Hakuba

Le Neige Higashikan in Hakuba

What a fantastic hotel in the Wadano forest of Hakuba. Definitely 5-star - a pleasure to stay in there.

The Happo-one resort and surrounding Hakuba-47, Goryu, Iwatake, Tsugaike-Kogen, Cortina and Norikura resorts would challenge even experts, yet at the same provide most delightful cruising runs. The snow quality is superb - Japanese powder is the best snow in the world.

The cuisine in the surrounding restaurants, from Wadano to Ecoland is magnificent, ingredients very fresh and of highest quality.
 

As Arnie said: "I'll be back...".

Hakuba after Niseko

Mominoki Hotel was a far cry from our accommodation in Niseko. Apartments are the only way to go for family of 4 as hotel room not enough space & really needed an update & bathroom was just a laugh thank goodness for the lovely onsen at the hotel.

Mountains were fabulous plenty to get around we were just spoilt from amount of snow in Niseko.

Snowmonkey tour is a must with sake brewery & temple included, worth the day away from skiing.

Hakuba lovely mountains just suggest alternative accommodation.

Fantastic all 4 star ski holiday to hakuba Japan on a budget

From the moment we arrived in Japan we loved it! Navigating our way to Hakuba from Tokyo was an eye opening adventure in itself travelling from the high tech city of tokyo to the slow paced countryside of Hakuba. Morino lodge was a pleasant surprise nestled in the wadano area of Hakuba surrounded by forests. The lodge was a short walk to a shuttle stop to any of the ski resorts, walking distance to many restaurants and bars, and the hosts couldn't be more helpful! Fantastic spring skiing with an amazing choice of slopes to ski on, something for everyone. Overall a fantastic 4 star holiday without breaking the bank, highly recommend Hakuba for your next ski adventure!

Indifferent skiing in japan

Skied 3 areas, Happo 1, Hakuba 47 & Ioweteka.  . good snow depth ,limited new snow. Resorts had a mixture of old & new lifts but overall too many old ,slow 2 seaters. After skiing mainly Colorado over 25 years, with our favourites being Snowmass & Vail, can''t recommend these areas.  

Second week was at Shiga Kogen. Better accommodation & lifts. However on day 2 had a slow speed unexplained fall on right side & fractured femur, First major injury i n 62 years  of skiing. Excellent hospital care. Praying I will be skiing next year!  

Our Hakuba/Travelplan experience

Abigail from Travelplan provided us with all the knowledge that we needed for s wonderful week at Hakuba.We found the terrain challenging and enjoyed every minute. Our Hotel was outstanding--there was never a moments hesitation when we sought advice--a phone call to reserve atable was made before we could blink.

The Japanese are kind, thoughtful and helpful in a way that makes us realise what''s missing elsewhere.

Thank you Travelplan for a well executed ski holiday.

Hakuba Hana

Hana Hakuba was a great place to stay and highly recommend. Hakuba a bit disappointing compared to other japanese skiing. Village quite spread out, scruffy and lacking atmosphere. Local shuttle not very regular or convenient...ended up walking a lot.

Hakuba - something good, something not

Spent 8 days in Hakuba in late Jan 2010 after skiing a variety of other Japanese resorts over recent years. Hakuba is actually a town in the valley, from which ascend a number of resorts available on 1 ticket. 

Most accommodation is near the foot of Happo One, the biggest (area) resort as well as the most vertical. Worth also trying 3 other resorts in the valley Goryu / Hakuba 47, Tsugaike and Cortina. Patrollers are strict except for Cortina, so it''s hard to get freshies without going out of bounds.

Getting around Hakuba is a pain. Restaurants and bars are spread out so you'll have to walk or take shuttle (which costs).  Shuttle is slow and routes confusing.

Happy as Larry

The Villa Hakuba is great but the language barrier and lack of western food can be a hinderance to some. Depending on the exchange rate it can be more expensive than usual and at its cheapest it is still quite pricey. Hakuba is an amazing place however and i recommend going there for sure!

Stay At Hakuba

Enjoyed the mountain, no lift lines, good snow and big hills. Quiet nights but suited our holiday.

A good time at Hakuba

The variety of terrain is excellent - although ski partol can be strict on off piste - go with a guide or back country tour. We had fresh snow 3 out of 6 days. A little heavy/wet on 1 day but still fun. Snow is coastal (like Whistler) so heavier than Hokkaido. Happo One and Hakuba 47/Goryu the best/biggest resorts, but try Iwatake (we had fun there on a powder day - less crowds more fresh tracks especially on the backside) etc.

Resort shuttle buses can be very crowded and probably the worst aspect of trip. Lift lines pretty much non-existent except on weekends. We stayed at Hotel De Laile - service was outstanding (the receptionist came to work at 5.30am just to say goodbye to us), hotel small so quiet (good), free onsen for guests, brekky OK, great view from our window, room OK size for Japan. The hotel is in the Wadano area - nice location in the forest (we saw Japanese giant flying squirrels!), easy to walk to various restuarants and the visitor/adventure centre, walk to Happo one lifts (5 mins) and shuttle buses (2 mins).

Great mix of snow and Japanese cultural experience (more culture than Niseko or Rusutsu).

Will go again.