This newly renovated retro-chic self-catering ski house takes design inspiration from Japan's 90s ski boom. You'll enjoy the fun atmosphere of the space, with its large, stylish living room, commercial-style kitchen, and huge dining and TV/game area. There are 6 en suite private bedrooms for up to 12 people. This house comes with a 7-seat minivan. Please read all descriptions and rules. Questions welcome!
The space
Located just up the hill from the excellent Tangram-Madarao Tokyu resort, famous for its friendliness to off-piste skiing and snowboarding.
The house is 250 square meters with a wrap-around porch, ample parking, living room, huge dining and play room, kitchen, dry room, and 6 bedrooms– each with en suite bathrooms and loft storage.
First Floor
~ Living room with pellet stove
~ Commercial-style kitchen
~ 12 person dining room with tv/play area and beverage fridge
~ 2 large shower/bath rooms, each with a private dressing room
~ Bathroom with toilet and sink
~ Dry room
~ Foyer and genkan with plenty of storage (shoe closets, jacket hooks)
~ Covered porch area outside of dry room with gear storage, and large uncovered deck area
~ Ample parking
Second Floor
~ Bedroom 1 - “Raicho” - 2 twin beds + en suite sink/toilet + loft for storage
~ Bedroom 2 - “Tanuki” - 2 twin beds + en suite sink/toilet + loft for storage
~ Bedroom 3 - “Kamoshika” - tatami room with 2 double futons + en suite sink/toilet + loft for storage
~ Bedroom 4 - “Kitsune” - 2 twin beds + en suite sink/toilet + loft for storage
~ Bedroom 5 - “Tsugumi” - 2 twin beds + en suite sink/toilet + loft for storage
~ Bedroom 6 - “Kiten” - 2 twin beds + en suite sink/toilet + loft for storage
You will have the whole house to yourself. Bedding and linens will be prepared for you.
MEALS
The house is self-service and self-catering, and comes with a large well-stocked kitchen for preparing meals to eat at our huge custom-built 12-person dining table.
There are also many wonderful restaurants within a 10-15 minute drive, and there is a small shop with snacks at Tangram resort. There is a large grocery store in Iiyama near the station, which is a 25 minute drive, and a medium grocery store a 15 minute drive away in Myoko Kogen. Amazon prime offers next day delivery for most pantry items.
ACCESS
The house is 25-30 minutes by car from Iiyama station, 3 minutes from Tangram resort, and 10 minutes from Madarao resort.
You MUST have a AWD/4WD WITH snow tires to access this house during snow season (no exceptions, i.e. 2WD with chains).
The house comes with use of a snow-ready 7-seat Toyota Estima minivan with AWD and studless snow tires. Any driver with a valid Japanese or International License can drive this car (please check your country’s international license availability and timing for acquiring it).
This car can ONLY be picked up and dropped off at Iiyama Station (no exceptions).
There are inter-resort buses, which depart from Tangram and Madarao lodges heading to nearby ski areas-- Myoko Kogen, Nozawa Onsen, and more.
You can access more than 20 ski areas in under one hour's drive from the house.
SNOW CLEARING
We contract with the resort for large scale snow clearing, though the house is self-service meaning that some snow shoveling will be required after a snowfall.
The resort does not provide individual service for clearing around your car (this is a resort-wide policy). You will need to be able to use a shovel to clear around the car, and we provide shovels and brushes.
Occasionally the path might need to be self-shoveled as well, especially in the morning after a snowfall.
After large snowfalls, we will provide large scale snow clearing using a front-end loader snow clearing machine. The path will be cleared at that time as well, however this typically occurs in the afternoon since the snow clearing machines focus on road clearing first for safety purposes.
PLEASE let us know if you have any questions about any of the above and we will be very happy to answer.
Guest access
Driving from Tokyo takes about 4 hours, depending on weather and traffic.
Transportation from Tokyo takes approximately 2.5 hours.
Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Iiyama Station takes about 120 minutes.
Drive from Iiyama Station to Tangram takes about 25 minutes.
We will leave the minivan at Iiyama Station. Large groups can also take the frequent bus service from Iiyama Station to either Madarao or Tangram lodges to be picked up closer to the house.
Other things to note
There is plenty of parking available at the house, though in snow season there might be shoveling required to clear snow during your stay.
We have hired snow clearing services from Tangram Tokyu Resort, though on heavy snow days the house will be serviced after the roads are cleared (for safety purposes). Since it is a self-service house, some snow shoveling may be required around cars and on the path between the road and the house.
There is not daily garbage collection. You are welcome to deposit garbage bags in the garbage collection area, which is a 1 minute drive from the house.
You are very welcome to use Yamato’s Ta-Q-Bin service to send luggage and equipment to the Yamato desk at Tangram Ski Lodge, which is a 2-minute drive away. They will hold your items, and you can pick them up in the minivan upon arrival. You can also ship your items from Tangram Ski Lodge at the end of your stay. Please read about Yamato’s excellent and highly recommended “Hands-Free Travel” services at their site.
Since the house is a private rental, we are unable to provide staffing to accept deliveries and shipments before or after your stay. Please do not arrange any deliveries or pickups by Yamato (or other services) unless you are certain to be at the house.
You can access the bus schedule that provides service between Iiyama Station and Madarao and Tangram at the Madarao Mountain resort website, on their Location and Access page.
** There is no cleaning fee. We incorporate the cleaning into the overall price of the space. It is common in Japan to have rates that reflect the number of guests.
****We must follow Japanese law with regard to requesting guest identification prior to your arrival. I will send a form for you to fill out, or you can share the information via Airbnb's messaging system.
***** We are happy to welcome babies and children, but we do not provide baby cots, beds, or baby chairs
Registration Details
Hotels and Inns Business Act | 長野県長野保健所 | 長野県長野保健所指令06長保第24-20号
