Naeba Ski & Prince Hotel Accommodation Experience
🤗Hello, I’m Irukapapa.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the ski class at the junior high school where I volunteer every year has been canceled. My eldest son was also sad because he couldn’t go abroad for his university graduation trip.
So, my eldest son, who is about to graduate, and I decided to go on a ski trip to Naeba⛷
I want to go skiing, and my eldest son wants to go somewhere before he gets a job, haha!
Actually, it’s been 13 years since our eldest son went on a ski/snowboard trip with his family when he was in the third grade of elementary school, so it was our first time going to Naeba.
It’s been 25 years
(Before my children were born), Wow!
In today’s blog, I will introduce the schedule and cost of the Naeba ski trip, the state of Naeba Prince Hotel and the ski resort, and how it has changed from 25 years ago. I would be very happy if this blog could be helpful for your Naeba Prince Hotel ski trip.
So, let’s go on a journey of dreams and adventures! Here we go!
- 1. Naeba ski trip schedule and cost
- 2. Why did you choose Naeba? Why did you decide to tour?
- 3. Evaluation of the good and bad points of the actual stay
- 4. itinerary：Tokyo Station – Echigo Yuzawa Station – Naeba Prince Hotel
- 5. Arrive at Naeba Prince Hotel
- 6. Naeba Ski Resort Photos
- 7. Dinner buffet at Naeba Prince Hotel
- 8. The dinner buffet includes all-you-can-eat desserts!
- 9. Naeba Prince Hotel breakfast buffet
- 10. Yamajiya’s Hegisoba I ate at Echigo Yuzawa Station on my way home
- 11. At the end
Naeba ski trip schedule and cost
schedule
First day:
- Shinkansen: Departs Tokyo Station at 9:52 – Arrives at Echigo Yuzawa Station at 11:11 Max Tanigawa No. 83
- Hotel shuttle bus: Departs from Echigo Yuzawa Station at 11:30, arrives at Naeba Prince Hotel at 12:00.
- Skiing: Change in your room and enjoy skiing until dinner time
- Dinner: Buffet in the hotel’s main dining room
- Night skiing: You can enjoy night skiing after dinner, but the area was too small so it was canceled.
- Hot spring: The hot spring at the hotel was closed due to the coronavirus, so I went to a nearby hot spring.
the 2nd day
- Skiing: Enjoy a comfortable cruise on the first snow-packed slope in the morning as soon as the lift starts operating.
- Breakfast: Late breakfast buffet
- Ski: ski hard until the evening
- Hotel shuttle bus: Departs from Naeba Prince Hotel at 5:00 p.m. Arrives at Echigo-Yuzawa Station at 5:30 p.m. Shopping and dining at Echigo-Yuzawa Station
- Shinkansen: Departs Echigo Yuzawa at 19:01 – Arrives at Tokyo Station at 20:12 Toki 342
3/11-3/12 1 night 2 days
cost
Tour price: 29,400 yen per person
Tour details: Tokyo-Naeba round-trip transportation, 1 night and 2 days in Naeba Prince Hotel Building 4 (room not specified), dinner and breakfast included, unlimited lift rides during your stay (including night skiing), cheap rental of skis, snowboards, clothing, etc.
Travel agency: Big Holiday
Why did you choose Naeba? Why did you decide to tour?
Among the many ski resorts out there, we chose Naeba based on three factors: easy access from Tokyo, the large scale of the ski resort, and a comfortable ski environment.
Reason for choosing Naeba Ski Resort
- Easy access: 1 hour and 10 minutes by Shinkansen from Tokyo Station to Echigo Yuzawa, 30 minutes by hotel free shuttle bus from Echigo Yuzawa to Naeba.
- The scale of the ski resort is large: Tashiro, Mitsumata, and Kagura are one of the largest ski resorts in Japan.
- Comfortable ski environment: If you stay at Naeba Prince, you will have a comfortable environment where you can ski in and ski out.
*The hotel shuttle bus from Echigo Yuzawa will take approximately 1 hour if there is snow on National Route 17.
*Using the Naeba Gondola, you can visit four ski resorts: Naeba, Tashiro, Mitsumata, and Kagura.
When you add up the round-trip transportation costs from Tokyo to the ski resort, hotel accommodations, meals, lift fees, and ski rental fees, it’s quite a bit of money. After comparing various options, I came to the conclusion that an all-inclusive “ski tour” would be cheaper.
I compared and considered ski tours in Hokkaido by plane, but considering the travel time, it would be a waste to stay just one night. The same goes for the ski resorts in northern Tohoku.
If you think about it, you don’t have to get up so early in Naeba to leave slowly in the morning and arrive before noon. You can ski for quite a long time on the first day, from noon until the end of the night game. On the second day, you will be able to ski for a long time from morning until night skiing. You can ski as much as you want for 1 night or 2 days. That’s enough, haha.
About Naeba Prince Hotel
Naeba Prince Hotel, where Yuming has held their winter concerts for 41 consecutive years, is a ski resort hotel where it was extremely difficult to get a reservation during the heyday of the ski boom in the 1990s. In particular, reservations for Christmas and Valentine’s Day are filled up a year in advance.
It was an extremely popular hotel, where waiting times for ski lifts and gondolas were often over an hour.
By the way, in its heyday, night skiing was
Open until midnight; early morning lifts start at 4 a.m.
Something that would be unimaginable today was happening.
Naeba Prince Hotel basic data
- Address: 202 Mikuni, Yuzawa-cho, Minamiuonuma-gun, Niigata 949-6212
- Phone: +81257892211
- Official website: https://www.princehotels.co.jp/naeba/
Map of Naeba Prince Hotel
Evaluation of the good and bad points of the actual stay
This tour includes hotel breakfast, dinner buffet, round-trip transportation from Tokyo, low-cost rental of skis, snowboards, and clothing, and ski lift tickets (including night skiing). It was quite a good deal.
Good point
- Good access from Tokyo
- High quality of breakfast and dinner buffets
- Early check-in is possible for an additional 1000 yen.
- A comfortable ski-in, ski-out environment
- Equipped with ski lockers and changing rooms
- Good service from staff
- clear weather
- Good snow quality in the upper part of the ski resort
Unfortunately
- Hot spring public bath is closed
- Naeba Gondola connecting to Tashiro Ski Resort is suspended
- Prince Gondola 1 is also suspended.
- Night skiing is only available at No. 5 High-Speed Lift.
- Most lifts and gondolas close around 4pm.
- The rooms on the parking lot side of Building 4 are quite shabby.
- The snow is sticky from half way down the ski resort.
itinerary：Tokyo Station – Echigo Yuzawa Station – Naeba Prince Hotel
Departs from Tokyo Station at 9:52
Take Max Tanigawa No. 83 bound for Echigo Yuzawa.
I had a late departure, so I was able to take it easy in the morning, hehehe.
Max Tanigawa No. 83 is a Shinkansen that stops at Echigo Yuzawa, so since it’s a weekday, the inside of the train is empty and comfortable.
Relax and enjoy the Starbucks latte you bought at Tokyo Station.
Arrived at Echigo Yuzawa Station in 1 hour and 18 minutes after leaving Tokyo Station. Yay!
After getting off the Shinkansen, head to the east exit of Echigo-Yuzawa Station, where the shuttle bus stops.
Wow! snow!
My eldest son was surprised to see snow on the surrounding mountains!
I haven’t seen snow in Tokyo for the past two or three years.
There it was, there it was, the Naeba Prince Hotel shuttle bus.
We will transport you from Echigo Yuzawa Station to Naeba Prince Hotel non-stop, free of charge.
Advance reservations are required for riding. Please complete the procedure from the hotel’s official website.
The staff will load your luggage for you.
The inside of the hotel shuttle bus. There were about 8 passengers including us that day.
We arrived at Naeba Prince Hotel in about 30 minutes after leaving Echigo Yuzawa Station.
If there is snow on the road, it can take about an hour, but when my family went there in early March, there was no snow on the road and there was no traffic, so we got there in 30 minutes.
Arrive at Naeba Prince Hotel
Early check-in
The shuttle bus will arrive in front of the main entrance of Building 4, where the hotel front lobby is located. The staff will wave your hand and greet you with a smile. When the bus stops, they will take out your luggage and bring it to the front desk. The process from getting off the bus to checking in was very smooth.
Check-in is at 3pm, but if you pay 1000 yen you can use the room immediately. You can also use the ski locker, so I asked for it quickly.
🐬If you do not check in early, please change your clothes in the changing room and store your clothes and luggage in a paid locker. After skiing, check in at the counter, get the ski locker key, store your skis and boots in the ski locker, open the paid locker where you put your luggage, take out your luggage, and then go to your room. Masu. It’s pretty troublesome in comparison, ahhhh!
Front check-in counter.
Guest room on the parking lot side of Building 4.
Naeba Ski Resort Photos
I went on a ski trip to Naeba on March 11th. Since it was the end of the season, the weather was sunny and warm enough that I didn’t need a jacket, but the snow was sticky from the middle to the bottom of the large slope.
Lifts and gondolas that were suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic
- Prince Gondola 1: Therefore, it takes a long time to get to the top of Mt. Bamboo shoots.
- Naeba Gondola: Therefore, I can’t go to the Tashiro, Mitsumata, and Kagura ski resorts that I was looking forward to the most.
- Only the 5th high-speed lift is open for night skiing: Therefore, the area where you can ski at night skiing is extremely narrow.
Furthermore, from the day after we returned home, the Prince Gondola 1, Oishaka Romance Lift, Takedaira Romance Lift, and Takeyama Romance Lift were also suspended, ahaha!
The ski resort is open until 5pm, but the lifts and gondolas close around 4pm. be careful.
Condition of the slope
No. 4 Romance lift platform. The snow is pretty wet around here.
Naeba Prince Hotel seen from the end of the 4th Romance Lift. The tower building is the 2nd building.
Since the Prince Gondola No. 1 is suspended, in order to get to the top of Mt. Bamboo shoots from the ski locker exit of Building 4,
- 4th romance lift
- Prince 2nd gondola
- Takehira Romance Lift
- Takeyama Romance Lift
You can’t go there without connecting, so it takes a while!
Get off the Takedaira Romance lift and look down at the Takedaira slope.
The Prince 2nd gondola station can be seen at the bottom of the slope.
Looking up at Mt. Takeda from the end of the Takedaira Romance lift.
It’s rare to see everything on such a clear day.
Ski on the scenic Takedaira slope. The snow quality was good in this area and it was comfortable.
The scenery is amazing, and it’s so comfortable that I can’t stop laughing!
If you get off to the left in the middle of the Takedaira slope, you will find the Takeyama Romance lift platform.
The last stop of Takeyama Romance Lift.
Naeba Prince Hotel and the town of Naeba seen from near the top of Mt. Mt. Bamboo shoots.
The weather is nice and the scenery is spectacular!
The Takenokoyama slope was closed, so I skied the Takenokoyama Skyline course. The snow quality is awesome!
I skied the Takeyama Skyrun course, Takedaira slope, large slope slope, Riesen slalom slope, and came down to the 4th slope.
Night skiing is only available at No. 5 High-Speed Lift.
The downhill area is narrow and the snow quality at the bottom of the slope is poor, so I slipped a little and then gave up. It’s a waste to have a night game ticket, but I’m also hungry so I’ll have dinner.
Dinner buffet at Naeba Prince Hotel
Naeba Prince Hotel’s dinner buffet is served at the restaurant “Azalea” on the 2nd floor of Building 3. Woohoo!
To prevent infection, you must wear a mask and clear vinyl gloves when preparing food. Vinyl gloves are available in the cooking corner.
All-you-can-eat snow crab!
There is also a wide variety of appetizers.
Rice cooked with mushrooms from Niigata.
Azalea table seat. Is it okay to eat at the buffet even though there are no customers?
Tempura corner. You can eat freshly fried food right in front of your eyes.
Freshly fried tempura with Kisu, mushrooms, and shrimp. Hey!
Prince Hotel’s proud roast beef is delicious! Haha!
Enjoy a platter of Western food from the buffet corner while looking out at the ski slopes.
Prince Hotel’s special seafood gratin and onion soup!
This is salmon, tuna, and avocado bowl.
This is the rice pot with mushrooms. It has a slight flavor that I can’t get enough of.
The dinner buffet includes all-you-can-eat desserts!
Naeba Prince Hotel’s dinner buffet also has a wide selection of desserts. Is it really okay to do this even though there are no customers?
A variety of bite-sized sweets lined up in a refrigerated case.
Enjoy a variety of sweets while looking at the lighted ski slopes.
This was incredibly delicious!
Crème brûlée-style baked crepe with orange sauce and vanilla ice cream. Ahhh!
Bite-sized Mont Blanc💕
After dinner, I tried to go to Naeba no Yu, but it was closed due to the coronavirus. No, I don’t think it has anything to do with coronavirus. When I looked it up on the internet, “Yukisasa no Yu” seemed to have a good reputation, so I went for a walk there as I was feeling anxious for some exercise after dinner. (About 13 minutes walk)
It was a nice hot spring with water flowing directly from the source.
Naeba Prince Hotel breakfast buffet
The breakfast buffet is also available at Azalea on the 2nd floor of Building 3.
Western food corner.
Breakfast is also empty.
Omelet corner.
Special pickles. I can’t let the food go on.
All you can eat mentaiko and pickled plums!
All-you-can-eat sweet desserts from morning! Wookey!
The rice is “Shojiro”, Shiozawa Koshihikari rice from Minamiuonuma. It was steamy and delicious.
You can buy them as souvenirs to take home.
A casual breakfast plate with omelettes, freshly baked croissants, etc.
Enjoy at a table on the slope side.
Yamajiya’s Hegisoba I ate at Echigo Yuzawa Station on my way home
I didn’t take any photos of the skiing on the second day, ah!
I happened to run into a mother and daughter named N who lived in the same apartment complex. It was the first time for N and her daughter to ski in Naeba, so they skied together while being shown around the slopes.
Mr. N is planning to stay for three nights starting from this day, and his father will also join him in the evening. Unfortunately, I will be returning home in the evening, Woohee!
We enjoyed skiing until the very end of night skiing hours, quickly changed clothes, and arrived at Echigo Yuzawa Station by bus at 5pm. We bought souvenirs and had dinner at the station.
Dinner will be served at Yamajiya, a Hegi soba restaurant inside the station.
Hegi soba is a soba made with seaweed and is a specialty of Niigata. There is a hegi soba restaurant near my house in Tokyo that I often go to.
After we finished eating, we hung out in the souvenir area.
At the end
When the train departed from Echigo-Yuzawa Station at 19:01, it returned to Tokyo Station at 20:12 on No. 342. I took the first Chuo line home from Tokyo Station.
This time I visited Naeba for the first time in 25 years, but it was easily accessible by using the Shinkansen. I was able to enjoy skiing for 1 night and 2 days. Plus, tours are cheaper than arranging them individually!
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the slopes and hotels were empty. 25 years ago
1 hour waiting for lift
But it seems like a lie.
There was no need to wait for a lift, and to top it all off, the weather was nice and not too cold, and the snow quality from the top of the large slope was excellent and comfortable.
I’m going to go skiing next spring again, and if possible, I’d like the Naeba Gondola to be in operation and the Ski Circus to be able to take me all the way to Tashiro, Mitsumata, and Kagura.
🤗This is the end of “Naeba Skiing & Prince Hotel Accommodation Experience for the First Time in 25 Years”. Thank you for reading to the end this time.
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