Family Friendly Snow Resorts in NIIGATA commutable from Tokyo

Snow Resorts are very popular in Japan during winter. Most people pay for a package that includes hotel accommodation, lift pass and rental gear. Sometimes food is included, too. However, it is not essential to make a full weekend of it, many of the resorts are accessible and accommodating to those on a day trip. Here are just some of the snow resorts you can access from Tokyo for a day trip of snow boarding, skiing or sledding. The Niigata based resorts mentioned in this article are widely accepted as being family friendly. They are listed in no particular order.

Maiko Snow Resort

You can get to Maiko Snow Resort in less than 2 hours by using the Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Echigo Yuzawa Station and catching a free shuttle bus to the snow resort. 
 The route by car is slightly longer at 2 hours 30 minutes.  The resort is less than a kilometre from the Shiozawa Ishiuchi Interchange on the Kanetsu expressway.

URL: http://maiko-resort.com/winter/index.php

TEL: 025-783-4100

Address: 2056-108 Minami Uonuma, Niigata, 949-6423

Season: December 12th until early April

Lifts: 11 Preschoolers: Lift free

Courses: 26

Kids park: 500 yen

Parking: Free

Ski Lessons: From 3 years old. They have English speaking instructors also.

Snowboard Lessons: From 5 years old. They have English speaking instructors also.

Creche: Accepts children from 2 years old

Baby facilities: Changing and nursing room

Attraction: Kid's area, Banana boat ride, kid's snow mobiles

Restaurants: Yes

Onsen: Yes

Hotel: Yes

Events: Elementary school students can receive a Maiko 1 Day pass for free on the third Sunday of the month.

Discounts: Every Tuesday there is a discount for men and every Wednesday one for women. See the official website or the English version for up-to-date details. Part of the family ski discount group: you can print off a lift pass discount coupon here: http://famiski.jp/coupon/niigata/maiko/

You can get information on the costs, lessons, slope gradient and much more on the English webpage for the resort: http://www.snowjapan.com/japan-ski-resorts/maiko-snow-resort

Yuzawa Nakazato

Yuzawa Nakazato is slightly closer than the Maiko resort. From Echigo Yuzawa Station you can take a free shuttle bus that takes 15 minutes OR you can use a local train to the base of the ski hill in half the time.  The resort is 5 kilometres from the Yuzawa Interchange on the Kanetsu expressway.

URL: http://www.yuzawa-nakazato.com/winter/

TEL: 025-787-3301

Address: 5044-1Tsuchitaru, Yuzawa, Niigata, 949-6103

Season: December 18th to April 3rd

Lifts: 8 Preschoolers: Lift free

Courses: 16

Kids park: 1,000 yen

Parking: Free

Ski Lessons: From 3 years old.

Snowboard Lessons: From primary school age.

Creche: NO

Baby facilities: Changing and nursing room

Attraction: Smile kids park with a snow escalator, Jet Train park with unusual snow vehicles and Smile Kids Room

Restaurants: Yes

Onsen: Yes

Hotel: No

Events: Every Saturday and Sunday and public holiday they have a kids treasure hunt. On March the 12th there is a snow carnival.

Discounts:  Part of the family ski discount group: you can print off a lift pass discount coupon here: http://famiski.jp/coupon/niigata/yuzawa-nakazato/

You can get information on the costs, lessons, slope gradient and much more on the English webpage for the resort: http://www.snowjapan.com/japan-ski-resorts/yuzawa-nakazato-ski-resort

Gala Yuzawa Ski Resort

Thanks to the bullet train (shinkansen) station right at the base of the resort, it takes just 75 minutes to get to the resort from Tokyo Station. By car close to the Yuzawa exit of the Kanetsu Expressway. There is also a free shuttle bus that goes from many of the local hotels to this resort.

URL: http://www.galaresort.jp/winter/

TEL: 025-785-6543

Address: 1039-2 Yuzawa-machi, Minamiuonuma-gun, Niigata-ken, 949-6101

Season: December 19th to May 8th

Lifts: 11  Preschoolers: Lift free

Courses: 17

Kids park: FREE

Parking: Free

Ski Lessons: From 4 years old.

Snowboard Lessons: From 4 years old.

Creche: For children over 2 to 6 years old. 1,200 per hour.

Baby facilities: No nursing room, but they have a family room.

Attraction: Snow playing ground, Snow sledding slope, free rest room for kids, family room.

Restaurants: Yes

Onsen: Yes, with pool. 1,300 yen per adult, 800 yen for primary school students, preschoolers free.

Hotel: No.

Events: From February 6th to 14th there holding a Kamakura Festival.

Discounts:  They have a special offer for one adult, one child for a day return on the shinkansen with ski pass and kid's gear hire included for 12,500 yen. Please see ekinet for more details (Japanese only): https://view.eki-net.com/pc/personal/search/wb/3003_RMPackageSearchResult?link_id=familygala&date=20151219 . Part of the family ski discount group: you can print off a lift pass discount coupon here: http://famiski.jp/coupon/niigata/galaresort/

You can get information on the costs, lessons, slope gradient and much more on the English webpage for the resort: http://www.galaresort.jp/winter/english/access/access.html

This is just a small sample of the ski and snow resorts available in Niigata and there are even more throughout mainland Japan. I will be featuring a choice of family friendly snow resorts in Gunma soon. Stay tuned!