Hunter Mountain Shiobara — Attraction in Nasushiobara

The Hunter Mountain Shiobara is a small ski resort but very well run with an efficient rental service (though a times chaotic when it is crowded). There chair lifts and ropeways are fast as well. The ski resort is effectively separated into two main areas one served by the Gondola and the other with a Quad Lift. The areas served by the Gondola goes to the top and have black slopes continuing into red slopes. While the Quad Lift connects to the beginner and intermediate slopes.

The beginner slopes here are almost flat which might not provide much kick. The intermediate slopes are similar to a steeper blue slopes in an Austrian or German ski resort or a harder beginner slope in Zao Onsen, which are more fun to ride. Due to its size, a day trip is enough and you get rewarded with nice views of the mountains of Nasu Kogen.

However, the lift tickets are rentals are definitely not one of the cheapest when compared to other ski resorts in Japan such as Yuzawa, Nozawa or Zao for the value its gives. You can find some web discounts online to reduce the cost.

On weekdays, the parking is free but public holidays and weekends meant a 1000 JPY flat fee parking fee. There is a shuttle bus service between the resort and NasuShiobara station but it departs at 8-9 am and returns at 4-5 pm, which would limit your itinerary if you want to only do a half day visit.

The ski resort is managed and run by Tokyu Snow Resorts and developed by the folks behind Hunter Mountain, New York in the US thus the runs are named "Broadway", "Sesami St.", "Park...

Probably a great place to visit during Ski season, but we went to see the Autumn leaves change, and only a little change had occurred. So we decided to take the gondola ride all the way up to the top of the mountain to check out the scenery up there. Upon arriving at the top we were surprised to find out that the viewing area was very small and the view wasn't that good. The best view was located on the other side of the mountain which required you to walk on a wooden walkway with no side railings. In my opinion the walkway was quite dangerous. People walking on their going both ways and some of the areas on the walkway had steep drop offs. So in other words if you made a mistake and fell off of the walkway you were going to be in for a long tumbled down the side of the mountain. The walkway had stairs going up and down, and mats placed on the floor, but nothing to hold on to as you were walking. Hopefully they will fix this problem in the future. Apparently The view when you finish the walk up to the final part of the mountain was supposed to be beautiful, but I never made it that far because I felt it was too dangerous. Maybe my rating will change in the future if I can visit here again...

Charging for parking on weekends at this ski resort feels quite unreasonable, especially when you’re already paying for the lift tickets, rentals, and other expenses. ¥1000 for parking on top of everything else is disappointing, particularly when larger and better ski resorts often include parking for free. They really should reconsider this policy or at least reduce the fee to something more reasonable, like ¥300 or ¥500.

When we visited, the snow wasn’t in great condition—it was hard and not fresh, which made skiing less enjoyable. To add to that, the lift lines were overcrowded, likely because so many people from Tokyo seem to flock here on weekends. It was more chaotic than relaxing.

If you’re planning a trip, I’d recommend considering other ski resorts, like Inawashiro, which offer a better overall experience. This resort has potential, but between the parking charges, the snow quality, and the crowds, it falls short of...