Our stay at the Akakura Kanko Hotel was very memorable and a truly special experience. This excellent hotel had plenty of historic charm, and whilst it was a little outdated in a couple of places, it was largely very elegant and modernized. The staff were incredibly friendly and it was the many small touches that made the difference to our stay.

Apparently some rooms in the main part of the hotel haven’t been renovated, but ours was lovely and spacious and had modern trendy Japanese décor. It’s a shame we didn’t have the budget to stay in one of the rooms with a private onsen on the balcony – they sounded magnificent!

The meals at the hotel were exceptional (especially the kaiseki Japanese meals) but we were glad that we mixed things up by also heading into town. There were only set menus on offer and the food was very pricey. Even the informal café charged high prices.

The location had some advantages and disadvantages. It was so convenient to rent our gear, walk out the door of the locker room and be on the slopes in an instant. Being perched up on the mountain, the hotel also offered fantastic views. However the hotel is a little isolated from the town and it was a little inconvenient when we wanted to head down there for dinner. We used the on-demand hotel shuttle bus a few times but it didn’t appear to run in the evenings so we had to catch a taxi. It was also a little inconvenient to get to the nearby ski areas.

Both the indoor and outdoor onsens were a highlight, as were the views. We found some staff that spoke English, whilst there were many that didn’t but this is Japan after all!
See our video here