountain is essentially all inbounds off piste, with great bowls, ridge lines and gullies, all linked together by a few groomers. It is not a good mountain for advanced beginners or intermediates, as you’re likely to get frustrated by limited piste options. But for strong intermediates and advanced skiers, this place is heaven when it snows. Uncrowded (except on weekends) with fantastic terrain. If the lift accessed bowls are getting tracked you can always do the hike. There’s some nice mellow trees off skiers left off the top lift which are really good for intermediates aiming to gain confidence.

Be warned, Lotte is very exposed to the weather and we were limited by wind holds and white out conditions at times. Also the hotel at the base is wild. It’s enormous with many dining and entertainment options, karaoke rooms and an excellent onsen. It’s not an authentic Japanese experience, but it’s an experience you can only have in Japan.

Final note. Please do not duck the ropes. I know in Japan the ropes seem to just be there to limit access to the good stuff, but at Lotte avalanches are a real risk. They would open that terrain if they could but the avalanche risk is real and you don’t want to be that person that sends an avalanche towards the beginner slope.
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Lotte Arai was definitely my favorite of all Myoko resorts: many areas for off-piste skiing, good snow base, and excellent lifts. The terrain is really varied and the off-piste area significantly larger than the other Myoko resorts.

It certainly was more expensive than neighboring resorts, but totally worth it.

It is definitely not off-the-beaten-track, with a big hotel at the base and hundreds of Japanese and international visitors, but it did not feel crowded.
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2022-2023 2023/2/3 #39

Summit : Snow and then Cloudy, gas

new snow, 24cm(official announce)

90% RESET on Funaishi, good dry snow but Morning time is too early snow fall, snow terrain is too light and hit the yesterday bottom. Noon time is perfect snow.

new open, already all opened

temp Closed, None


Current open Free Riding Zone
Big Bowl
Happy Place
Funaishi
Benzaku
Zendana Bowl
Osoto
Mamushi-gaeshi
Mamushi gate1 to 4, all gates
Exciter
Wase 1 to 4, all gates
Legendary
Discovery
KG

Unopen
None


Arai gondola is operated from 8am.
Morning gondola Queue is long but not worst.
Zendana lift queue is very short because Kokeneshi lift is opened early.

Whole Finaishi is open at morning time.
Big Bowl, Wase, Mamushi, Mamushi-gaeshi, Zendana Bowl and Exciter are opened around 8:30.
I'm not sure about the others.

We didn't hike Big Bowl today because I avoided too soft hike trail.

All lifts are available.
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We have recently spent one week at Lotte Arai before Christmas 2022.
We very much enjoyed our stay considering the facilities, choice of coffee shops and restaurants which vary depending on tastes and budget. The Village building, the main gondolas are very efficient and properly managed. Few groomed runs were open during our stay which keep the whole family interested the whole week. Great experience thinking it is connected to the Myoko Kogen other resorts when the snow falls a lot more. Besides, the Myoko Snowports school perfectly caters our family needs. Great family resort highly recommended for beginner to intermediate skiers and snowboarders.
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Two runs open and they say there is more open but you can’t get there !! No learner slope so ski school has learners trying to learn near the chair lift !

The hotel - pool not open during the day, bar not open during the day. A souvenir shop with nothing you need… nothing else’s here at all. Complete waste
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There is a fundamental flaw in the design of the ski field. I was looking forward to being able to ski the area called the "big bowl" on the course map, however this area is only accessible after a long and arduous hike to Mt Okenashi. And if you use the Zendana bowl you need to traverse back to the Zendana chairlift, which involves some uphill sections. The resort really needs further lifting capacity from the top of the existing Kokenashi lift up to Mt Kokenashi itself. That would open up a lot of the resort.
As it is the on-piste options are pretty limited if the off-piste is not in good condition.

That said, the resort is to be commended for having so much off piste available. Ski patrol and lifties were helpful and courteous. ski/boot hire is good quality but limited range.
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