Shiratori Kogen hotel

The price was a real plus. We paid ¥11,450 per person for a weekend night, which seemed reasonable, especially with the ski resort next door. We had a Japanese-style room for two. It was roomy enough for us, though I imagine four people would feel cramped. There was air conditioning, a bathroom, and the shared toilet had a shower, which was fine. The door didn’t shut properly, and my elementary school-aged child had trouble opening and closing it. Meals were average. Dinner was miso chicken hotpot with a side dish buffet of about 10 items, including shumai, fried squid, spring rolls, and crepes for dessert. We ate our fill. Breakfast had around 10 buffet options and was about what you’d expect from a business hotel. Service was the worst part. The hotel locks up after 7 PM, so you can’t go out. I smoke, and although there’s a smoking area outside, when I asked where to smoke after 7 PM, I was told it wasn’t available. The website said there was a smoking area, but that didn’t match what I was told. The staff seemed unmotivated, and I could hear angry shouting from an office near the smoking area. Wi-Fi was completely unusable, as others have mentioned. They should just turn it off. There’s a cancellation fee from 10 days before the stay, and it’s 40% if you cancel then. Good value for the money, but don’t expect much service. I went for skiing, and it’s not too bad if you’re just staying one night.

Dinner was quite good, though the buffet had a frustrating problem: when popular items such as shumai and spring rolls ran out, they weren’t replenished, and we were simply told they were gone. People who book later miss out, don’t they? The price also felt high for such an old place. There’s no real sense of luxury or hospitality, and even though we arrived before 3pm and had checked in, I wish they’d let us into the room if it was ready. The toilet on the third floor was clogged and unusable. The hotel is very close to the ski resort, which made the children happy. My eldest, who’s in sixth grade, thought the hotel was old. At the resort, my second son, who is in his eldest year, was thrilled by the longest sledding course in Japan! That part was very good.

The stairs were still just as hard to climb as when I came here about 10 years ago in third grade. There’s no elevator, so hauling skis, clothes, and other gear up to the third floor is a struggle. It took a grown man a while, and even an adult woman would find it tough. I saw a little kindergarten-aged child struggling up the stairs, which looked daunting. I wouldn’t recommend this place for families with small children. Most rooms don’t have a bath or toilet. The only toilets are on the floors, so if you wake at night needing to pee, you have to go out into the cold. I also felt there wasn’t enough consideration for menstruation. I hope they renovate and at least add unit baths. The toilets on the floor seem brighter now, probably thanks to LEDs, but the corridors are still dark and scary at night. Safety should come before trying to create a mood. The staff seem to understand the situation and are short-handed, but they’re rarely around at night. Even when they are, they seem reluctant to answer questions about the facilities. That’s frustrating. The bells feel pointless when there’s hardly anyone there. They might as well say plainly if they’re going home or don’t want to be disturbed. I remember having lots of fun here as a third-grader, but times have changed and everyone from little kids to older people uses smartphones. The facility’s Wi-Fi doesn’t work, mountain location or not, and other guests have said the same. It needs to be improved. The TV has limited channels up here, but you can get the news, so that’s fine. It feels like something straight from the Showa era! I can’t really say for sure, since I don’t know what the Showa era was like, but it would definitely be unthinkable at the end of the Heisei era or in the Reiwa era. The food was decent for the price. Breakfast was a limited buffet, mostly Japanese dishes. Some staff had a bad attitude, and a few looked lethargic when taking drink orders. The restaurants nearby offer better service. All in all, I was disappointed.

The food was okay, and the Hida beef shabu-shabu was delicious. Still, at 7 o’clock they said they’d be clearing away the main course, which was a mini buffet of rice and side dishes. It felt like everything had to happen on the hotel’s schedule. For our family of three, including a 3-year-old, it cost 31,200 yen for this level of quality. We’re never coming back. My wife couldn’t find the women’s bath because there was no sign pointing to it. After looking around, she found it at the very back of the changing room, marked “Women’s Changing Room.” The place doesn’t follow the common sense you’d expect elsewhere. We’d accept that there was no elevator, and that the lobby on the guest floor practically served as a smoking area and smelled of cigarettes the whole time. But the room was incredibly outdated, and the tatami was moldy. I have a house dust allergy and had an asthma attack. I’ve stayed in places all over Japan, and this was hands-down the worst. I called because I’d be late checking in and said I expected to arrive at 6:30. They told me, “The front desk is closed. Please hurry.” No one had warned me about needing to be careful with the timing. So I hurried up the winding mountain road and got there at 6:00, only to find nobody at the front desk. The person who answered the door said dinner started at 5:30 and told me to go straight to the dining hall once I’d reached my room. I can accept the early dinner, but I was upset that they didn’t even say anything welcoming.