Hi — I’m Tabiiku. I travel around Japan with my daughter on the principle that experience is the best thing you can give a child. Ski season is nearly here, so here is one to consider if you are still deciding where to go.
| Overall | ★★★ |
| Condition of the building | ★ |
| Food | ★ |
| Access from Tokyo | ★★★★★ |
| Activities | ★★★ |
| Value | ★★★★★ |
Book NASPA New Otani
Check rates and availability on Agoda
NASPA New Otani in Echigo-Yuzawa. There are two reasons I recommend it.
1. The access from Tokyo is superb
The nearest station is Echigo-Yuzawa, which is a little over an hour from Tokyo Station on the Joetsu Shinkansen. From the station you can take the hotel’s free shuttle, or a taxi, which is about five minutes.
For an international visitor that is a genuinely rare combination: you can be on snow within about ninety minutes of leaving central Tokyo.
2. It is ski-in ski-out, so getting going is easy
The slope is directly in front of the hotel, and the rental shop and lockers are on the ground floor — so you can drop your bags before check-in and be skiing on day one.
On a two- or three-night stay you can ski when you feel like it and go back to the room when you are tired, which with a child is a real advantage.
There are several rate plans, and if you are not bringing your own equipment I would go for the Tebura de Ski he GO plan, which includes everything — outerwear, skis and boots. It is cheap, you travel light, and you hand it all back and go straight up to your room. There is a good choice of outerwear, much of it rather nice, and you pick what you like.
That plan sells out quickly, so if you are considering it, book early.
The room
We had a standard Superior Twin. It is not large, but you do not spend much time in the room, so the size did not bother me.
Food
This is the weak point, and I would set expectations low. FONTANA, however, was excellent — both the room and the food. Lunch service does not run every day, so check the website or call.
One important warning
The slope attached to the hotel is skiing only. If you ski, that is rather a bonus. If you want to snowboard, you will need to go to one of the other ski areas nearby.
Naeba is very close by car, so if the course here feels a little limited, hiring a car and going to one of the bigger ski areas nearby is a good option. That is exactly how I used this hotel before I had a family.
So — if you have a family that wants to try skiing for the first time, this is a very good hotel and slope to start with.
Book NASPA New Otani
Check rates and availability on Agoda
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