On the Map

Ken Chan, the founder and CEO of Patience Capital Group, unveils his ambitious plan to transform Myoko Kogen into a year-round destination, with activities and experiences for all

- Nafeesa Saini

Located on the southern tip of the Niigata Prefecture and within easy reach of Tokyo, Myoko Kogen, one of Japan’s oldest ski areas, is on the brink of a dramatic transformation that could see it return to its former vibrancy during Japan’s 1980s ski boom and economic bubble. Ken Chan, founder and CEO of the Singapore‑based Patience Capital Group (PCG), a real estate investment manager, plans to turn the region into an all‑season luxury destination that can rival the likes of Niseko, Aspen and Whistler.

The seed for this ambitious project was planted during his tenure as head of the Japanese branch of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC), Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund; sparked by a discussion about extending Japan’s Shinkansen (bullet train) to Kanazawa through Nagano. During the dialogue, the chairman of the company involved had highlighted the possibility of underutilised train stations along the route serving as potential gateways to developing tourist attractions in the underexplored spaces between bustling hubs. Drawing from that, Chan—who left GIC in 2019 to found PCG—recognised that he could seize the untapped potential of the once buzzing but now quiet Myoko Kogen area, leveraging its existing infrastructure and natural allure to transform it from a ski destination into a paradise for all seasons.

For Chan, who was born in Tokyo and raised there for six years, the project is driven in part by a vision to meld his cultural heritage with innovative real estate solutions. “The Japanese part of me (his father is Singaporean) has always wanted to see what I can do for Japan,” he reflects.