Continued from
8 Peaks Resort ─A Stay at a New Snow Resort Alliance in Nagano ①
A RELAXING EXPERIENCE AWAY FROM THE KIDS
I can’t stress enough the lengths this resort goes to be accommodating of families, welcoming of children, and also offering the opportunity for parents to have time to themselves as well. This trip was the first time in seven years that I got to go skiing with my wife. If you take a look at the included map of 8 Peaks, you can see that there are a number of ski resorts in the area. There’s also a childcare centre in Ikenodaira Hotel with the nearby Shirakaba Kogen Kokusai Ski Resort home to a ski school for children. We had a range of options to choose from to have our children looked after. My son had his first skiing experience in the morning at Shirakaba Kogen Kokusai Ski Resort and he was able to ski a short distance by that afternoon. I was stunned.
The next day, we visited Blanche Takayama Ski Resort. This ski resort has a unique policy which does not allow for snowboarding but is welcoming of children on the slopes. There’s also a school here where children as young as two years old can enrol, as well as a childcare centre. We decided to enrol our son at the school and leave our daughter in the care of the childcare centre.
My wife and I were able to have some time to ski together once again, so we took our guide’s recommendation to visit Pilatus Tateshina Snow Resort. The ropeway here takes you to the mountaintop towering at 2,240 metres above sea level where you can find an amazing view. We were lucky to be treated to a sea of clouds on our trip up. My wife was overjoyed with her first ski trip in so long and had a beautiful view to accompany it.
The last ski resort I want to mention in the area is the Shirakaba 2-in-1 Ski Field. It’s located near Lake Shirakaba (adjacent to the hotel) and features many courses for beginner and intermediate skiers and snowboarders, making it great for families and those new to the sport. There are courses to satiate the thirst of advanced course carvers too. What I love about the ski field is that it’s nice and compact, making it easy to hit up the courses without wasting time. All of the resorts I’ve mentioned are within ten minutes of the hotel and you won’t find so many great courses in such close proximity anywhere else.
Soak in the hot springs with the whole family
The Ikenotaira Hotel houses a large hot spring facility known as the “Koten no Yu,” which features an outdoor open-air bath offering amazing views of Lake Shirakaba. Both men and women can soak in these hot springs together as swimwear can be worn here, meaning that you can relax in the mineral waters with your family or as a couple. The large bath not only features a huge open-air zone but also a jacuzzi and sauna amongst other hot spring facilities. Visitors are sure to have a fantastic hot spring experience here.
The kid-captivating Teddy Bear Museum
There is a huge variety of entertainment facilities in this expansive hotel. We wanted to have fun both on the ski slopes and inside the hotel, but we didn’t even know where to start because of how many options there were. What my family decided to do was have fun in the pool and bowling alley and then head over to the Teddy Bear Museum on a day off from skiing. At first, I figured the Teddy Bear Museum would just be a place filled with bear soft toys, but I actually had lots of fun with my kids… Or rather, I had even more fun than them looking for specific bears hidden amongst all the others. I can confidently say that there aren’t many hotels out there where you can have so much fun with your children not only out on the slopes but inside the hotel itself. Are the 8 Peaks and the Ikenotaira Hotel the best places to take your family for a ski trip in Japan, you ask? It’s a resounding “yes” from me!
Web: 8peaks-resort.com/
