For about 35 years, there is one ski resort that has focused on "powder" and "fresh snow." This is Seki Onsen Ski Resort, with two lifts quietly operating deep in the mountains of Myoko City, Niigata Prefecture. Based on the owner's philosophy that "it would be a waste to eat all the snow that has fallen with a snow groomer," this natural field that makes the most of nature has been sustained by a heartwarming family business.
Deep in the mountains, where foreigners flock
"Sorry, I couldn't calm down."
Representative director Inoue Mikio frequently left his seat, and each time he returned he said the same thing. The office next to the lift station is equipped with a restroom, and customers are constantly coming in and out. 90% of them are foreigners. The ratio of skiers to snowboarders is roughly half and half. Moreover, many of them are Westerners who can "ski." Every time they come in, he greets them in English and shows them to the restroom. The interview doesn't seem to be progressing.
This is President Inoue Mikio. He's wearing a Nordic sweater with a stylish scarf, wool pants, and Italian Zamberlan leather boots. His outfit makes you think he's in a European resort, but there's heavy snow in the background. He's standing at the ticket counter again today.
This is Seki Onsen Ski Resort in Myoko City, Niigata Prefecture. Seki Onsen Ski Resort was one of the first ski resorts to take advantage of the powder snow that falls in Myoko Kogen, one of Japan's snowiest areas, and was one of the first to welcome snowboarders, leading the powder boom. Nowadays, Seki is supported by inbound Japanese powder freaks, and large numbers of foreign tourists line up for the lifts, regardless of whether it's a weekday or a holiday. The skiers and snowboarders who come to Seki all have excellent skiing skills. They're really good.
On the day I visited for this interview in February 2025, there had been a heavy snowfall since the previous night, and the Kannayama No. 3 lift on the mountainside was buried in the snow from the previous night. Staff had to manually clear the snow, and the lift was not operational until after 10:00.
Being a weekday, the place was bustling with foreign tourists, and English was being spoken everywhere, in the lift queues, restaurants, and toilets. As I was listening to Inoue-san's story, a foreign woman covered in snow entered the office, holding a digital camera.
"I found it! I thought I wouldn't be able to find it because the snow was so deep. It's a miracle. Thank you."
"Oh, good, good. Be careful."
She said "thank you" many times and went off to skate again.
"It was a woman from Switzerland who had dropped her camera, so the staff looked after her. Thank goodness."
The number of foreign tourists visiting Seki Onsen Ski Resort has increased dramatically over the past 20 years.
"Seki Onsen Ski Resort is a small, modest ski resort deep in the mountains of Myoko. But everyone says it's the best. Foreigners' idea of what makes a good ski resort is different."
"The other day, a patrolman from Salt Lake City came by. I asked him why he'd come to a place like ours, and he said that the only places in America where you can ski on powder like this are at the very top of the mountain. You have to take a gondola up to a place where there's a real risk of avalanches. But here in Seki, it's right there when you open the door."
The 2024-2025 season was blessed with such abundant snowfall that skiers on the lifts would often touch the slopes, and to prevent the cables from bending under the weight, passengers had to sit one seat apart.
This natural snow made it happen.
Inoue became involved in the management of Seki Onsen Ski Resort 50 years ago, in 1975. At the time, he was an employee of Nippon Cable and was in charge of running the ski resort.
"Among the ski resorts owned by Nippon Cable, Seki Onsen was a liability. The facilities were old, it snowed a lot, and access was poor. So it was tough to manage. But the more I went there, the more I grew to love this mountain. So, over 20 years ago, I took over Seki Onsen, which was the biggest liability, at a low price."
Closing the ski resort and returning it to the forest would require a huge amount of money. He says it was also a way of giving back to the company that had given him a managerial position from the age of 25 or 26 and nurtured him. What was behind his determination to quit his job and take over Seki Onsen?
"It was the snow. At the time, half of the ski resorts I was in charge of were artificial, using machines. Artificial snow ski resorts don't make sense. They cost a lot of money and take a lot of work, and there's no fun in skiing. I was attracted to the abundance of natural snow."
During the ski boom of the 1980s, grooming the slopes was the norm, and piste runs were the trend. The Ginsen course, which has a maximum gradient of 45 degrees at the top of the slope, is now ungroomed all year round, but back then, the operators operated snow groomers with winches and risked their lives to groom the slopes. The 'non-grooming' principle became a key phrase around the early 1990s, when the business became a family-run operation. Currently, they only own two snow groomers, and only one is actually in operation.
"I've always loved skiing on fresh snow. It would be a waste to let the snowmobile get powdery snow when skiing on fresh snow."
Around 1992, they began promoting "fresh snow" as a selling point.
"At the time, ski and snowboard magazines were constantly running advertisements saying things like, 'When the isobars become vertical, head to Seki!' or 'Hooray for bad weather!' We were doing this before the powder boom hit each region, so we were relatively early adopters."
The area below the lifts is off-course, but there are no patrols to bother you. This is because the moral principle that "if you go off-course, you are at your own risk" is well-established in Seki. Seki Onsen is a ski resort for adults.
The storm of foreign capital blowing through Myoko is nothing to them
Recently, news spread throughout the snow industry that a foreign fund from Singapore has begun development of ski resorts and resorts in Myoko Kogen and Madarao Kogen. The fund has already acquired Suginohara Ski Resort and Madarao Kogen Ski Resort, and aims to start construction by the summer of 2026, with the first phase completed by the end of 2028.
"Foreigners are buying inns in Seki Onsen too. I think it would be good if they continued to do so. Eventually, once the boom is over, they'll sell them off for next to nothing and run away. That's what happened to the Japanese in the past, isn't it?"
There is a confidence and belief that nothing will change if they just stick to their core values.
"Whether it's snowboarding, powder snow, or foreigners, I'm committed to actively incorporating good, fun, and new things. I want to stay true to that."
It's a family business...
"Oops, wait a minute."
There is a ticket counter at the back of the office. It seems that a customer came in just as the staff had left at 11 o'clock, and the president himself sold the ticket. In fluent English.
"I'll do anything. It's a family business, after all. I'll even make tea and clean the toilets."
From the window of his office, where he sits, you can see the lift station. He says that now it's his turn to warmly welcome foreigners, just as they once did for him.
I stand up again for a while, then sit down.
"Sorry, I'm feeling uneasy. It all comes down to the fact that we're a family business. It's me, my mother, my eldest son, his wife, and my eldest daughter. My eldest son's wife's father also keeps watch at the top of the mountain. There used to be a lot of family-run ski resorts. Nowadays, most have been absorbed by major companies, but those are the ones that have survived. I think we're probably one of them."
Local guides and business people come into the office one after another, chat with the president, and then leave. It feels like home.
"The restaurant halfway up the mountain is a place that symbolizes this family-run business. The food here starts with sowing the seeds. That's right, growing vegetables in the family garden. For the sauces, the mother grows her own herbs and makes a paste out of them by hand. It's a busy business, so the food is delicious. She really loves running a restaurant. Please come and try it."
Restaurant Taube is a homely restaurant run by local women, including his wife Hiroko. Located on the mountainside, it can only be reached by taking the Kanayama No. 1 lift, so the reporting team decided to take the lift to Taube.
The appeal is not just the snow, but the food too
Just after 1:30 p.m., I had the opportunity to speak with Inoue Miho, the eldest daughter, who happened to be helping out at the restaurant.
"I usually work in Tokyo. I come back when the ski resort is busy, when I have a long break, or when I just want to go skiing. I do both skiing and snowboarding."
Until last year, he was a physical education teacher at a high school in Tokyo, and he still coaches the track and field club. He has been in Seki Onsen since he was in his mother's womb. When he goes back to his hometown, he goes to the ski resort instead of his parents' house. This place must be like his parents' home.
"My mother makes all the decisions, from coming up with menu ideas to the kitchen garden, shopping, preparation and cooking. She is a representative of Japan for cooking medicinal cuisine, and has even come second in a world championship. Once she starts something, she is stoic and thorough. During the off-season, she experiments with different dishes at home, having my father, brother and regular customers try them, and she is a passionate researcher. Look, that's my mother in the kitchen."
I followed Miho's gaze and realized it was the same person who had been at the ticket counter that morning!
Here is a recommended dish made by this mother: homemade basil pesto pasta. The basil is handmade by her mother, carefully grown in her own vegetable garden. As soon as this classic plate is served, the aroma of basil fills the table. The flat fettuccine, well-coated with sauce, is chewy and the aroma of wheat is appetizing. The thickly sliced homemade bacon is juicy, and the smoky aroma combines with the refreshing basil to create an exquisite dish.
"My mother arrives at the ski resort at 8am, sells tickets, drives her snowmobile up to the restaurant at around 11am, and starts preparing with my sisters-in-law. She closes the restaurant at 4pm and heads down again on her snowmobile at around 4:30pm. She then closes the ski resort's financial accounts in the office. She then does the groceries for the next day and doesn't get home until 7pm at the earliest or 9pm at the latest, and she does this every day in winter. She is someone I really respect."
On the other hand, what kind of father is the company president, Mikio, to Miho?
"My father has never scolded me since I was born, and I never really had a rebellious phase. My father has a lot of love for his family. He always treats his employees like his own children. Of course, he loves the ski resort, and he's a man who is overflowing with love for many things. I think it's really great that he shows that so openly, both in his words and in his actions."
What was impressive was how courteously they treated each and every foreign customer who came to the office.
"When I was working for a company, I often traveled overseas for work, and I was so happy when local people spoke to me and welcomed me, that I now want to give something back."
All-for-one family business
What did Seki Onsen Ski Resort, run by such hardworking and loving parents, mean to Miho?
"At the time, the resort was very welcoming to snowboarders, and had a bright atmosphere that wasn't found at other slopes. After my father bought the resort and became the manager, the relationship with the customers became much closer, and I have the impression that the resort has become more of a homely atmosphere."
During the busy season in February, I didn't have a chance to talk to my eldest son, who was busy with work. What kind of person is your older brother, who will be taking over the business?
"I have a completely different personality from my father, and I'm not very good at talking. But I like to actively try out new and interesting things, so I guess I've inherited that from my father. My older brother is an engineer, and he even does all the maintenance and inspection of the snow groomers by himself."
Each member demonstrates their strengths in their areas of expertise and complements each other's weaknesses. They are an "all for one" family and team. Recently, Myoko has seen a surge in activity from foreign funds. With the area being so popular with foreigners, there have even been talks of them handing over the ski resort to the company.
"My father would hang up the phone and say, 'Stop messing around with me!' (laughs). There aren't many places as great as this, and if we sold it, I don't think we'd ever be able to run a family business again, so I want to take good care of it."
Miho, who now lives away from her parents, says that over the past five or six years she has come to realize how valuable and amazing a family-run ski resort is.
There are currently two lifts in operation: Kanayama No. 1 Lift and Kanayama No. 3 Lift. A closer look at the slope map reveals that the area is painted white, and there used to be a Kanayama No. 2 Lift on the Lerch Course. There was also a lift on the left, at the Haruizawa slope, which is now the basement ski area.
"If it were any bigger than two lifts, it would probably be difficult for a family to run it. The ski resort itself is compact, but the terrain is varied and it's small but enjoyable. Perhaps it's this family-run feel that makes it so popular with foreigners."
Filled with delicious home-cooked meals and family love, the reporting team left the restaurant and skied down to President Inoue's office to express their gratitude. The course along the way was littered with ski lines. The foreign skiers and snowboarders, who had no doubt had their fill of powder snow, had already disappeared from the slopes.
As I entered the office, a Caucasian man stopped me and happily pointed out something, saying, "I have this at home too." Old ski equipment was displayed on the office wall.
"Customers are happy when they see old skis. So when I go back to my parents' house, I bring back the skis my father used and display them. Those red skis are my wife's shoes."
The Inoue family's skiing legacy will be passed on to the next generation on the rails of Seki Onsen Ski Resort
.
"Is the eldest heir worthy of your trust?"
"Not at all. The moment I thought you could rely on me, that was the end of me."
Photo: Daigo Onozuka
Information
Seki Onsen Ski Resort
Seki Onsen, Myoko City, Niigata Prefecture, 949-2235
Official website: http://www.sekionsen.jp/