Shirakaba Resort Ikenotaira Hotel — Hotel in Tateshina

This hotel is located approximately 2 and a half drive from Tokyo||The hotel is old but surrounded by green trees facing the lake||The hotel staff are efficient and courteous||There are two wings and the outlay is somewhat confusing||One has to catch two flights of escalators before you go to the annex building before you take the elevators to your rooms which ours is located on the fifth floor||They are still using the old system with a metallic key attached to a keychain system|It takes us a good 1 minute before you can figure how to put the tiny orange plastic tag onto a Sliding slot before the power will come on||The ceiling is low, and the entrance of the door frame entering the separate bathroom tub and toilet facilities are low,and can almost hit one,s head||The room has an old rug but surprising no cigarette smell or liquid stain on the carpet||The beds are comfortable||There are multiple light system of different light bulbs e.g.flouresent LED,and traditional Japanese lighting|In spite of all the lights are on,it still feel like the room is not well lit||The is a huge entertainment park with 10 pin bowling,table tennis,and electronic games available||Beside s the hotel entrance is the ski chairlifts for skiing||The major high lites of course is the hot spring||One has to dressup in the traditional Japanese wardrobe outfit-- they even provide you with slipper||There is the option of a big commune bath in open space for families where one has to be in bathing suits attire or enclosed bath for men and ladies in separate entrance(please note there is no clothes allowed)for the closed one!||The food is served in buffet style,well organized with numbering system on the table||We had diner and breakfast in the same place||The cutlery and tray are well placed and there is a dispensing system for disposable napkins by pushing a machine and the system will spit out a rolled up napkins||There are many entrees and we were handed a card which entitled you to have one selection of the luxurious items|1)steamed mixed seafood|2)foie gras on rice|3)steamed shrimp||You can only present this card once!||There is a section on steak,which is very tasty(not. Kobe beef)||Overall the experience is good||I did not see any Caucasian or Europeans around||This is certainly a Classical Japanese...

This hotel is located approximately 2 and a half drive from Tokyo||The hotel is old but surrounded by green trees facing the lake||The hotel staff are efficient and courteous||There are two wings and the outlay is somewhat confusing||One has to catch two flights of escalators before you go to the annex building before you take the elevators to your rooms which ours is located on the fifth floor||They are still using the old system with a metallic key attached to a keychain system|It takes us a good 1 minute before you can figure how to put the tiny orange plastic tag onto a Sliding slot before the power will come on||The ceiling is low, and the entrance of the door frame entering the separate bathroom tub and toilet facilities are low,and can almost hit one,s head||The room has an old rug but surprising no cigarette smell or liquid stain on the carpet||The beds are comfortable||There are multiple light system of different light bulbs e.g.flouresent LED,and traditional Japanese lighting|In spite of all the lights are on,it still feel like the room is not well lit||The is a huge entertainment park with 10 pin bowling,table tennis,and electronic games available||Beside s the hotel entrance is the ski chairlifts for skiing||The major high lites of course is the hot spring||One has to dressup in the traditional Japanese wardrobe outfit-- they even provide you with slipper||There is the option of a big commune bath in open space for families where one has to be in bathing suits attire or enclosed bath for men and ladies in separate entrance(please note there is no clothes allowed)for the closed one!||The food is served in buffet style,well organized with numbering system on the table||We had diner and breakfast in the same place||The cutlery and tray are well placed and there is a dispensing system for disposable napkins by pushing a machine and the system will spit out a rolled up napkins||There are many entrees and we were handed a card which entitled you to have one selection of the luxurious items|1)steamed mixed seafood|2)foie gras on rice|3)steamed shrimp||You can only present this card once!||There is a section on steak,which is very tasty(not. Kobe beef)||Overall the experience is good||I did not see any Caucasian or Europeans around||This is certainly a Classical Japanese...

The Ikenotaira Hotel at Tateshina has a brand new main building and it was five star- from the moment the shuttle bus met us at Chino Station, until we were waved off at our departure, we were made to feel very special. |Check-in was straightforward, and the staff spoke English well, explaining all the features of the hotel. We had a western style room, with tatami flooring- so we had to remove our shoes on entering the room. Our room, in the new building, was very spacious and had a large entrance area, closet, bathroom and separate toilet. All mod cons are included including USB charging points, free fast wifi, and an electronic toilet. A generous supply of filter coffee, tea, and welcome biscuits, were provided. Cleaning was meticulous. |There is a huge natural spring with multiple indoor and outdoor pools. There is a mixed pool in which swimming costumes are necessary (or provided if you don’t have one). The shower area and change room are spacious, and modern. There is also a spacious sauna, and in the mixed one, there is a magnificent view of the lake. |The food at this hotel is amazing. Dinner and breakfast are buffet style. The seating area is large, but it is broken up into small spacious areas, to give a cosy feel. The selection of food is huge- including Japanese and Western dishes. Highlights for me, were the local beef cooked teppanyaki style, crab legs, sashimi, and fresh fruit. Actually there must have been a hundred dishes on offer and all were amazing. Most of the restaurant staff spoke English, and all were friendly, welcoming, efficient and competent. |The hotel has a gift shop, which has a lot of local items, and a souvenir shop, and a snack shop. Across the road is a Lawson convenience store. In the adjacent building is an indoor heated pool, and a bowling alley. |There is ski field right next to the hotel with two chairlifts and a magic carpet. It’s really only good for green runs. For more advanced skiing one needs to take the 8 Peaks Highland Shuttle to one of the other ski fields included in the 8 Peaks ski area. These other fields (eg Shirakaba Kogen, Shirakaba 2in1, Pilatus, and Blanche) are 5-15 minutes away. There is a ski rental shop adjacent...