Hoshino Resorts TOMAMU ski area — Attraction in Shimukappu

I recently had the pleasure of staying at Hoshino Resorts Tomamu, and we mostly enjoyed this stay We loved the ice village and access for kids (and kidult activities such as sledding) We’re a family with kids and there were plenty of time to do with kids. For the skier family you might need a bit more time to get organised

What we liked From the moment we arrived, the staff were warm, welcoming, and attentive to our every need. The resort itself is beautifully designed, lots of enclosed walk ways making it easy to navigate the reaper facilities ave restaurant. Room: Our room was spacious, comfortable, and had a stunning view of the surrounding mountains. And importantly some bay window space that you can try some laundry on Skiing - great! fairly short runs but when there is powder this resort really transforms. Food: good but prepare yourself for average 3500-5000 yen per person for dinner. Lunch OSS around 1500-2000 depending on what you choose. That days serving sizes are generous. The snow- so fluffy and we were lucky to have hit a snow week so lots of powder skiing Indoor pool- I mean heated pool in snow under cover - amazing Childcare - really loving and caring teacher who accommodated the need for our kid to have lunch but still cost around ¥3500 per hour

Didn’t like: Food options were centralised between the towers ands risonaire so every dinner requires a walk in the walkways- which is lovely unless you have young tired kids which makes them feel longer than needed Ski lessons- limited English slots and only my for 2 hours so you’re popping around the resort to meet pick up times Daycare- expensive but generally available. Really kind teachers. About 3500 yen per hour as at Jan 2025 - not linked to the ski school so you have to do the pick up drop off yourself Dinner wait times- for the cheaper options really long wait queues - esp if you have a kid asking when it’s our turn Ski hire- limited information on the ski hire - in summary as at 2025 - for normal carve skis it’s about ¥3000 per day - really cheap but also really heavy which makes skiing on powder a lot of work. If you want higher spec skis go to the Tomamu resort centre (a 5 mins resort bus away) - where ski rental double to 6000+ per day but you’ll get proper powder skis / all mountain skis- this was not quite available on the site to read Onsen - off site to have to take a bus to get there and though the buses run frequently it’s annoying to wear full snow gear after skiing to catch a bus - that said it is nice and quiet most of the time for this same reason Limited on piste dining- really interesting spot in the it’s the first mountain I’ve been on where on piste dining was limited - most dining options were at the bottom of runs which make it really family friendly if you have non skier but also lines were long

All in all a really great ski trip as there are mainly new skiers on the mountain so if you like the more advanced routes it’s usually quite free. Might not go back til the kids can ski independently though as the lessons time are a killer for pick up...

The place was overcrowded. It was like a busy train station and we ran around like headless chickens trying to find our way around. Staff was not all friendly and had limited English speaking ability. It was disappointing considering it’s an international resort. Some were inpatient and gave mixed instructions probably because they didn’t understand what we were saying. There were limited restaurants opening at night and every restaurant had long queues but there was no other way to find food since the convenience store had limited food options. Room with centralized air conditioning was v hot and uncomfortable to sleep at night. Ski rental shop didn’t have proper signage and proper flow for first timers to understand what to do and where to get staff. Most appalling of all, there was no medical assistance or pharmacy on site. We fell sick in the cold weather and did not have enough medication for our stay but had nowhere to get medicine and had to rely on our own immunity and loads of vit c we brought from home. We didn’t even manage to get any fruits during breakfast cos there was only cocktail fruits and on some days apples. I can’t imagine if I were to break a leg during a ski. I would not recommend anybody going to tomamu Hoshino, I don’t think it’s safe especially for families with...

Really enjoyed my experience there.

We went in mid-December and stayed at Village Alpha, one of the cheapest accomodation in the area, and it was still excellent! Clean and comfortable.

Since we went during mid December, only a few ski slopes were open. We were guided by two teachers there from the Snow Academy since we were beginners, and within two hours, we were able to ski quite well for a beginner. The queues for the ski lifts up the mountains weren't long too, much less than I originally thought.

I loved the food there, even though they were (obviously) more expensive than in the city. Most of the meals there cost around ¥1000–¥1500, so it was still good. Most of the people working there were also quite friendly and can speak a good amount of English.

There are also some other attractions and facilities you can visit, such as the Ice Village, Chapel on the Water and Mina Mina Beach. You can also take a gondola up one of the mountains at the Resort Centre. There's a cafe there and the night view is great. (But that is if the weather is clear)

Overall it was an extremely relaxing and enjoyable...