Hotels in Shiga Highlands, Yamanouchi

AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE!!! LOCATION: Literally next to the Ichinose Family Ski Area, so once you put on your gear, it's a short walk across the road to the nearest lift. GEAR: There is a branch of Snowcan on the 1st floor of the hotel, so if you book through their website - you can pick up your gear there instead of walking to the main Snowcan Ichinose branch a short walk down the road. PRIVATE CLASSES: You can book private lessons from the Bianca Ski School through the hotel front counter, which costs JPY18,000 (2 hour inc tax). Our instructor was Mr Takeshi Iida who's super helpful and friendly - and patiently took our entire family for 2 very worthwhile sessions. He even took the trouble to check our ski boot sizes before the 1st lesson, and phoned the Snowcan staff to come in and open up the branch (it was closed during lunch time) so we could get better fitting boots! FOOD: As Muslims, we were very concerned about getting halal food - especially at the top of a ski mountain - so we were very happy that each item in the buffet breakfast and dinner had a list of ingredients (in English) next to them! Sometimes broths were made with chicken / pork - so it was really helpful that those were included in the ingredient list. We ate our fill of seafood-based dishes and rice. The dining area was styled like a canteen - which makes sense since it was used to house athletes during the 1998 Winter Olympics - and has amazing views of the surrounding snow-covered areas. The hotel doesn't have lunch except instant ramen (non-halal) - so we relied on the bread and instant noodles (prepared using the in-room kettle) that we brought ourselves. GETTING THERE: There are scheduled Nagaden Express buses from Nagano Station to the Ichinose bus stop (about a 100m walk from the hotel). Be sure to check the schedule. At Nagano Station, there was a temporary counter next to the bus stop itself (Stop no.

Big room, beautiful onsen, ski in ski out, close to multiple food options, great set up for ski gear, both in the room and outside the room. Would definately stay here again.

Cozy hotel, right by the Ichinose Family ski area. The staff is absolutely amazing, 100% focus on making your stay pleasant. We went there for a ski trip and it was really convenient. The public bath is great for after skiing, and both dinner and breakfast buffets were excellent, with many good quality choices.