Kokage

That smell was the one thing I couldn’t get comfortable with. I’m not sure if it came from the renovation or the gas heaters, but it hit me every time I walked in. I did get used to it after a while. We otherwise enjoyed four nights at Kokage, and the simple interior was comfortable and well-equipped. The layout of the living room, dining area and kitchen made it easy to relax with coffee while keeping an eye on the children playing inside or out in the snow. Our group of five adults and four children fit well: two bedrooms with two beds each, one room with a bunk bed, and a tatami room with three futons. The bathroom and shower room are quite small, but typical for a Japanese apartment. There’s a washer and dryer, though we didn’t do laundry. It was supposed to be near a shuttle stop, but the shuttle wasn’t running that season. Fortunately, a friend had rented a minivan, or getting to the slopes would have been a headache. There were a few places to eat within walking distance.