About

I'm Broden. I'm an Australian, and I own two houses in the Shinetsu region of Japan.

The Myoko house came first — Nihongi, a quiet village in Nakago, close to Arai but away from the resort strip. It's been fully renovated: new bathroom, new flooring, new roof, walls, the lot. The Iiyama house is a traditional Japanese house, built in 1969, and got the same treatment across four bedrooms, kitchen and bathroom.

I've done a lot of that work myself, or standing next to the tradesmen who did. I know where the snow builds up, which room warms up fastest and which one takes a while. 

Why two houses

The Shinetsu region has some of the heaviest snowfall on earth, and most visitors see one corner of it. Book a hotel in Nozawa and you ski Nozawa. Book in Akakura and you ski Akakura.

Having a house on each side of the region means you don't have to choose. Myoko puts you within twenty minutes of Arai, Seki and Akakura. Iiyama has Nozawa, Togari, Madarao and Shiga inside an hour. Between them there's Madarao in the middle, reachable from both.

The idea isn't that it's the most luxurious. It's a proper base, set up by someone who actually snowboards here, with a car in the drive and eight mountains to choose from.

How I run it

Booking here means dealing with me, not a call centre and not a booking platform. I answer the emails. If something breaks at the house I'm the one sorting it.

In Myoko I work with Yumi, who's been managing properties in the area for years and handles check-ins and anything that needs a local on the ground. Between us you get an owner who knows the house and someone who is a professional property manager.

Get in touch

Ask me anything before you book — which mountain suits your group, whether to hire a car, where to eat, which onsen is worth the drive. I'd rather answer ten questions and have you arrive knowing what you're in for.