The Hotel Yuzawa Oriental

I stayed from December 31st to January 1st. It was handy being near both the station and the ski resort, and having a drying room was a big help.

We had a large group and were all comfortable. The place is a reasonable distance from the station, too.

There’s room for a big group to stay together here. We had the entire place to ourselves, about 30 of us, after the Nagaoka Fireworks Festival. It has more than 10 rooms spread from the basement through the second floor. We spent time singing in the basement karaoke area without worrying about bothering anyone, and everyone enjoyed the darts machine on the first floor. The manager was friendly, and our stay was pleasant from beginning to end. I’d like to come back next year for the Nagaoka Fireworks Festival. Parking fits two cars, with space for two more in front of the building. Echigo-Yuzawa Station is about a 10-minute walk away. There aren’t any convenience stores nearby, though, so if you want drinks at night, you’ll need someone who isn’t drinking to drive to the nearest one.

You can ski from the guesthouse straight up to the high-altitude area, which makes it a great base for skiing in Yuzawa. There’s a shuttle right outside, and if you rent skis next door, they also have a shuttle service.