(My only challenge was being vegetarian and Chalet Shiga's chef was not willing to substitute the menu choices to fish or vegetarian - BUT on my 4th request, they did an evening meal for us that was beautiful. There are many other places to eat out in walking distance to Chalet Shiga but our friends ate in a few times and that's much nicer after a day of skiing).
Hisae, with your help to secure the booking, it all went beautifully. Thank you.
Mid Feb 2018
We had a great time at Chalet Shiga. The only problem was that we had to go home. The rooms were good but were smelling of cigarettes when we arrived. I would like a non smoking floor next time. We ate in their dining room and the food was good as were the breakfasts. The onsen was nice and hot for the first few days, but the last few days it was too cold.
The staff were great, friendly and English spoken which made it easy for us. The costs were reasonable, but we would like to check out other places for price comparisons or perhaps go back to Myoko or Nozawa.
One great advantage in Shiga is that it is a ski in/out area. A disadvantage is that there is not enough restaurants to guarantee a meal each night. We soon learnt to book one or two days in advance.
We will probably be going back next year.
Thanks and best regards,
Peter.
Late Feb 2017
The Chalet Shiga was very good value for money however we unfortunately got very sick with influenza on arriving at Shiga Kogen – probably from the flight over as they say it takes about a week to affect you and we had a week at Hakuba before heading to Shiga. I skied for only 2 hours out of a planned 4 days skiing. The rest of the family were not quite as sick and got a day or two in skiing. The rooms were good (I know as I spent most of my time in it) and the onsen was great. Service at the hotel was also great as was the Tapas Bar downstairs. Ski storage room was great for storage and plenty of seating to get yourself organised.The ski hire shop across the road was a bit dodgy in the quality of equipment they were giving out (this was a general feeling from our whole group) – not sure where else we could have gone but next time I would source elsewhere. Would recommend and stay there again
Regards,
Greg LEE
Early Feb 2017
Chalet Shiga was exactly what we had hoped for and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We will most likely return next year.We enjoyed good clean rooms and amenities and a good breakfast. We loved having an Onsen each day after a hard day’s skiing. The staff were helpful and friendly and a number spoke good English. We found the heated ski locker room a bonus. The hotel is opposite a ski lift which made access easy and we could ski back to the front door each day. Discount lift tickets were available at the reception desk.Our only minor problem was finding a restaurant in town for our evening meal as several were closed, particularly on weekends. The restaurants that were open were generally booked out. We experienced this last year as well and were told that it was because there were several school groups visiting. I can’t understand why it is necessary to close restaurants and miss out on the trade. It actually became a bit of a joke with other guests and a race to find a meal.
Regards,
Peter, Barbara and Michael.
Mid January 2017
We had the most fantastic time at Chalet Shiga, the service was brilliant, our rooms perfect, just wished we could have stayed for twice as long.
Lucy
Early January
2017 Great time in Japan. Snow was light on in Appi and Zao which was a shame but it bucketed in Shiga.Loved Chalet Shiga. The owners are fantastic.Rooms are spotless, big, spacious, front rooms have amazing views of the slopes and in a great spot. Good little izakaya 20m away and in the chalet they have a fantastic simple restaurant which was amazing -local beers, wine and good home cooked food. Breakfast really good. Straight across the road to a ski lifGreat variety of slopes -had a terrific 4 days. Highly recommend Chalet Shiga to everyone -families, couples. Heaps of snow.
Regards
Linda
Mid Jan 2016
We travelled as a family of 7 to Japan and stayed at Chalet Shiga for 4 nights in January. We had the most memorable time here. The accommodation was great. We had 3 of the tatami mat rooms and as requested had 3 fantastic rooms next to each other. They were very clean and comfortable, and we all loved the robes and slippers provided. Mr Sato was so helpful and was always eager to explain buses and help with timetables, especially when we were trying to make the trip to the snow monkey park. All the staff were lovely, polite and helpful. The Chalet is in the best location and we just walked across the road to a couple of chair lifts. The skiing was also fantastic and once again all the staff were so friendly and polite. We definitely plan to return as soon as we can make it. The whole experience in the snow was made so enjoyable by the great service provided by Japan Snow accommodation especially Hisae, and by all the people at Chalet Shiga.
Huang
Late January 2015
The Shiga leg of the trip was excellent. Lots of snow, Hide and his wife were superb hosts, the accommodation on the snow worked really well. I cannot comment on how good the snow was, how short the lift queues were and how easy it was to get around (with our limited Japanese). We loved the Chalet Shiga and the owners (Hide and Hideyo (?) were beautiful people. If you had an email for them please send to me so I can thank them properly. I did not realise how much his family is a part of the local history. We also caught a bus on several days to travel to nearby ski fields– many you can easily ski to and from! The view from the Bakery on a clear day was impossible to describe! Highly recommended. Some travellers may be potentially unsure of the lack of western “things” but they should not be worried, the experience is a pleasure and everyone local is so friendly that language barriers and new foods are simply part of the fun! I attach a number of photos for you to use as you wish. The small trouble we had was the small number of restaurants to eat at but we managed to find enough to keep us full and happy for a week! Thank again for your help in finding great accom, brilliant snow and a wonderful Japanese holiday. We have been to ski in Japan 5 times and each time is an incredible holiday and cultural experience. Many thanks again
The Bradbury family (Sydney Australia).
Mid January 2014
Many thanks to Hisae for arranging an excellent ski holiday in Shiga Kogen. She was able to answer all our questions about travel, transfers, money etc Would have no hesitation in recommending Japan Snow Accommodation to other skiers." Thanks again for your help. We will be in touch about our next trip to Japan.
Regards
Anthony
Date
The trip was a blast! I have no complaints at all about the stay. It was well-kept and the rooms were very large, plus it had a bar downstairs which was quite nice. One suggestion I do have is to try and find a more detailed map of the some of the bars, restaurants and shops within maybe a 20 minute walking distance. We ended up doing our own exploring, but it would have been nice to have more of an idea of what is around us since we are more or less limited to what's available up in the mountain. Thank you for your great service and a wonderful holiday!
Mallory Bergen
Date
First, the staff at Chalet Shiga was extremely friendly and helpful" - Ming They had our dinner ready, even though we arrived late and past their dining hours. They walked to the lifts with us to make sure our lift passes worked properly. Second, we enjoyed the spaciousness of the tatami rooms. Third, the location was great, right across from the lifts. Needs improvement: The breakfast...while they offered both the traditional Japanese-style and the Western-style breakfast, the overall options left us pining for properly cooked eggs and good-for-you items (fresh fruit, whole wheat bread, muesli, yoghurt...). Honourable mention to Hisae Cameron for being super helpful and patient with us!
Ming
Date
WE were very happy with the our stay at the Chalet Shiga" - Bernie The tatami rooms are very spacious,warm and housekeeping was great. The food was nice and always ready. Eggs where cold in the morning, as everything was also ready when we came. Staff where all very nice and helpful, and if we would have worried enough about it and said something, I'm sure they would have cooked them, when we arrived for breakfast. The internet was fast and sometimes worked in the room also. The location is perfect, you can ski in and out. We would stay there again anytime. Thank you
Bernie
