Shiga Park Hotel is located in Shiga Kogen, a sprawling ski area north of Nagano, near the famed snow monkeys, and sister hotel to the HORRIBLE, DISGUSTING, Kokuya Ryokan at Shibu Onsen town. Unlike Kokuya, however, Shiga Park was not a bad place to stay for some powder!
We booked three nights at Shiga Park through Kokuya, and Chie-san, this wonderful Japanese woman from Shiga Park was our liaison person from then on.
First, the stays at Shiga Park includes breakfast and dinner, buffet style. We also stayed there at the peak Japanese holiday season, so there were many, many children about (but only for the first day). So it wasn't that inexpensive - I think it was something like Y21,000/night for two persons for a room with attached bathroom/toilet.
From the truly horrible stay we had at Kokuya, it was a welcome change when Chie-san picked us up at Kokuya in her car, all smiles, and REAL Japanese friendliness, not the sort with a sneer in the face like that on the mistress' face at Kokuya.
Chie-san speaks decent English, and she is truly friendly and very, very nice and accommodating. It was about a 30+minute drive from Shibu Onsen town to Shiga Park, which is located just 3 minutes walk (in snowboarding boots) from at least four ski lifts! A ski pass/info/ticket office is also located at this cluster of ski lifts, with two large restaurants. The location of Shiga Park Hotel is really quite good. Also, there are those bus stops for free shuttle (with your ski pass) just 3 minutes walk from Shiga Park, and at the same bus stop is the bus that takes you to Nagano (I think it was Y1500 per person one way) (Shiga Park Hotel can provide you with the timetable of the bus! Very useful and easy to get to and out from Shiga Kogen).
First, the hotel. It is undeniably old. The rooms are very basic (we had Japanese futon style room), but not small at all. There was plenty of space for two. We had to make our own beds, but that was easy as clean sheets were already placed on the futons so we simply had to take them out of the cupboard and roll them out. The tatami mats were fine, clean. The view from our room was stunning - just a small window, but enough. Only stark, white fluorescent lighting, not that great. The bathroom and toilet were clean, but very old. But it was all functional, clean and neat. Toothbrushes/paste, towels, slippers, yukatas, were all provided. There was even a mini fridge and a safe, and a small TV (unfortunately, only with about five Japanese channels...).
One bad thing about the room is that the heater gets automatically, centrally (?) turned off at about midnight I think, and it only starts to run again at around 4 to 5am. It isn't cold in the room, it is the NOISE that the heater makes when they turn it on again!! So inevitably, I woke at around 5am when they centrally turn on the heater, as it is noisy, for a good 2 minutes or so.
Don't expect a room that is new and swanky. It was basic, some bits worn and peeling, but at least it was very clean, functional, and spacious.
There is no internet in the rooms, but there is one computer at the lobby by the smoking area free for you to use. Surprisingly, I never had to wait to use the computer.
Now, there is a ski school/rental at the area where you place your skis etc. The staff there were generally friendly, and helpful, but their English is quite limited. Ski rentals, I find, are quite expensive, and if I had known, I would have bought a ski goggles before heading to Shiga Kogen, as there are VERY few shops selling ski wear/gear there! And when we found one, it was shut, and the other sold goggles etc at exorbitant prices (we found that ski gears are generally very expensive in Japan, even in Tokyo).
Just an example: rental of two snowboards, two pairs of snowboarding boots, one set of ski wear (jacket and pants), one pair of gloves, one pair of goggles (which fogged up very easily and quickly as it was not double layered) for ONE DAY, cost us Y9000. I find that rather costly, compared to Europe, but then again, we haven't really skiied in ages.. so we can't be sure. The snowboard and boots are decent, but on day two, we did not rent the gloves and goggles.
Note: Ski rentals are cheaper than snowboards.
The staff at the ski shop/hotel are also ski instructors, but I do not know the rates as we did not have lessons.
Ski lifts/chairs operate at 8.30am till 4.30pm. In those three days we skiied in December 2010, we found that it gets very very crowded on the slopes at about 9am till 11am, and 1.30pm till 3.15pm. There is a lull just before 9am (naturally), from 11am till about 2pm, and after about 3pm, the crowds really clear! If you are renting gear from Shiga Park ski shop, you should try to get there at 8am when it opens, rent your gear (and pay up), and hit the slopes before the crowd descends on you.
The food at the hotel: It was buffet style, and there was a good variety. There is always sashimi and sushi for dinner, but it gets cleared out very quickly, so be sure to keep a look out when they replenish! It's not quite kaiseki quality, but overall it's a good variety and there are some delicious food offered, even for a buffet! Breakfast was also good - I love their walnut bread with the butter/jam spread, hm! You will be advised what time dinner is, as they tend to stagger the guests (e.g. we were asked to come for dinner at 6.30pm - 7pm), otherwise, it can get very crowded. However, one evening, we had dinner earlier than usual as I was starving, and they were fine with it.
There is no outdoor onsen during winter, but there is the large communal bath and indoor onsen for women (3rd floor) and men (4th), for free. I love using it, even though it can get very crowded at times. There is no hair conditioner provided in our bathrooms, but at the onsen/communal bath, there was plenty! Nothing quite beats taking a hot shower and then soaking in the onsen after a day on the slopes - even with many other women/kids around. The locals don't look twice at you so it isn't so bad.
Lunch can be easily eaten at many of the restaurants on the slopes. Food generally ranges from Y900 to Y1200, so it isn't expensive, and all the lunches we had were very good quality (tonkatsu rice, or curry rice etc).
One (good?) thing about Shiga Kogen is that there were very, very few foreigners. The crowd is mostly Japanese, with a very VERY small handful of Hong Kongers, other Asians, few Aussies, Germans, etc. There did not seem to be much of a nightlife after the slopes shut - it all seemed very family oriented. Admittedly, the area outside Shiga Park (and actually, the entire Shiga Kogen) was rather 'dead' once it gets dark, so after a good hot shower and dinner, retiring in the room to read or sleep is the only option (unless you bring a DVD player!). We once took the shuttle to another part of Shiga Kogen (it is HUGE), but it was all very dead....
The slopes are fantastic - snow is all powder, and yes, December is not the best month to ski as it was snowing quite a lot, but one of the days was brilliant, lots of sunshine. The other days were OK - though it was snowing, and sometimes it can get quite cold and windy, the snow was always good. Also, it is not as crowded as it can sometimes get in Europe, even in the 'peak' hours.
On our last day, we still wanted to ski but as we are not staying a night, we checked out first, left our luggages in the 'hall', and hit the slopes, return, at about 2pm (half day ski pass), I took a shower at the communal onsen, and then toook the bus to Nagano. So, just to let you know that it is possible to still ski on the very last day without having to stay a night at the hotel.
Will we return? Perhaps! It is not at all far from Tokyo - from Tokyo, it is a direct shinkansen train ride to Nagano (about 1 hour 45 minutes) (about US$100 I think per person, one way), and from Nagano it is a direct bus ride to Shiga Kogen (about 2 hours I think!). Not too many loud, irritating non-Japanese (ahem) people on the slopes, and Shiga Park Hotel, though basic and old, offers fantastic service and decent food. Great snow and slopes, large variety (we couldn't even cover a fraction of the entire area).
*Tip: Bring your own DVD player and some DVDs so you could watch some movies (unless you speak Japanese and don't mind the five channels of Japanese TV!). Or else, a Kindle or lots of books.
*Tip: Seems like the Japanese are very trustworthy - during meals or overnight, you could leave your skis or snowboards unlocked, either at the hotel or outside restaurants during your lunch break - and nothing ever gets stolen!
AI Summary
