Myoko in Niigata Prefecture

If you love snow, Ryozenji is the place to be. It is a rice farming village at the base of one of the best powder skiing resorts in the country, Lotte Arai Ski Resort. Ryozenji (approx 80 houses) together with a few other villages makes up Yashiro district which in turn is a part of Myoko city (pop 30K) and includes the famous Mt Myoko, a volcano which provides for ample onsen and 6 different ski resorts within 30 minutes.

Although the snow fall in Winter is enormous (the resort gets a 6 m base and your house will get about 2 metres), Ryozenji doesn’t get very cold as it’s only 18 km to the Sea of Japan (popular for surfing). In Winter, you’ll need to spend 30 mins per day moving snow with a Snow Blower. Spring and Fall are beautiful and mild, while Summer gets quite hot (but not as hot as Tokyo etc). A 4WD vehicle with snow tires is highly recommended.

While Ryozenji itself is mostly rice fields, it’s a 7 minute drive to 7-11, and 10 minutes to banking, groceries, dentist, hospital, etc. It’s a 20-30 minute drive to Joetsu (pop 200K) and big box stores like Komeri, Nitori, Muji, and Uniqlo. The nearest Shinkansen station is only 20 minutes away and will get you to Tokyo in 2 hours flat. NTT provides fibre-to-the-home internet service and Amazon deliveries come 7 days a week. Schools from Kindergarten to High Schools are only 10 minutes away but most students take the School Bus.

Most houses use a combination of kerosene stoves, heat pumps, and wood stoves for heat in the Winter. Some houses have sewer but many are septic tank or holding tank. All houses have water service but many will still have an old well on the property. For cooking, propane gas service is available from Sanrin.

The best part about Ryozenji is the people. They grow rice in the summer, drink sake in the winter, and are friendly all year round. Festivals are held at the local shrine in Spring and Fall as well as a Winter festival which involves grilling squid on a giant bonfire.

Myoko City has a well run Akiya Bank that also allows people to own farmland and has many subsidies available for purchasing a home, renovations, and disposal of old items.

Konbini - 7 mins 7-11 with ATM etc.

Post Office - 5 mins (yu-cho banking)

Banking - 10 mins, 新井信用金庫 Arai Shinkin, 八十二銀行 82 Bank

Internet - FTTH by NTT

Gas - propane by JA or サンリン Sanrin

Cell Service - 1 bar LINEMO

Hospital - 10 mins

Groceries - 10 mins

Schools - 10 mins (School Bus available)

Public Transport - Bus (I’ve never taken it though)

Ski resort - 2 mins

Shinkansen - 20 mins (2 hours to Tokyo)