Alpha Resort Tomamu and Alts Bandai are two Japanese ski
resorts that may well be separated by a large distance – one is in central
Hokkaido and the other is in Fukushima Prefecture – but they share the same
company behind them and the same vision to make them complete resorts that
are suitable to families as well as skiers and snowboarders and attract more
visitors from overseas as well as the local domestic market.
Both Tomamu & Alts are amongst the biggest ski resorts in
their respective regions. They are also both operated by Hoshino Resort
Group, a growing hotel and resorts company in Japan. For both of the
resorts, the aim is to develop them to be appealing not only to skiers and
snowboarders, but also to make them a great place for families with small
children to enjoy the snow at the same time.
We spoke with some of the staff at Hoshino Resort to get an
idea of the setup and more about the resorts…..
Can you tell us more about the resorts and how they came
about?
Our "Vision" is to be a master of resort operation. The
business was actually started way back in 1904 at Karuizawa (Gunma
prefecture) with an traditional onsen hot springs ryokan accommodation. It
was originally called Hoshino Onsen Ryohan, later changed to just "Hoshinoya".
Another "Hoshinoya" appeared in Kyoto, where it is increasingly known both
in Japan and overseas. Currently we also operate eleven other onsen ryokan
and seven resorts.
Are Tomamu and Alts Bandai similar
resorts?
In many ways, yes. We like to think of both of them as
"total activity resorts" which means that we offer a whole wide range of
activities, not just skiing and snowboarding. For example, we offer a wide
variety of ski runs, accommodation, golf courses, swimming pools and other
nature-related activities all year around.
Many people say that Tomamu is perhaps the best snow resort
for families. "Adventure Mountain" is one of our attractions which can only
be found in Tomamu. In that area, the "Chokkari Genie" character entertains
the children, trying to make the ski slopes steep. If the child can catch up
with him, she/he can get proof of their bravery. It’s all about focussing on
having a lot of fun on the snow rather than just gaining technical skills.
Hopefully this will help encourage children to enjoy skiing more into
adulthood.
Of course, there are also other many other facilities where
a family can enjoy après ski; such as the Ice village, the wave pool and
outdoor snow activities. On the other hand, parents can make use of the
nursery and kids activity center "GAO" if they want to go out and enjoy the
skiing and snowboarding without the children. GAO isn’t just a child-care
facility, but somewhere that children can also have the chance to meet other
children and have fun.
At Tomamu, you can enjoy Hokkaido’s driest powder snow,
family ski terrain, kids terrain, off piste ski and helicopter & CAT ski
tour; all located in the central region of Hokkaido.
Because of our unique location, the snow in Tomamu is drier
and more powder like compared to other resorts located on the west coast of
Hokkaido. Even during the daytime, the temperature keeps very low, so it
doesn’t melt or become hard. So much so that even making a snowball is
difficult!
We are proud of it as being the No.1 dry powder in Hokkaido.
