Welcome to Aya Lodge Madarao

Important Information for Check-In

Thank you for choosing to stay at Aya Lodge Madarao for your winter holiday accommodation.

Here are some important facts and suggestions to make your stay fabulous.

Check In & Check Out Times

  • Check In from 3 pm daily and up to 7 pm
  • Check Out between 7 am and 10 am. ( We need the guest rooms vacated by 10 am for housekeeping room change over. In the event that your room is not being occupied the following day you can vacate the room by 2 pm).

If you need a Maxi Taxi for transfer to IIyama Station or another resort ( like Nozawa or Myoko ) they need to be booked the day before your departure.

If transferring to Myoko Kogen, there is a shuttle that departs from the Madarao Kogen Hotel at 9.05am and arrives approx. 10 am.

If you intend skiing on your departure day you can shower and change in the blue bathroom on the lower ground level opposite the games room. Please use the same towels in your guest room.


Operating Hours

The Lodge entry door is open 24-hrs / day during winter. Staff are available between 6 am and 10 am in the morning and after 3 pm check-in time until approx. 8 pm in the evenings.


Breakfast, Dinner, Bar

Breakfast is served each morning in the dining room between 7 am and 9 am ( hot breakfast finishes at 8.30am ).

Dinners and Light Meals for kids. We don’t operate a full restaurant from the Lodge however we do offer light meals for kids as advised daily on our notice board. Prices start from 1,000 yen.

Every Tuesday & Thursday we offer a set menu of either Japanese Hot Pot or Mexican as advertised daily on our notice board.

Japanese Hot Pot served with other Japanese tasters and Sake is 4,500 Yen per head and limited to 20 plates, on Tuesday night.

Mexican is 3,000 Yen per head, served with a Tequila Shot and is the yummiest Mexican in Madarao, served on Thursday night.

Aya Bar - each afternoon from 4 pm we set up a bar, so you can kick back and relax in our dining room with your favourite beer, sake, spirit or cocktail. Prices vary, according to our menu and can be charged to your room and settled at check out.

Please note, we have a licensed premise and therefore you cannot bring outside alcohol into the dining room/bar area at any time. Drinks can be purchased and charged to your room.

Snacks - we sell a mix of snacks like chocolate, chips and noodles etc from reception. 


Dinner Reservations

Madarao has approx. 30+ dining options from bar & snack food to a quality dining experience, at restaurants like Donguri-Tai, Maroudo and Kermis ( across the road from Aya Lodge ).

Highly recommended are Shaggy Yak, Ikoi, Chill Bar & Cafe, Aki’s Pub & Cafe, Sakura, Rudolf’s and Jazzies.

Bookings are essential and large groups may not be accommodated.

We suggest once you check in, that you study the Madarao Restaurant guide and develop a restaurant plan for the duration of your stay. We can then assist with dinner reservations. As Madarao is a small village and the restaurants rely mainly on bookings, it's important that you show up or cancel as the case may be.


Ski Passes - discounted

Aya Lodge is a member of the local tourist association and as such we can offer our guests discounted lift ticket vouchers

These can be purchased from reception with cash ( yen ) or expensed to your room and paid at check out ( if paying via credit card the discount is less a 3% merchant fee so you receive a nett discount of 7% ).

Let us know a day in advance if you require vouchers so we can ensure we have suitable quantities at the lodge.

All Mountain Adult Day Pass - 4,500 yen

All Mountian Child Day Pass - 2,500 yen


Ski & Snowboard Hire

There are two rental companies that we highly recommend in Madarao because they carry the latest equipment suitable for our snow conditions.

After you check in, we will arrange a valet service to take you to the rental outlets and get you set up appropriately.


Local Tours

Local tours can be organised via Madarao Tours. They can be booked online and paid for via credit card. Speak with one of our staff regarding any tour you may be interested in.

A favourite is the Snow Monkey Park on the way to Shiga Kogen. Advanced bookings are recommended. There are brochures at reception and a website with further details online.


Transport Options in Madarao

There are no transport options in Madarao village at the moment. Most restaurants and bars are an easy 200m to 400m walk from Aya Lodge. Some restaurants offer a pickup and drop off service which we will advise you of at the time of booking.

The closest ski run is located about 250m from Aya Lodge. You walk out the front door of the lodge, turn left and turn left again at the intersection. At the end of that street, you will see the ski area boundary and Aki’s Pub and Cafe down to the left

Buses run regularly to IIyama, Nozawa and Myoko per the schedules. Make sure you are familiar with departure and arrival times.

Taxi’s can be booked in advance for transport from Madarao to IIyama, however, the easiest way to IIyama is via the local bus.

The lodge car does a shopping run to IIyama every Monday, Wednesday and Friday which normally takes approx. 2hrs. There is limited seating however it may be possible to get a ride down the hill. We leave between 3pm and 4pm.


Onsen Bathing

Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday the lodge car can do a transport run to the local Onsen at the Madarao Kogen Hotel or the village onsen at Madarao NoYu ( about 10 minutes away ).

The drop off time is 5 pm and pickup time is 6.30pm at the local village onsen. They have a fabulous restaurant where most meals are under 1,000 yen so we recommend Onsen Bathing and then Dinner. The kitchen closes by 6.30pm.


Laundry

There are washing machine and dryer on the lower ground floor opposite the games room. You are welcome to use the equipment under the following terms. Wash cycle - 500 yen. Drying cycle 1,000 yen per load ( usually take 1hr ). This is an honest system to recover the cost of energy and you will be charged at check-out.