Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort
Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort
Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort
4
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Full view
About
Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort is one of the easiest accessible resorts from Tokyo. You can reach there in about an hour by Shinkansen. The ski resort offers good condition trails mainly for beginner and intermediate level skiers, as well as snow parks. The ski season starts from November as snow machines make good snow in the cold air. A huge resort area lies at the bottom of the ski resort including Prince Hotels and a big shopping complex.
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Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
4.0
262 reviews
Excellent
55
Very good
125
Average
53
Poor
20
Terrible
9
PPMAAVM
London, UK390 contributions
Jan 2020
Less than 90 min ride by Shinkansen from Tokyo. Super easy access from the station. Good equipment, both in terms of ski lifts and ski rental etc. Very friendly staff, paying particular attention to new skiers and children. Well done. Number of slopes a bit limited for a long stay, but the setup makes it ideal for a weekend. Recommendation to arrive early: slopes are more or less empty in the morning, and quite packed in the afternoon...as more people arrive from Tokyo.
Written January 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jessica W
Hong Kong, China236 contributions
Feb 2016 • Family
As this was the 2nd time I went skiing (the first time was 20 odd years ago), it would be difficult to comment on the ski site. What impressed me was the ski school. There were 3 ski schools operating, and I reserved 2 days, each day 2 hours english speaking coach well in advance at Karuizawa ski school. We were met by Naomi on the first day. She was very patient and skilful, teaching us many essential and basic skills. We were so impressed that we decided to try booking for 4 hours the next day. The next day, we were met by another coach but unfortunately I did not have the english translation of his name. He was equally good, took us to our first ski lift journey and we all felt more confident in skiing with his teaching. He even took us to the highest part of the mountain and empower us to ski down. I told him that I would never have gone this far without him. My kids loved skiing after this trip and the coaches should take credit for it!
Written February 13, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
yara001
Tokyo, Japan118 contributions
Getting there: We took the bullet train from Tokyo (about 60 minutes) for a four-night holiday. Although the hotel is about a 10-minute walk from the station, the hotel has a small bus waiting for passengers at the Karuizawa station as the trains arrive. Very convenient!
The Resort: Karuizawa East was expensive, but we loved it. With our three small children, we rented a cabin. It was tiny but had two bedrooms and was also close to the outlet mall. It was the perfect place to come to at the end of the day. You also have the opportunity to earn a 500 yens coupon per person for each day you choose to forego the cleaning service.
The restaurants: I wasn't impressed. They have two large restaurants, one Japanese one Western, and a small diner type of place. I can't comment on the Japanese one, as we did not go to it. We did have breakfast included with our stay so we went to the western one every morning. It opened at 7:00 a.m. and by then there were at least 6 or 7 families waiting outside. After 8:00 a.m. there was usually a waiting list. The breakfast buffet was okay, with a good assortment of breads, juices, and Japanese type items. Dinner was too expensive. We tried the diner once, Pento I think was the name. As the other two, it was way overpriced for the quality of the food. Walking the 10-15 minutes through the mall to its food area is so worth it. The little restaurants there serving food to those about the catch the train are very popular and have amazing food.
Ski area: The ski rental and lift ticket window open at 7:45 a.m. Early in the morning is a great time to start, by 11:00 a.m. everyone who comes for the day has arrived, and at least one of the three open lifts had a long line by that time. Having visited in December, we only experienced the artificial snow, but we still had a great time, and everything ran very smoothly. The staff is very nice and helpful. They went out of their way to speak English to us.
I highly recommend this resort for a weekend getaway or family vacation.
The Resort: Karuizawa East was expensive, but we loved it. With our three small children, we rented a cabin. It was tiny but had two bedrooms and was also close to the outlet mall. It was the perfect place to come to at the end of the day. You also have the opportunity to earn a 500 yens coupon per person for each day you choose to forego the cleaning service.
The restaurants: I wasn't impressed. They have two large restaurants, one Japanese one Western, and a small diner type of place. I can't comment on the Japanese one, as we did not go to it. We did have breakfast included with our stay so we went to the western one every morning. It opened at 7:00 a.m. and by then there were at least 6 or 7 families waiting outside. After 8:00 a.m. there was usually a waiting list. The breakfast buffet was okay, with a good assortment of breads, juices, and Japanese type items. Dinner was too expensive. We tried the diner once, Pento I think was the name. As the other two, it was way overpriced for the quality of the food. Walking the 10-15 minutes through the mall to its food area is so worth it. The little restaurants there serving food to those about the catch the train are very popular and have amazing food.
Ski area: The ski rental and lift ticket window open at 7:45 a.m. Early in the morning is a great time to start, by 11:00 a.m. everyone who comes for the day has arrived, and at least one of the three open lifts had a long line by that time. Having visited in December, we only experienced the artificial snow, but we still had a great time, and everything ran very smoothly. The staff is very nice and helpful. They went out of their way to speak English to us.
I highly recommend this resort for a weekend getaway or family vacation.
Written December 28, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jimmy H
5 contributions
Jan 2018
it's like time stood still ther 30y behind the rest of the world but ther prices are similar to modern hotels
this place is connected to a one of the worst ski resorts i ever experienced in japan super crowded and only artificial snow they also own the outlet mall 100s or stores selling stuff you dont need or things you can find in tokyo other than that ther is nothing to do ther mainly rich chinese families staying ther to do shopping and try skiing for the first time kamikaze style straight in to anything just to stop noting is translated to english in the rental they dont even know how to sell you a lift pass i know its japan but other prince hotels have great information in english as prince owns everything around the hotel from ski resort to restaurants they dont relly care about the quality and can price everything up 1h cue for the slope lunch restaurant every day and a 30-60 min line for the chairlift considering the slopes dont take more than 5 min for an intermediate skier to get down form i wouldn't recommend you guys to come her for skiing ther are plenty of other great places to go in japan
this place is connected to a one of the worst ski resorts i ever experienced in japan super crowded and only artificial snow they also own the outlet mall 100s or stores selling stuff you dont need or things you can find in tokyo other than that ther is nothing to do ther mainly rich chinese families staying ther to do shopping and try skiing for the first time kamikaze style straight in to anything just to stop noting is translated to english in the rental they dont even know how to sell you a lift pass i know its japan but other prince hotels have great information in english as prince owns everything around the hotel from ski resort to restaurants they dont relly care about the quality and can price everything up 1h cue for the slope lunch restaurant every day and a 30-60 min line for the chairlift considering the slopes dont take more than 5 min for an intermediate skier to get down form i wouldn't recommend you guys to come her for skiing ther are plenty of other great places to go in japan
Written May 20, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LKH131
Singapore, null, Singapore100 contributions
Dec 2014 • Family
Came in 2nd week Dec where there isn't much snow yet. We came primarily for our kids to have fun on the snowy / icy slopes . Think it was 1300 yen per admission. Kids enjoyed themselves tremendously. We had planned for a day trip here and made our own way to and fro the ski resort riding on the Shinkansen. There is quite a number of factory outlet stores for brands like Nike, Adidas etc. it was not crowded at all, probably still early in the winter season.
Written December 17, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WilSG
Doha, Qatar871 contributions
Feb 2018 • Solo
Extremely popular resort because of it is perhaps the only one within walking distance from a train station. Free shuttle bus from karuizawa Station south exit. 10min to resort. All ski gears (including gloves, ski pants etc) can be rented either at the only shop at the north exit (about 25%) cheaper or at the resort itself.
Many locals from Tokyo and a ton of Taiwanese frequent this resort since its the closest in Nagano from Tokyo and makes for a day trip. Apparently the second ski resort in whole of Japan to open its doors the earliest before winter season.
Dump your change of shoes and clothes at the locker room in "snow house" before you hop on the lift. Note that the locker (300 to 500 yen depending on sizes) can only be opened once so you do want to take all you need first before locking it.
I would recommend this resort for tourists who just wants a few days of powdery fun.
Tip: buy the ski lift passes at the 7-11 store at the right of the south exit to save a out 1000yen. Opens after 9am though so if you are the early snow chasers you might want to buy the night before. Also check out the hotels at the north exit (opposite side of the resort) for cheaper hotels deals.
Many locals from Tokyo and a ton of Taiwanese frequent this resort since its the closest in Nagano from Tokyo and makes for a day trip. Apparently the second ski resort in whole of Japan to open its doors the earliest before winter season.
Dump your change of shoes and clothes at the locker room in "snow house" before you hop on the lift. Note that the locker (300 to 500 yen depending on sizes) can only be opened once so you do want to take all you need first before locking it.
I would recommend this resort for tourists who just wants a few days of powdery fun.
Tip: buy the ski lift passes at the 7-11 store at the right of the south exit to save a out 1000yen. Opens after 9am though so if you are the early snow chasers you might want to buy the night before. Also check out the hotels at the north exit (opposite side of the resort) for cheaper hotels deals.
Written February 8, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
garrellm
Tokyo, Japan128 contributions
Jan 2017 • Solo
Your view of the place will probably depend a lot on your level. I am a beginner and appreciated that there are many people like me. I can also see children with their parents. Also good to be so close to the shopping mall if you want to do some shopping or have companions that are not too much into skiing/snowboarding.
Written January 26, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Iris D
13 contributions
Nov 2015 • Family
Most ski resorts in Japan open not until late December but Karuizawa opens on early November. The snow is machine-made but is still in a pretty good quality. They offer rentals on boards and equipment but are kinda pricey. There are a lot of visitors during weekend so I suggest you go on weekdays when most Japanese are at work or at school.
Written March 6, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joyce L
Seminyak, Indonesia38 contributions
Dec 2015
We stayed here for 1 night and had the 2 BR cottage. It is lovely, cosy and well heated (especially grateful when you are in sub-zero temperature).
It is also easy to get to from Tokyo (only 1 hour Shinkansen from Ueno station). The resort is at the base of the mountain and surrounded by a factory outlet mall; once you are out from the train station - look for either the south or north exit (it should coincide with the room that you book) and take the shuttle bus to the resort. The shuttle bus only runs from 830am (if I remembered correctly) and depart station-resort-mall-station every 15 mins.
They also have ski school located within the resort so you can book your ski lessons from there; everything under 1 roof!
Definitely worth a visit if you have some time to spare and want to try out skiing as beginners & of course, great shopping!
It is also easy to get to from Tokyo (only 1 hour Shinkansen from Ueno station). The resort is at the base of the mountain and surrounded by a factory outlet mall; once you are out from the train station - look for either the south or north exit (it should coincide with the room that you book) and take the shuttle bus to the resort. The shuttle bus only runs from 830am (if I remembered correctly) and depart station-resort-mall-station every 15 mins.
They also have ski school located within the resort so you can book your ski lessons from there; everything under 1 roof!
Definitely worth a visit if you have some time to spare and want to try out skiing as beginners & of course, great shopping!
Written January 6, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LenaPera
Japan271 contributions
Jan 2014 • Family
I suggest that you go here when its not a holiday since there were so many people that it was scarier to think that you would collide with someone than to actually ski. The resort is really good though with great and accomodating instructors. Although not all can speak english. Our coach was able to speak a little that he was able to help my brother.
The slopes are really great and i loved the courses! Its also train accessible but we went by car since our uncle had his own skiis. The place also has a lot of different options for skii clothing and boots and skii rentals are very easy to borrow since they act very quickly and they are very accomodating at the resort even with the great number of people. They were very efficient and quick in accomodating us all. Food is quite expensive though so i suggest that if you don't want to spend much you may pass by one of the near family marts or 711 on the way and buy food. Also its cheaper to buy the skii lift pass at 711 so i suggest you get it there as well.
The place is more like a ski resort/ hotel / shopping mall with the many outlet stores that it has. Its definitely a great place to ski! And there are spend time with family and or your friends for a short trip near Tokyo.
The slopes are really great and i loved the courses! Its also train accessible but we went by car since our uncle had his own skiis. The place also has a lot of different options for skii clothing and boots and skii rentals are very easy to borrow since they act very quickly and they are very accomodating at the resort even with the great number of people. They were very efficient and quick in accomodating us all. Food is quite expensive though so i suggest that if you don't want to spend much you may pass by one of the near family marts or 711 on the way and buy food. Also its cheaper to buy the skii lift pass at 711 so i suggest you get it there as well.
The place is more like a ski resort/ hotel / shopping mall with the many outlet stores that it has. Its definitely a great place to ski! And there are spend time with family and or your friends for a short trip near Tokyo.
Written January 2, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
elizard_8
Australia26 contributions
Is the Snow Park usually more busy on New Year's Day (1 Jan), compared to say, 29 Dec?
Savvy D
Tamuning, Mariana Islands4 contributions
Hello! We are planning on stopping by early November to take our 4 and 6 year old girls to see snow. Is the kid area open during this time? Do we need buy tickets in advance or do we just pay our entrance fee upon arrival?
Daphne Y
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia7 contributions
Hi. We are staying at East cottage A from 5-7 Jan 2020.
1) Is there free transport from Karuizawa train station to the cottage?
2) is the onsen free for east cottage A guests?
3) how far to walk from east cottage A to the main shopping area?
4) are there any restaurant nearby?
Thanks
Daphne
Robin Ho
Taipei, Taiwan16 contributions
1) Yes, there is free transport from the train station. However, it is not far by foot.
2) As far as I know, onsen is not free for cottage guests.
3) It takes less than 10 minutes for walk from cottage A the main shopping area. Very convenient.
4) There are some very good restaurants in the shopping area. Some restaurant are so busy that you should go earlier to book.
Hi we are planning on visiting karuizawa on 2nd - 4th of January 2020, are outsiders (not staying at Prince Hotel) allowed to play in the resort? Thank you.
Robin Ho
Taipei, Taiwan16 contributions
Yes, the ski resort is also open to the public. There are a lot of travelers for daily ski program. However, travelers not staying at Prince Hotel are not allowed for hot spring.
daisyranger
portland,oregon47 contributions
What to wear for visit in mid May?
Ashley L
Bangkok, Thailand304 contributions
Apologize for the late reply!
It will be around 15-18C
Joseph AY
Hong Kong, China2 contributions
Planning for a trip in mid November this year. Will all ski trails be available in early November? If not, which trails will be opened in Nov? Many thanks!
393hidekii
Nagoya, Japan344 contributions
It is difficult to open everything in mid-November. It's about two courses. However, it is certainly one of the first ski resorts open in Japan.
Can i rent snowboard set in morning and change to skis set in afternoon?
393hidekii
Nagoya, Japan344 contributions
Different rental can be done in the morning and the afternoon, but the fee will be generated by 4500 yen in 4 hours.
By the way, the rental fee for the 1st day of the ski will be charged 5000 yen each.
Eric Chia
2 contributions
Hi,
I am planning to go Jan 2019. Just for kids to enjoy snow and playing with sled and playground. Do i need to purchase lift tickets? Do you have rubber boots for rental?
remmahramklov
India177 contributions
Yes you can purchase lift tickets. Also they have a lot of ski related gear to rent but I am not sure it includes rubber boots
Hi, we have a reservation for a cabin on 7th Dec 2018. We know the snow resort is partly open. Could you please let us know if the Kid/Chidren Zone for tubing is open during this time as well? Thank you.
Thank you for your inquiry.
The kids zone will not be open till mid Dec to late Dec.
and It is also depends on the weather.
Im sorry for your inconvenience.
Thank you,
Prince Snow Resort
Hi, we have a reservation on 7th December. I know that the ski resort is partly open.
I would like to know if the Kid Park for young children to play tubing / sleding is open? Thks.
I went there late nov last year with my son and they have opened by that time. Karuizawa is a man-made snow resort so they start open early in November. Sledding and tubing was so much fun for my 4 years old son. I recommend you to go.
Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort Information
Excellent Reviews | 55 |
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Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort Photos | 214 |