HOTEL Shiga Sunvalley

The hotel feels very Showa-era, and it's quite dated, but the breakfast and dinner are amazing and there's a huge amount of food. It's half board, so you'll need to get lunch and snacks elsewhere. If you eat in Sun Valley, I'd strongly recommend restaurant Green at the entrance. Paying in cash gets you a discount of a few percent compared with card, and delaying room cleaning earns a small discount too. For an ATM, there's a post office a few bus stops away; the bus is free with a lift pass. Ski rental is friendly, helpful, and fairly well stocked. For more modern gear, take the bus a few stops to a newer facility. Sun Valley is the southernmost ski area in Shiga Kogen's main connected section, so you can start there and ski through several areas to Okushiga. The other two separate areas are kumanoyu and yokoteyama + shibutoge. Being at the southern end also makes Sun Valley the first stop on the bus from Nagano station, and the last group picked up on the return trip. Buses have no reservations and seats are first come, first served. It wasn't a problem on a fairly busy day when I went, but keep it in mind if you need to catch a particular bullet train. My impression is that this is a dated hotel with excellent food, and a very convenient base if you're skiing and using public transportation.

The staff are lovely and helpful, and speak some English, which is handy for foreign guests. The restaurant serves traditional Japanese food, and the onsen is a must-try. Staying in a traditional Japanese-style room was a real experience if you've never done it before. The building is quite old, but otherwise it was a pleasant visit. One odd thing: the lift by reception closes on you every two seconds if you aren't quick getting in.

We prepaid for two nights but left after the first and paid for another hotel elsewhere just to get out of there. Being near the slopes wasn't worth it. The hotel and resort were shabby and seemed not to have been maintained since the 90s Olympics. The bedding was the worst part. We like Japanese futons, but these were thinner than a regular household comforter, basically a blanket on the floor. The rooms were stifling, with no individual temperature controls, and there was only a thin, flat sheet between sweaty guests and the pad, which raised serious hygiene concerns. The dining room felt like a low-quality cafeteria, the floors were filthy, and guests walked around barefoot without socks or slippers. The general lack of etiquette was appalling, and the food quality matched the building. The onsen looked decent, but given the state of everything else, we didn't dare risk an infection. I don't understand how this place is still charging guests. Avoid it. It was dilapidated, unhygienic, and profoundly uncomfortable.

The best reason to stay is ski-in, ski-out access to the Sun Valley Ski Lift, plus ski lockers in the hotel basement. Other Shiga Kogen resorts, including Kumanoyu and Yakebitayama, are about a ten-minute drive away. I had a Western-style room with a large clothes bar beside the heater for drying laundry. The onsen was less than half full each time I went, after 7 pm on four nights. On the downside, the parking lot is a ten-minute walk away. You can drive up to load or unload beside the hotel, but can't park there in winter. The carpet made the room feel old and dirty, and internet slowed down at peak times. Dinner choices were very limited, and Nakano is more than a 20-minute drive away, with a dark mountain road on the way back. If ski-in, ski-out access matters most, it's a decent option. Otherwise I'd stay in Nakano and drive up in the morning.