Skiing in Niigata
Back from an exhilirating and fun trip at the mountains of Naeba, Niigata in Japan. Just take the Joetsu Shinkansen (bullet train) for 45 minutes from Tokyo Station and “boof!” you’re in Echigo-Yuzawa Station, where blinding white snow greets you. It’s like you entered a whole other world! Takes another 50 minutes or so by bus from Echigo-Yuzawa station to get to Naeba Prince Hotel, a huge and outdated hotel complex that has an array of restaurants and access to the slopes. It’s right at the base of Mt. Naeba, so it doesn’t get any more convenient than that! Another option is to stay out in the village area about 15 minutes by foot, most accommodations are basic but clean, and will shuttle you to Mt. Naeba at designated times. This will save you a pretty penny.
Naeba Prince Hotel had a wealth of amenities and 1298 guest rooms! So being January, one of the peak seasons for snow-bound activities, hoards of people also fill the place. Western and Japanese restaurants are available at all hours of the day, I enjoyed the Soba at World Cup Lodge and Sushi at Yukiguni, delicious Hot Cocoa at “Whistler Cafe” (I can’t help but put it in quotations, I’ve been to the real Whistler in BC, Canada so I’m spoilt), and drinks in the evening at Chatelaine for a good view of the skiiers and boarders who make use of the brightly-lit slopes for night skiing. Still amazes me how the fearless little kids that are about 3 ft high whiz down the slopes like pros.
It was a long weekend because of a public holiday on the monday, so the hotel had a wonderful and impressive fireworks display at the base of the mountain around 10pm one of the nights, it was unexpected and unexpectedly long! I think it lasted at least 5 minutes.
How about the snow conditions and the skiing facilities? It was great for all levels – beginners, intermediate and advanced. With me falling in the intermediate range, green and red slopes only, with some tension on the red slopes ;P Advanced skiiers and boarders may want even steeper slopes, which I hear Gala Yuzawa (just 45 minutes from Tokyo Station) is good for. The first day there were blizzards and though they gave us good soft snow to ski on, the wind chill factor and snow in the face ruining some of the visibility wasn’t ideal. The second day was clear as day and skiing was excellent, though later in the day the snow started getting a bit crunchy which is not so great. The third and last day it was clear and then started snowing just before noon, which is when the snow got softer and I had some great runs down some reds. My butt and thighs stung from all the low to the ground action, but I’m never opposed to a good workout. I don’t think the french fries and cocoa from “Whistler Cafe” or the late night drinks and apertifs helped either, but you really shouldn’t care as much when you’re burning it on the slopes.
Next trip in 2 days from now is to Hokkaido! Where the real powder snow is and top class accommodation are found in Hilton Niseko or Niseko Hirafu Village (sorry, Naeba Prince, it’s time for a $100 million dollar renovation, it ain’t the 70′s anymore). Tune in next time.
