APA Resort Joetsu-Myoko (アパリゾート上越妙高)

Apa Resort Joetsu Myoko is located in Myoko City, the southern part of Niigata Prefecture, which is most famous for the wild monkey park that has snow monkeys soaking in a hot spring. This highland resort is full of beautiful views, illuminations, and natural indoor and outdoor hot springs to make the most of a relaxing trip.

It is adjacent to the second largest national park in Japan, the Joshin'etsu Kogen National Park (上信越高原国立公園) which has mountains and highlands that extend across Gunma, Nagano, and Niigata Prefectures. The landscape is so beautiful, it looks like something that would be on a folding screen. This resort has a lot of services that allow you to get out and incorporate with nature, but even then just going out on a walk and exploring is just a great.

★APA Resort Joetsu-Myoko
Google Maps
📅Hotel operating period: April 5～November 15
(Closed during the winter due to heavy snow)
Bookings.com price & information (ENG)
💻Official website (JPN)

Three Key Points to Staying at Apa Resort Joetsu-Myoko

① Natural Hot Springs
One of the areas that APA Hotel Joetsu Myoko has the most pride in is its natural hot springs. Renovated in April 2018, the onsen area became a beautiful area that provides a view of Mt. Myoko (妙高山).

② Wide Range of Dishes
The food provided at the place that you are staying at is just as important as anything else. Apa Hotel Joetsu Myoko's first-class dishes all include local ingredients, with some seasonal dishes to choose from.

③ Japan's Largest Illumination
At night you can see Japan's largest illumination with some 1.5 million lights. Normally only seen in the winter, the light up at this resort starts in June and continues until the end of the year. 

Access

① Hokuriku Shinkansen

The best way to get to Niigata is by taking the Hokuriku Shinkansen (bullet train). It is about 102 minutes to Joetsu Myoko Station where the hotel is located, and you can take a free shuttle bus to the hotel upon arrival at the station. (Approximately 45 minutes)

*Free shuttle bus service (JPN)

② Renting a Car from Nagano

If you plan on making a few extra trips, renting a car is always a good option. What we did was take the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Nagano Station, which was only about 1 hour and 20 minutes. From there drove to the hotel for about 1 hour. Renting a car closer by say around Joetsu Myoko Station of course is another option, but by driving from Nagano Station allowed us to see a lot of beautiful mountains and scenery.

*Toyota Car Rental Nagano Station Google Maps

Within the Hotel

SPECIAL SUITE (スペシャルスイート)

This room is the only suite in the entire hotel. In addition to the bedroom, there is a full sized living room, a small kitchen, shower, and a bathroom with a separate sink. Mt. Myoko can be seen from both the living room and bedroom.

Massive beds, spacious, and a beautiful view.

A mini kitchen but still provides enough space.

2 person room

4 person room

Basic amenities provided in all rooms.

The natural hot spring is a big appeal point for Apa Resort Joetsu Myoko. As mentioned before, it was remodeled in 2018, so the newly made natural hot spring is available until midnight. Above all, Mt. Myoko, nicknamed the second Mt.Fuji, is in clear view from the hot spring baths. It is particularly beautiful in the winter, being covered in snow.

Relaxing outdoor onsen.

Indoor sauna facilities are also available.

At Apa Resort Joetsu Myoko, you can enjoy a wide variety of dishes from their chefs. You can enjoy dishes made with fresh vegetables and seafood from the area, including Koshihikari rice which is grown in the Niigata area and considered some of the finest of Japanese rice. Also available are unique Niigata dishes and other Japanese and Western food. The food selection is more than most hotels.

Seasoning that is used in the Myoko area made with red pepper "kanzuri" (かんずり).

Niigata soul food that is beyond delicious, "tarekatsu" (タレカツ).

Plus a wide range of Japanese food like shabu shabu, fresh tempura, sushi, sashimi, soba, and a whole lot more!!

① Activities

Apa Resort Joetsu Myoko has on-site activities including cycling, jogging, and indoor tennis.

② Golf

Apparently, this area was originally a golf course then a hotel was added on later. It is surrounded by forests, and there are two 18 hole courses. With courses for beginners and advanced, this is a very famous golf course in Japan even among celebrities.

③ Shop

You can buy souvenirs from Niigata Prefecture at the hotel store. Their senbei (rice crackers) made from Niigata Prefecture along with cookies with a motif of the hotel's illumination are popular.

Japan’s Biggest Illumination Spot

Another pride of Apa Resort Joetsu Myoko is the illuminations. It is called "APALLISION", and is the largest scale of any light up in Japan. There are many different sections separated by theme, like the Milkey Way, Night Safari, even the largest aurora show in the country. If you happen to walk around the hotel grounds during the day, you will be amazed at what this place turns into at night.

Rainbow Road and Mt. Fuji

World's largest water surface projection mapping

Night Safari with 19 kinds of light animals

Other Things to Do and See around the Hotel

"Lover's Holy Land" with an observation deck looking over Mt. Myoko.

The mountains and area are probably the most beautiful during the fall.

Near the parking lot are also some food stands where you can pop out for a quick bite.

The food stalls offer a variety of foods such as karaage, hamburger, as well as representative foods of Japanese stalls such as okonomiyaki and takoyaki.

2019's APALLISION will be larger than last year. Combining lights, shadows, music, and lasers, you will see a breathtaking scene incorporating nature.

Time period: 6/15/2019～11/15/2019

Due to the hotel covering a vast area of nearly 100,000 square meters (25 acres), this year they will launch a new project to build a "Sunflower and Bassia Scoparia Kingdom". During the summer the area will be filled with sunflowers, then come fall turn red with bassia scoparia.

Time period: from late July 2019～11/15/2019

Although Apa Resort Joetsu Myoko is in Niigata Prefecture, it is very close to Nagano Prefecture (長野県) as well, making it easy to stay in Niigata and see popular tourist spots in both prefectures. This time rather than traveling around Niigata, we went to check out some of Nagano's most popular tourist attractions such as Zenkoji Temple (善光寺), Togakushi Shrine (戸隠神社), eating Togakushi Soba (戸隠蕎麦), Kagami Pond (鏡池), and Nakamise Shopping Street (仲見世通り). Nagano is also known for hosting the 1998 Winter Olympics, so visiting Olympic venues such as Minami-Nagano Sports Park makes another nice stop.

Apa Resort Joetsu Myoko is a large-scale hotel resort that allows visitors to experience and recreate everything from hot springs, golf, illumination, and various outdoor activities. If you are considering staying at this hotel, we recommend doing it in the spring and fall in order to get the most of the wonderful nature that surrounds the hotel.

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