Cookie00 0 Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 Hey there. My wife and I are avid snowboarders but that passion has had to take a back seat for the last couple of years as the kids have arrived! I got my 3 yr-old on skis for the first time this year and we have an infant as well who is up for a roll in the snow. I am looking for a resort to take them to next weekend, where there is a good kids' park, some very shallow slopes for the mini-skier to practice on and maybe a decent onsen or two. Who knows, my wife or I might even get a run or two in ourselves, but that's not really a priority, as much as we would love to. So, am throwing it out there and would appreciate any advice or recommendations from folks with young families who still like to get up into the mountains. Recommendations for decent hotels at the resorts, which are kid friendly and convenient would be most welcome too. Thanks in advance! Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 Hi Cookie00. Where abouts are you, or are you planning on going? There's so many resorts around Japan it's a bit help to at least know region. Link to post Share on other sites
Cookie00 0 Posted February 11, 2012 Author Share Posted February 11, 2012 Thanks Muikabochi. We are Tokyo based so probably Nagano or Niigata - somewhere not too involving too many long bus rides, what with all the gear, buggy etc etc. We have a car so could drive, although more convenient on train we reckon. Hope that helps. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 Iwappara in Yuzawa perhaps might suit you? http://www.snowjapan...-february-2012/ There's some comments in that thread above that may be of interest to you. If you drive it's 5 minutes from Yuzawa IC. If you go by train it's 10 minutes by bus from Echigo Yuzawa station. Link to post Share on other sites
Cookie00 0 Posted February 11, 2012 Author Share Posted February 11, 2012 Thanks Muika - I'll check it out. Sounds convenient. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 All the resorts in Yuzawa area are really. Iwappara is just perfect for beginners, so that's why I suggested that one. Link to post Share on other sites
Metabo Oyaji 71 Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 If you're driving, one of the Inawashiro/Bandai area places might be good. Physically further than Yuzawa, about the same as Nagano, but without the traffic jams of the Kan-Etsu and the Chuo, if going by car. Highways are free from north of Mito and Shirakawa, too. Tochigi resorts would be even closer, but none of them have hotels close to their base areas. I think Listel Ski Fantasia, Minowa, Inawashiro, Inawashiro Resort, Grandeco or Alts Bandai would all fit the bill, with base area hotels available. Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 My vote goes to Happo-One in Hakuba. Right in front of the Sakka Quad lift is a great kids park and ski school. There are English speaking instructors, too. You could even stay at the Sakka Lodge which is litterally right in front of the kids zone ....ski in/out. It's our regular place to stay and our daughter started there when she was three and even though she is 9 now and can ski the entire mountain...she still loves the kids zone. There is a pair lift and triple chair right there as well with gentle slopes. There really isn't anything better that I have found. Super thumbs up PM me if you need more info. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Can't really comment on that as I don't know it that well. But I would guess that Happo is almost always more busy/crowded than a place like Iwappara. (?) Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Happo gets pretty busy but usually on the Nagiyama side....Sakka is never really all that busy. Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 I wonder if the concept of "busy" is the same here? When I say not busy, I can actually mean about 10 people at the resort. In total! (Not Iwappara of course.....) Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 That's not...not busy. That's deserted.. At that point it starts getting a little bit of that creepy lonely thing going on. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 My vote goes to Happo-One in Hakuba. Right in front of the Sakka Quad lift is a great kids park and ski school. There are English speaking instructors, too. You could even stay at the Sakka Lodge which is litterally right in front of the kids zone ....ski in/out. It's our regular place to stay and our daughter started there when she was three and even though she is 9 now and can ski the entire mountain...she still loves the kids zone. There is a pair lift and triple chair right there as well with gentle slopes. There really isn't anything better that I have found. Super thumbs up PM me if you need more info. yeah was gonna suggest this as well Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 We've got two little uns, 6 and 3 at the moment. Easiest accommodation for families with kids is self-catering. Eat what you want when you want. If you get a little cabin or cottage, your kids can run around and play without disturbing folks in other rooms. Some pensions in particular have small rooms and thin walls. I also know my own kids will not sit and behave long enough to eat a meal served in courses, which can take up to an hour in a pension. If you do go to somewhere with food, get a buffet or Japanese food that comes altogether on one tray. In Hakuba, for an absolute beginner, Iimori side of Goryu, Sakka at Happo, and Tsugaike all have courses that max out at under 10 degrees. Iwatake and Sanosaka don't have anything that gentle at the bottom. The Sakka kids area at Happo is great. There's a roped off magic carpet area and a really fun tubing course, and best of all they are free. Most skijos charge 500 yen per person. Kids have to pay too. Given that sometimes all you get is a cracked 500 yen sledge and fifty meters to ride it in, it can leave the same bad taste as paying to park. If you want to go to a nice onsen and not just whatever is by the slopes, I would definitely go by car. Link to post Share on other sites
jondreads 3 Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Last year I stayed in both Happo-one and Yuzawa Kogen with a 3 year old and a 1 year old. Both were fine. On both trips it snowed quite a bit and the kids couldn't cope with playing outside for long (max 2 hours for the 3 year old, 30 mins for the 1 year old) and we were pretty thankful that we stayed in big hotels with onsens so that we could entertain them. Happo-one was quiet enough in February. We booked the 3 year old into a group lesson but he was the only one who turned up so he got a private lesson at group lesson prices. Both times we drove from central Tokyo. Door-to-door the time is about the same if you don't get caught in a jam. However you do need winter tyres on your car. The car came in handy most at Hakuba because the hotel was a few minutes drive from the slopes. My better half let me slope off for a few hours here and there and when you have so little time available you really don't want hang around waiting for hotel buses. Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Mr Wiggles.... the tubing ain't happenin at Sakka this year. Link to post Share on other sites
joshnii 2 Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 jondreads, you stayed in 'Yuzawa Kogen' (the small ski resort at the top of Yuzawa Ropeway), or just in the town of Yuzawa? Link to post Share on other sites
jondreads 3 Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 The town of Yuzawa. "Yuzawa Kogen - Nunoba" - http://www.snowjapan.com/e/resorts/resort_map.php?resortNo=10 We stayed at the Toei hotel, which was OK but the rooms had a strong kipper smell! (we complained but the alternative rooms were just as bad, the management said the smell came from the TVs! ). On the plus side it was ski-in/ski-out, next to the kids park & beginners runs and the food was good. Link to post Share on other sites
7-11 2 Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 We stayed at the Toei hotel, which was OK but the rooms had a strong kipper smell! (we complained but the alternative rooms were just as bad, the management said the smell came from the TVs! ). Link to post Share on other sites
pie-eater 207 Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Don't you just hate smelly tvs! Link to post Share on other sites
jondreads 3 Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Maybe they were smell-o-vision tvs? Instead of being upset about the nasty smelling room I should have been grateful for state of the art equipment installed Would have made a great sketch in Fawlty Towers Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 What on earth did they mean the smell coming from the TV?! Link to post Share on other sites
jondreads 3 Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 They were old style (cathode ray) TVs. To be honest when you turned them on they did put out a similar whiff from the cooling vents at the top and back, but I think the TVs were just infused with the room smell rather than being the cause. Management just had a crap excuse ready for those who complained. However I doubt few Japanese guests complained. My wife used to work at a big hotel in London. The hotel policy was to give Japanese guests the worst rooms by default because they never complained (or would accept crap excuses), whilst Americans used to always get the best because they always complained. (Needless to say my wife, being Japanese, used to give the Japanese guests the best rooms when she booked them in!). I reckon the Yuzawa hotel simply had some naff rooms that they reserved for those who booked cheap online deals. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 They were old style (cathode ray) TVs. To be honest when you turned them on they did put out a similar whiff from the cooling vents at the top and back, but I think the TVs were just infused with the room smell rather than being the cause. Management just had a crap excuse ready for those who complained. However I doubt few Japanese guests complained. My wife used to work at a big hotel in London. The hotel policy was to give Japanese guests the worst rooms by default because they never complained (or would accept crap excuses), whilst Americans used to always get the best because they always complained. (Needless to say my wife, being Japanese, used to give the Japanese guests the best rooms when she booked them in!). I reckon the Yuzawa hotel simply had some naff rooms that they reserved for those who booked cheap online deals. good on her!! I used to give English customers to the petrol station I worked in, 1 pound notes in their change. They'd all ask for coins (cos 1 pound notes have been discontinued in England since the early 80's) but I'd just shrug and say sorry, only notes Probably some stuff burning in the back of the TV.....faulty electrical equipment can give off a fish-like smell for some reason Link to post Share on other sites
jondreads 3 Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Still a crap excuse. If you bought a hundred faulty and smelly TVs would you a) send them back or let them stink out your multi-million dollar hotel? If Scotland goes its own way and the English foist RBS on them I reckon they'll have to start printing a lot of new pound notes to pay off RBS's debt Link to post Share on other sites
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