Nagano Area best ski place for a family with children???

[minamax10 0]

Sorry, not sure if this is the right place to post a question, but hope someone can help. I am interested in going to Nagano, in particular, to Hakuba area for a two week stay in January. As we are going with children and also grandparents who are not skiing!, we want to find the most optimal place where it's possible not only to spend the day skiing but also find something fun to do in the evenings. I hear that most resorts in Hakuba area are for people whose sole perpose is going skiing. Can you recommend the best place for both skiing and relaxing/spa treatments/dinning out/entertainment etc? I heard someone mentioning Shiga Kogen. Is it better than Hakuba's seven resorts? Also, in Hakuba area the seven resorts such as HappoOne , Hakuba Goryu, and others are interconected with each other? meaning, if we stay, let's say in HappoOne we can also enjoy the access to other 6 nearby resorts? Using shuttle buses?

 

Sorry to ramble on like that, but I am completely lost and can't figure out which place to choose. Thank you in advance to anyone who can offer some advice!

[iiyamadude 6]

Hi

 

I'd say Hakuba > Shiga Kogen because there's more to do - Shiga Kogen is pretty much about the skiing + onsen and not much else. Hakuba sounds right for you. Perhaps either the Echoland area or the Happo area. The resorts there are not interconnected apart from Hakuba 47 + Hakuba Goryu but you can get around by bus easily enough.

[Ross 4]

Minamax 10 how long are you going for and how old are the children.There would not be much for the non skiers at shiga.Nozawa onsen would be worth a look as well as Hakuba.

[Chriselle 158]

I pretty much regularly go to Happo-one when with the wife and kid. Lately, we've been staying in Sakka (Echoland) as there is a kids area, kiddy lessons and two bunny lifts right there and easy access to the rest of Happo's lifts.

Tsugaike is also very family friendly but it's nice to have wheels as it is on the outskirts of Hakuba. As already mentioned it depends on the length of stay and age/level of your kids.

[KRUSTY 2]

Some people may disagree but honestly theres not much for non skiers to do at any of the ski resort towns that you have mentioned. Having a car will help and in Nagano you could see the monkeys in Yudanaka, temple in Nagano City, Castle in Matsumoto and then snowshoeing/making snowmen at the resort but it really depends on how active the non-skiiers are and what would be of interest to them. Two weeks is a long time to stay in a resort town if you dont ski, especially if you have a few days of bad weather.

I have met a few people who have come from overseas with non skiing partners/wives and they said as much as they enjoyed the skiing they wont be back as their partners had next to nothing to do.

In your case Id probably be based in Hakuba and having a car will make things a lot easier and give the non skiers more options.

[stemik 14]

Things to do in Hakuba besides on mountain sports over winter

 

During the day

Snow mobiling beginners and touring

Dune Buggys

cultural days (some free)

Top of the ski jump

Snow walking

Ballooning (from Feb - I think)

 

Organized trips to

Snow Monkeys

Matsumoto Castle

Azumino Winery

 

Evening

Dune buggy under lights

Cultural evening (Goryu & Happo) plenty of drumming

Snow walking fondue tour

 

There are probably a lot more

 

You wont need a car for any of the above!

[Ross 4]

Have to agree with stemik about Hakuba.Nozawa is good also and compac and easy to get around for the non skier's

[panhead_pete 27]

Originally Posted By: stemik

Things to do in Hakuba besides on mountain sports over winter

Azumino Winery

Evening

Snow walking fondue tour

Damn how did I miss those. I have heard from a reliable source that Echoland is getting a wine bar. Sounds fab to me for a non skier and even this crusty old snowboarder.

[NoFakie 45]

Hakuba is best of the areas mentioned but I agree with Krusty about the length of trip, having a car, and ideas of what to do.

[panhead_pete 27]

For the non skiers they could break the trip up with a night or two in Tokyo. Its easy to get to from there. Bit of an adventure as well.

[minamax10 0]

Thank you everyone for your kind replies. Thank you for taking the time!

 

I should have said that it's actually my friend who is coming from Moscow with her husband,two sons (14yrs and 4yrs), ...and parents-in-law. Since i live in Japan, she hought I might now much about it, but I honestly don't know anything about skiing. And having three generations come together, I think makes the selection so much harder. Her parents-in-law don't ski at all. And a 4 year old.. I mentioned that two weeks of skiing seems like a LOT of skiing. She hopes to find a place that can be both fun for skiers and NON-skiers. But I've asked some of my Japanese friends, and they all say that most ski resorts in Japan are designed for skiing and crashing for the night. It really sounds great: ski all day, soak in a hot spring, have a delicious meal, maybe a drink or two, and sleep like a log. BUT for two weeks?! I think her parents-in-law are going to go crazy. And the same might be true for the kids. Oh, and no car. So they have to rely solely on buses and shuttles.

 

I guess she might have heard that Hakuba was the best place for skiing (maybe because of the Olympics). That's why she is set on Hakuba.

 

I also had someone advising choosing Karuizawa Prince Hotel. More to do around the town, and if they really want great skiing, they can get to a bigger resort in about 1hr by bus. What do you think of this advice? I haven't heard Karuizawa being a great skiing place though...

 

Also, between Nagono/Hakuba and Hokkaido, such as Niseko, which location will be better for a group so diverse? Something to do for non-skiiers, skiers, and kids.

 

Thank you!!!!!!!

[minamax10 0]

Another related (but maybe dumb) question. Since I've never gone skiing in Nagano myself, I can't visualize what the areas actually look like. Hakuba is it ONE skiing resort? On the site it looks like a group of many ski resorts. When you say "staying in Hakuba" ... where exactly is the best place?

[TJ OZ 0]

Hakuba is a great spot but I am biased. Just make sure you stay somewhere that can give you all the information on whats going on and make it easy for you to get there. If you can talk directly with the hotel owners then it is a good start.

Food is one of the big things for me. Everynight can be a great experience in Hakuba. During the day everything that Stemik mentioned plus onsen and massage. You can also take the lifts up and down Happo One which on a clear day has the most magnificent views. Put on extra layers of clothes though.

There are a few hidden gems here as well but they won't be hidden if I put them up on a public forum.

[SnowJapan 178]

Hi minamax, I'm sure some people may comment more but since yesterday our maps have changed quite a bit.

 

These may help visualise things a bit better:

 

http://www.snowjapan.com/e/hakuba-guide/index.html

 

http://www.snowjapan.com/e/resorts/ski-resort-map-nagano-hakuba-otari.html

 

http://www.snowjapan.com/e/hotel/nagano-hakuba-accommodation.php

 

--

 

http://www.snowjapan.com/e/maps/using-maps.html

 

 

 

 

[NoFakie 45]

You can hire a car easy enough in Hakuba if you have a valid licence and book ahead. Its cheaper than going on organised trips. For a trip to Matsumoto even, I guess three in a small car would be cheaper than the train.

 

In Japan, you can move from place to place very easily, so there is no need to camp down in one place for two weeks.

 

If you go to Karuizawa, go before Hakuba, otherwise the skiing will be disappointing. There's a cinema, bowling and shopping, for non skiers. For beginner skiers or teaching the kids, Karuizawa would be fine for a few days.

[stemik 14]

Yes, renting a car will be cheaper, but with Grandparents with small kids and not knowing the routes too well and driving in the snow....

I think an organised tour is the way to go.

[blu 3]

Grandparents also need cafes, kissaten, departo, movies to avoid sitting in the hotel for 6 hours each day. Maybe a city based resort Sapporo, Asahikawa or Furano.

 

[skidaisuki 0]

minamax 10,

 

I agree with the balance of opinion above. Hakuba's the obvious choice in terms of access, variety of places, to stay / drink / soak in onsen. Skiing for 2 weeks in Hakuba is plenty of skiing, and trying to find other things to do for 2 weeks for the non-skiiers is a big ask, even if you can arrange transport and they like onsens / Matsumoto Castle etc.

 

I would advise 2 options, either:

 

A) Persuade them to try some gentle skiing if they're up to it;

 

Suggest that the gramps (or the whole family) cut back on the skiing idea and do some other sightseeing in Japan (Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima etc.). A 1-week JR rail pass plus a week in Hakuba or Nozawa. Ideal.

 

If I didn't ski, unless I was accompanied by an incredibly hot lady I think spending 2 weeks in a ski resort would be my definition of hell, even with onsens and bars to go to...

 

Cheers

 

SdS

[snowboarder 0]

I agree with that last post there on the whole.

 

Got to get them having a go. Pick a nice day when it's not too busy, there's some fresh snow and the sun is out. What could possibly be better?

[BagOfCrisps 24]

I would say Hakuba wins as well in terms of the all round things you need.

 

Sure you will love it.