Name: Chalet Shiga
Address: Ichinose, Shigakogen, Yamanouchi, Yamanouchi, Yamanouchi, 381-0401, Japan
Rating: 8

Shopping on site

Computer

Elevator/lift

Smoking areas

Smoke-free property

Gift shop

Reception desk

General

Family room

Rooms

Laundry

Safe-deposit box

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Restaurant

Vending machine

Meals

Free Wi-Fi

Internet

English

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Library

Hiking

Fishing

Recreation

Parking

Parking nearby

Tennis court

Golf сourse (within 3 km)

Sports

Massage

Sauna

First Aid Kit

Beauty and wellness

Skiing

Winter sports

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Temperature control for staff

Personal protection equipment for staff

Extra decontamination measures

Temperature control for guests

Personal protection equipment for guests

Additional measures against COVID-19

Health and Safety Measures

Location

At the hotel

Chalet Shiga

Yamanouchi

I've just spent 8 nights ( off peak) at Chalet Shiga for spring skiing.  I stayed there mainly because it was one of the few hotels that got back to me regarding my pre booking questions.

The location is great. Right opposite the  Inchinose ski fields ( you have a 2 min walk across the road to a chair lift) and the free shuttle stops right outside. 

It's very quiet at night but the heater does make loud clanging sounds from time to time and is difficult to turn on and off.

The Western style beds are very cmfortable and loved the duvets and pillows.
Toilet and hand basin in the room was appreciated and there are shelves for your clothes. You are also given a dressing gown and slippers for the onsen, also toothbrush. Fresh towels and gown supplied every 2nd day.

The WiFi is fine in the lobby but useless in the rooms.

The main restaurant has amazing food but you need to book well in advance especially weekends and you have ti eat at 6pm. No preference is given to in-house guests nor was it clear that reservations are required when booking. The  Monday I was here I was told the 2 hotel restaurant and bar were closed so I had to go searching for somewhere else to eat ( could only find 1 other place that would take me, the other hotels wouldn't  as they only take their own guests and there's practically nothing else open late March). I returned to find the main restaurant was in fact open but not the Tappo Bar ( casual beer place with snacks). I'll put this misunderstanding down to a language issue ( reception staff speak very little English). As the main restaurant was often booked out I had to make do with evening snacks in the Tappo Bar ( again strict seating hours 5 to 7pm and 8 to 9pm. You must also book)

The bathing pool ( not an onsen but alkaline water) was very pleasant but floor needs frequent mopping as it was often very wet and slippery. Be aware you can't use the shower there until late in the afternoon due to cleaning. On my checkout day, I needed a morning shower as I had a long journey home. Despite no one actually cleaning  the area at 8.30am there was no way they'd let me in. Instead they pointed to the ' rules' stating the onsen hours.

There is a Delonghi coffee machine and tea in the lobby to use during your stay but don't expect to be able to have free use of this when you check out and are waiting for your taxi as they will charge you which is a bit rich especially given I'd just spent 8 nights here. Also don't  bother requesting a late check, even when the hotel isn't full, out as it's not going to happen!

The Ski locker area is good but there isn't a drying room so I had to take my boots and jacket to my room each night. There is a waxing and hire service which looks good.

In summary, this is a good hotel but staff and procedures  need to be more flexible and focus on customer service to attract international clientele especially as Shiga Kogan is now being sold more and more as an international ski destination.

Has international potential but falls short

Shiga Kogen and Chalet Shiga an excellent location and property. Sato the manager, his staff, the chalet, evening meals made for a wonderful stay. The property is very ski-in and ski-out and good access to the more challenging runs.

The food selection in the evening and the friendly staff were a real highlight.

Fabulous property - unique atmosphere - excellent food and presentation - great snowboarding options

Stayed for 6 nights. This hotel was probably built late 1980's early 1990's and really hasn't been updated since. this means that it is a bit quirky in its style and features. Our room was a reasonably good size (Western room with toilet but no shower) but our friends room (which was Western/Japanese mixture with ensuite) was a little cramped.  The rooms are reasonably clean but the beds were hard. There is a Tapas bar downstairs which serves good food and numerous types of local beer. There are lockers and ski racks on the ground floor to store your kit, but if your skis are mid fats, then they wont fit, as the ski racks are old design and for narrower skis. Breakfast is buffet Western/Japanese style and while nothing sensational , was plentiful and tasty. 
The hotel is located in Ichinose (Shiga Kogen) which is the best place to stay in Shiga Kogen as it has the most restaurants in the ski area.  Not ski in ski out, but a  100 metre walk gets you to the ski slope. 
There is also a ski/snow board shop on the ground floor for rentals and services , but is not particularly cheap. 
Overall a modest hotel which is clean, well located and reasonably priced. 

A little dated but clean and convenient location.

We stayed at Chalet Shiga in mid-late January 2020 and had 2 x western rooms. Although the rooms were pretty basic they were comfortable and clean. As with most Japanese accomodation the beds were fairly hard so took a bit of getting used to and the bathrooms were tiny cubicles but functional. Breakfast was a good combo of western (bacon/eggs/croissants, fruits, toast/rolls, spreads, coffee, tea juice etc) along with interesting Japanese equivalents. Great views from lodge overlooking Ichinose Diamond slope. From a Australian perspective the common / bar/lounge area on 2nd floor really needs an injection of personality and comfort to give it more of a 'lodge' feel. A few decent comfortable lounges & rugs or carpets on the bare tile floor etc would make this space somewhere that guests came to relax and chat rather than being a cold uninviting space which it currently is. The Teppa room downstairs is great for post-ski beers/snacks and dinner and the Head Ski rentals and communal locker/ski room is first class. Really great location (almost ski to/from the door) and reasonable rates make this an attractive accomodation option and the owner Mr Sato is helpful and converses well in English. We'll definitely be back. Thanks. 

Comfortable and great location

Chalet Shiga is all about location.  Ski in and out very easy.   Great access to the wide terrain of Shiga Kogen. Comfortable rooms ( we had Japanese room with lots of space for 3).  Nice public bath and even a massage service.   Nice little bar downstairs but often no table.   The one thing Ichinose misses is a really decent little Apres bar would just take the place up a level. One for the skiers and really easy for families I’d suggest.  Had the hotel meal one night.  Was only ok really.   Would definitely use this chalet again if staying in Shiga for skiing as so convenient 

Family ski trip 

Was recommended this chalet and resort by a friend...who had been there when the snow was good. We arrived mid-December to pretty much no snow. Not their fault but also the whole town was pretty much shut, in spite of their season opening 7 Dec. The chalet was clean but very very basic. We did opt for the Japanese style room, with shared bath. It was ok for the ‘experience’ but really nothing much else going for it. Food was very average and very difficult to find anything open in town. Won’t come back here, even if snow is great. The owner was good enough to refund most of our money when we cut our booking from 7 to 3 nights. Can’t really recommend though

Average...just

Our family stayed 4 nights in this hotel. We booked the modern Japanese room and the western twin room. The rooms were spacious and well heated. There are laundry facilities on the fourth floor.

Our hotel is well situated. There is ample free parking outside, and a ski rental (Head skis) and ski locker on the first floor of the hotel itself. The ski equipment are in very good condition.
There is another ski rental across the road however, the skis are not well looked after and they try to push amateur skis to foreigners.
The hotel is ski in and very close to both the Ichinose Family and Ichinose Diamond runs.

We had dinner at the hotel every night (half board). The food was delicious and the portions were ample. Our family loved the warm hospitality of the owners and really enjoyed our stay at this lovely hotel.



A lovely, warm stay in the heart of Shiga Kogen

We have stayed here 4 times and always enjoy it. Perfectly located with the rooms overlooking the ski fields obviously the pick. Food is great, service very friendly, and for an older stylish building it is excellent value and everything you want in the ski fields.

Our favourite

The only good things about this place is the Teppas Bar on ground level and that it is ski in when there is snow on the road and the lift is just across the road. Everything else gets a no from me. The man who runs the place although he spoke English was not very helpful when we asked him for things to do. He just gave us a weird look.

The rooms were small but not too small. The beds were two king singles and rock hard. The wall paper was coming of the wall, the pillows were stained, the curtains were stained, the floor was stained. The bathroom was not too bad. 

The onsen was basically just a hot pool in a room with stained yellow walls. The showers were ok.

Teppa bar was great and was basically the only place you could go out later than 8 pm for a drink. There were about 10 restaurants in Ichinose and about 5 of them were actually open on the days they said they would be open. The Indian at the Japan Hotel was great and we ended up going there 3 times as everything else we wanted to go to was closed. 

Do not go to Shiga Kogen if you want to have a selection of restaurants to go to at night.

We may have had a more enjoyable time if there was alot of snow on the slopes but unfortunate it hadn't snowed in a while and there were alot of icy runs.

I will not be coming back to Shiga Kogen but if I did I would probably stay at Prince East Hotel not this one.

Would not stay again

We had 4 in our party and shared 2 Japanese Western mix rooms with bathrooms and toilet on the 5th Floor.  The rooms are spacious, clean and cozy.   
I must say dinner is perfect and breakfast is very good indeed.  Onsen in hotel is big enough for you to relax. 
The Head Station on the 1st Floor for gear rental is definitely an advantage.
Another gear rental shop "Snowcan" is just opposite to the hotel with a great restaurant downstairs.
The bus stop to everywhere is just less than one minute walk from the hotel.
I must thank Mr. Sato (a good English speaker) for his great hospitality.  Highly recommended.

Chalet Shiga

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