Just Back From: Muwa Niseko, Japan
This piece is an update on the Muwa Niseko a year after its opening. Our first interview on the Muwa was with a guest who visited just after the property opened; this time, I sat down with an avid skier who stayed there with her family for five nights this winter. They typically ski in Colorado, and this was their first time skiing in Asia.
On reaching Niseko:
The drive from Sapporo Airport took three and a half hours for us, as the conditions were not good: it was windy and snowing, and the roads were winding.
On the Muwa:
The finishes at the Muwa are beautiful, and the pictures online are accurate. However, this property lacks some of the amenities you’d expect at a five-star hotel, such as room service and turn-down. The suites are more like condos that were being rented out than traditional five-star hotel suites. If you are looking for a five-star property, this is not it.
On the rooms:
Our initial room was a two-bedroom suite. We ended up switching to a different suite for a few reasons, the primary one being the fact the kids’ room was an interior room that was very hot with limited airflow—there was no air conditioning, and we could not turn off the heat. The second suite was two and a half bedrooms with an onsen and tea room. The heat and lack of air was still an issue, but we were able to open our balcony and bedroom doors to allow airflow. Leaving the doors open like that was not ideal.
The bedrooms in both suites were tiny. There was nowhere to hang our coats and ski gear, and we had to unpack in the kitchen, which was spacious and had lots of cubbies. It was ridiculous to be putting our clothes in the kitchen, though. Several closets that we could have used were locked and seemingly off-limits to guests, and the closets within the bedrooms had no shelving. It presented a real problem for dealing with ski gear.
Despite the kitchen being nice and sizeable, you aren’t spending any time there, as you are skiing all day. I would also note that because it’s a Japanese hotel, the beds are not king-size but two twin beds pushed together. The suite also had a murphy bed in the common space, but you couldn’t put the murphy bed down as the sofa was in the way. That sums up the Muwa for me: beautiful but not well designed for a hotel, and it is definitely not a five-star property.
On the amenities:
The Muwa has two restaurants but no bar. There is a gear shop that rents skis and boots, but I noticed it doesn’t open until 8 AM. This means that someone who arrives late in the evening would have to wait until after 8 AM to get their gear and miss out on an early start on the slopes. Renting skis is essential here, especially if you want the right kind for powder skiing.
The suites have large kitchens, and the small store in the lobby sells a few limited items you can cook yourself. However, a grocery store down the hill carries a more extensive selection.
On the location:
A plus to the Muwa is that it is in town: there are some restaurants and bars nearby. One point worth mentioning is the town's layout, though—it’s built on a hill with the Muwa at the top adjacent to the slopes. If you walk down the hill, it can be slippery and tiring to walk back up as it is often snowing.
On dining:
The breakfast buffet at the Muwa was not good—it felt like food from summer camp. That being said, the Muwa’s two restaurants were delicious; one served Italian while the other served Japanese.
On the nightlife:
There are bars and clubs nearby for those who want to go out. Two that stood out were Bar Gyu+, where the kids went one night, and Powder Room, where we rang in the New Year.
On the skiing:
The snow in Niseko is unbelievable – true powder skiing like you’ve never experienced. This place is not comparable to resorts like Aspen or St. Moritz; it’s not a luxury destination. It’s a ski-focused resort where you go purely for the skiing experience. It is Alta, not Aspen.
One thing that stood out was how disorganized the skiing on the mountain was, especially compared to the rest of Japan, where everything is orderly, efficient, and beautiful. Here, it felt disorganized, almost like a patchwork of different elements from various resorts. For example, you might get off a lift and have to go uphill to get to the next one or wait in a long line to get onto the gondola. It's inconsistent with the efficiency for which Japan is known.
On going back:
I would not stay at the Muwa Niseko again. Everybody I know was disappointed, but I think I would have been less disappointed if I had known what it was—meaning, not a true five-star hotel experience. That being said, the skiing was amazing, and it is some of the best powder skiing in the world.
Mindy’s Note:
I spoke to a friend who stayed at the Setsu. She thought the rooms were nice but the hotel itself was not service-oriented, like many of the others. That seems to be the consensus: these hotels are beautiful but not service-oriented. The Park Hyatt and Ritz Carlton Reserve are two other options in Niseko, but I haven’t had the opportunity to interview any guests who have stayed there.
