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Snowboarding in Honshu with kids 2020/8/14 21:55
Hello,

We are looking for a place for snowboarding next winter. Our requirements are:
-no crowded or westernized resort
-off-piste possible
-the steeper the better
-ski lessons in Japanese
-childcare available

Do you have any ideas?

Thanks in advance

by Asienreise2011  

Re: Snowboarding in Honshu with kids 2020/8/15 15:35
Ski lessons in Japan wont be difficult to find.
by H (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Snowboarding in Honshu with kids 2020/8/15 15:52
Ok thanks,. Sure, but just to be clear: We are looking for ski lessons in Japanese for kids
by Asienreise2011 rate this post as useful

Re: Snowboarding in Honshu with kids 2020/8/16 10:34
Have you tried this website?

They do a pretty good run down of most of what you are asking at nearly every ski area in Japan
https://www.powderhounds.com/Japan.aspx

I've never heard of a lot of childcare in Japan outside of luxury Western hotels or actual daycares for people who actually live in Japan. There are children's play areas and children's ski lessons, but not actual child care where you can leave your kids with someone to watch them and go do your own thing.

I've personally been to Shiga Kogen. There were a bunch of Australians there, but I would overall say it was not packed. We spent all of our time in a children's play area and did not hit the slopes. I've hurt myself skiing and had zilch desire to risk it while on vacation. However, judging from the people we saw skiing there, it didn't look too crowded and no one seemed to be waiting more than 5 or ten minutes where we were for the lifts. We did not stay overnight. We stayed in nearby Kanabayashi onsen since the next day we were seeing the snow monkeys. This particular February was bad for snow in a lot of Japan but there was plenty of snow in Shiga Kogen.
by rkold rate this post as useful

Re: Snowboarding in Honshu with kids 2020/8/17 04:06
Surprizing as it is. Japanese kids do speak Japanese. So finding ski lessons for you kids in Japanese wont be difficult.
by H (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Snowboarding in Honshu with kids 2020/8/17 11:46
uno westernized resortv
I'm not sure what your personal definition of "westernized" is here, but Japan didn't have an indigenous ski culture before the sport was introduced via contact with the west. So if you're looking for a ski resort in Japan that's steeped in traditional Japanese culture, you might have a hard time finding one.
by . . . . (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Snowboarding in Honshu with kids 2020/8/17 19:43
You don't mention your children's ages, but that could change what is available. If they are young (3-4), there are far fewer places that offer skiing lessons for the youngest children. Karuizawa Prince does not hit all your other points, but it does offer skiing lessons for as young as 3. I believe I have heard that Gala Yuzawa does as well. But both those places are popular for the same sort of reasons that you are looking for.

For older kids, there is a lot more choices. I second Shiga Kogen as being a great choice to look into. Also I really loved Myoko in Niigata, and I believe I saw lessons taking place.

Childcare... you could probably use the time your kids are in their lessons to go off by yourself, but beyond that I don't think you are going to find a lot of choices. Karuizawa Prince used to offer childcare for younger kids, but don't anymore. Some have an activities type "class" they offer to keep the kids occupied for an hour or two while the parents ski, however. You might search for something like that.
by scarreddragon rate this post as useful

Re: Snowboarding in Honshu with kids 2020/8/17 21:36
As mentioned by a couple of people, hotel-run childcare services are very rare in Japan. However, when I used to work in the Japanese hotel marketing industry, many of our clients said that if a guest requested, they could refer them to third-party childcare providers who could dispatch staff to the hotel. However, these services wouldn't be cheap, and availability might be very limited in ski-area towns without a large local population.
by . . . . (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Snowboarding in Honshu with kids 2020/8/17 22:19
Many thanks for your answers and suggestion. Shiga Kogen sounds promising (born in the Alps, we appreciate challenging slopes and love off piste riding).

The kids are 2 and 5, so day care is needed for the younger one. @H and rkold: While ski lessons are not too difficult to find, day care seems to be rare. However, we have been to Sahoho Hotel and Tomamu in Hokkaido, where (Japanese speaking) day care if offered for toddlers.
by Asienreise2011 rate this post as useful

Re: Snowboarding in Honshu with kids 2020/8/18 03:49
Nozawa Onsen might fit the bill. It has more of a quaint, small town vibe and you can get little bit more of a "non-western" experience. I don't think off-piste riding is allowed, but there are back country tours being offered. There is daycare available for your little one, as well. https://www.nozawaholidays.com/nozawa-onsen-skiing/child-care-baby-sit...
by Taco Grande rate this post as useful

Re: Snowboarding in Honshu with kids 2020/8/19 08:41
Myoko is a great region for families. Prince Resorts run Myoko Suginohara and has local ski instructors and also offer children under 13 ski for free. There are lots of great options for side country and backcountry at and around this resort.
I run a small pension at the base of Myoko Suginohara resort and please check out our website www.driftermyoko.com or email me at driftermyoko@gmail.com
by chris lane (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Snowboarding in Honshu with kids 2020/8/19 08:49
Myoko is a great region for families. Prince Resorts run Myoko Suginohara and has local ski instructors and also offer children under 13 ski for free. There are lots of great options for side country and backcountry at and around this resort.
I run a small pension at the base of Myoko Suginohara resort and please check out our website www.driftermyoko.com or email me at driftermyoko@gmail.com
by chris lane (guest) rate this post as useful

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