Madarao & Tangram

The small size of the Madarao resort means that there is, unfortunately, little nightlife. However, there are a number of restaurants and almost all guests will dine out throughout their stay, enjoying the close distance between all of the options in the area. The Madarao Kogen Hotel has a number of in-house restaurants which are, of course, open to guests from outside, too, and is well worth trying, with a large range of differing cuisines and a great lively atmosphere in the busier months. It’s also a great place to grab a western-style food if you’re craving something from home! 

Most of the restaurants worth trying are within walking distance of Madarao Kogen, including Jazzy – a small restaurant and bar that opens in the evening – Rudolf Pizza bar serving delicious traditional Pizza with a Japanese twist and a handful of coffee shops that are open throughout the day. Nagano is also well known for its Shinshu Soba buckwheat noodles, which can be tried at some of the smaller and more traditional Japanese restaurants throughout town, and for its Oyaki dumplings, prepared using fermented buckwheat dough around a variety of vegetable fillings. Nagano is also well known for its mushrooms of all varieties, and for Nozawana Spinach Pickles, which the locals absolutely love. 

If you’re looking for an après-ski drink, most of the larger hotels offer lounge bars that you can relax in, with the largest and most popular being – you guessed it – Madarao Kogen. There’s also a smaller family run bar across the road from the large hotel that opens in the evening, if you’re looking for something new to try. Most of the bars are relatively quiet and subdued, with most exhausted from skiing, and offer a range of standard beer, wine and spirits. Of course, there’s a selection of sake available, too, which is well worth trying. If you’re looking for something a little more upbeat, you can head into Iiyama in the evening on the bus, which offers a good change of pace and scenery with a handful of delicious traditional Japanese bars and restaurants.