Hotel Waldberg

The hotel and the staff are wonderful. Everyone we met was helpful and kind. They took us wherever we needed to go. One day we looked for hot chocolate but everything was closed. One of the staff called around town until he found an open cafe. The food at the hotel is delicious as well!

The staff here, whether going out of their way to take us to drop off ski gear and then to the bus station (even hours after we’d checked out) or intricately arranging and explaining to us about the breakfast and dinner arrangements, make this hotel a wonderfully inviting place to stay. Even with limited Japanese, they made us feel so welcome. The traditional, paper-walled rooms are also great, having never stayed in one before. And best of all: the food, which was included in the price we paid. Breakfasts were good but dinners were excellent. One night we had a Yamagata beef broth, cooked on our table, which was absolutely sensational. Lovely hot springs too. This hotel may be quite old-fashioned, but it’s a wonderful place to ski in and out of when in Zao.

We only booked one night at the Wald Berg with the intention of doing the night site seeing of the snow monsters. Unfortunately it was raining and high winds so the gondolas were closed that evening. We quickly changed our plans and decided to spend all of the following day and take a late flight out of Sendai instead. While it felt a little like a time travel with the dated interior decorating, we could not have been more pleased with the service we received while at Wald Berg. While speaking no Japanese, and the staff speaking little to no English, we were able to get ski rentals, rides to and from the bus terminal and amazing meals that were included. It was a nice change from the city travel we had much of the trip. Next time we'd certainly stay longer to take advantage of the ski in ski out!