I brought the Tokyo Wide Pass (10,000 yen) when I arrived in Tokyo, and settled in hotel in Karuizawa. The reason I was not skiing in Karuizawa was that they use artificial snow which is less comfortable. On my second day I took JR to Gala Yuzawa (which is free!) and can see snowing once you get off JR (how exciting it is to a boy living in sub-tropical region). I joined the skiing with discount price (discount + 10% for equipment rental), and you can tell how much I have saved. The routes are of different difficulties, and for beginners there are coaches that speaks English and Chinese. It worth spend one day or more to this resort.
It's a nice and short escape from Tokyo, Only 77 minutes by fast train. If you have spare time (and money), want to have a little late spring 🌸/ ski 🎿 moment, consider to visit Gala Yuzawa 🫶
👌 Access is easy, from station to station
👌 Views and ambience, I can say it's good (just hope for the sun to come out)
Actually, this is the best place for you to try Skiing or Snowboarding for the first time, or maybe just take your fun time with snow sledge-ing. If you come in winter, all the hills and land will be all white covered by snows, I came in late spring but still unbelievable beautiful.
Gala Yuzawa Snow Resort is one of the best places to visit in Japan, especially for snow lovers.
With its convenient location and breathtaking snowy landscapes, it’s perfect for skiing, snowboarding, or just enjoying the winter atmosphere.
The facilities are well-maintained, and there’s a fun vibe with lots of people enjoying the slopes. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, this resort has something for everyone.
A must-visit for anyone traveling to Japan during winter!
A bullet train ride away from Tokyo. If you missed the early trains, their bus will pick you up from the other station. The gondola ride to the resort is breathtaking with views of snow covered mountain and pine trees. You can ski by renting, boots and masks are also for rent. I just hope they have more guides for first time tourist to ask around for help. It closes at 5pm and the bullet train is just right in the resort.
Drawbacks:
1) Staff here are very rude especially towards tourists. We, as a skiing beginner, needed help to get down by lift because we cannot go down by ski trail. However, the staff sigh and was quite annoyed by our request. They also didn’t allow us to go up by lift at 4 PM without putting on ski equipment. They were annoyed by our request. What if we just want to walk around the bell of love and go down? No, we cannot.
2) This place here is a big ‘No’ for literal beginners. Just go to other places if you play ski for the first time. The very beginner trail (E) is very steep, and the other beginner trail (D) is very dangerous because you need to ski down the path that’s located just beside the cliff. No net were installed to prevent us from falling down cliff. There are also no places for the beginner to try skiing. If you climb up trail D for a short distance to get a slight steepness, you will get scolded by the staff.
3) The total expenses (if you literally don’t bring anything here) is around 15,000 yen. Which I think is quite expensive compared to the bad experience I got.
Advantages:
1) The landscape is very beautiful.
2) It is located very near to the train station.
