WeLoveSnow pride ourselves on the level of customer service that we offer. If you have any questions or queries regarding your ski trip, we welcome you to contact us.

Certain questions tend to pop up quite often - so we thought it might be handy to list these questions onto one page: either click on the headings below, or scroll down to see our Frequently Asked Questions...

1. Is it difficult to catch a train?
2. How do I get to the ski resorts from the train station?
3. How much are ski passes and rental?
4. Can I get ski or snowboard lessons in English?
5. How long is the Japan ski season?
6. Do restaurants, ski resorts & hotels in the Yuzawa area have English-speaking staff?
7. Where can I access the internet?
8. Are there cultural activities in Yuzawa, in addition to all those ski resorts?
9. Where are the best onsen baths in town?
10. Where can I withdraw money in Yuzawa?
11. When are the National Holidays in Japan?

1. Is it difficult to catch a train?

Not at all! There are regular trains to Yuzawa via the Joetsu Shinkansen line - 4 per hour during peak times. We have created a handy guides for customers needing international transfer information from Narita airport to Yuzawa, and also for customers resident in Tokyo who may need domestic transfer information.

For up to the minute train time schedules, please check this link: Japan train timetable. The station names to search are 'Tokyo' and 'Echigo Yuzawa'.

Please note that the "shinkansen" bullet trains do not have baggage compartments for suitcases and large luggage - in our opinion a major oversight on the part of Japan Rail!

2. How do I get to the ski resorts from the train station?

Most of the Yuzawa resorts have a free shuttle bus system - the buses run regularly through the centre of town. For certain resorts you may have to pay a small fee of JPY100-JPY300

Please see the following links for transfer details and shuttle bus timetables:
How to get to Pine Ridge Resorts Kandatsu
How to get to Gala Yuzawa ski resort
How to get to Kagura ski resort
How to get to Joetsu Kokusai Ski Resort
How to get to Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort
How to get to Hakuba 47 Ski Resort Ski Resort

3. How much are ski passes and rental?

Ski passes cost between JPY4000 and JPY4500 for day tickets. We offer discounted passes to customers who book their hotel stay via WeLoveSnow.com

As a general guide, rental costs around JPY3,500 per day for skis or snowboard plus boots. With ski wear included, the price increases to around JPY6,000.

4. Can I get ski or snowboard lessons in English?

Yes! There are plenty of resorts that offer ski lessons. When booking your trip, please contact us and we can fix you up with however many lessons you need.

5. How long is the ski season?

Of course this is dependent on the weather. The season begins in Naeba resort as early as mid-November, though at such an early time this would be just a couple of short runs on man-made snow. I always catch those early-season days though, as it helps get the leg muscles in shape in time for the December snow. For the past three seasons, Kagura resort has been open until the end of May.

For the lower-altitude resorts near the centre of town, the season lasts from around mid December to the last weekend of March.

As a general rule of thumb, it snows 80% of the time in January & February, and 20% of the time in March through to April. After that, its blue sky 'spring skiing' - no new snow, but still plenty of snow left as a base and you can ski and ride wearing a t-shirt.

We have been asked before if it snows in December. In 2006, the season arrived very late - up until 28 Dec only Kagura resort was fully running. However, in 2005, the resorts started on 1 Dec and were fully running by 14 Dec: this link shows the amount of snow that fell overnight on 13 Dec: Japan snow photos

6. Do restaurants, ski resorts & hotels in the Yuzawa area have English-speaking staff?

Some do, and some do not. In our resort map and Yuzawa map, we indicate the English level of businesses.

In some cases it is not so necessary to have English speaking staff: for example - at a restaurant, as long as the menu is translated this is usually sufficient.

7. Where can I access the internet?

There is an internet hot-spot and computer terminal in the coffee shop of the Hatago Isen Hotel, opposite the Echigo Yuzawa train station. They also serve coffee made from natural Yuzawa 'onsen' mineral water! Also, a little further from the station but Takahan Ryokan has a great coffee shop which also has internet access.

8. Are there cultural activities in Yuzawa, in addition to all those ski resorts?

Yes! Yuzawa has a rich an famous history, not least as the setting of the novel 'Snow Country' by Yasunori Kawabata. The novelist stayed at Takahan Ryokan whilst writing this book - this hotel has a small museum dedicated to his work, including showing his actual room from all those years ago.

There is also a larger museum showing more general exhibits of snow country life, on the main 'onsen-gai' high street, close to the bottle bar.

9. Where are the best onsen in town?

Apart from snow, ski resorts, rice, and sake, Yuzawa is also famous for its great onsen - natural mountain hot spring baths. My personal favourites are as follows:

1. Jung Parnas - this ryokan has a great spa complex, including 'rotemburo' [heated outside baths], herb baths, sauna, and a 'salt sauna' - the salt encourages perspiration without the need for the room to be too hot.
2. Sporea Hotel - has a fantastic roof-top 'rotemburo' looking over the surrounding mountain ranges.
3. Yuzawa Grand Hotel - has a great spa complex, with outside baths set in beautiful Japanese landscaped gardens. It is no problem to go to hotels just for a bath, though non-residents usually pay between JPY1,000 - JPY2,000.

10. Where can I withdraw money in Yuzawa?

There are 3 ATM's in Yuzawa: all of which can be found on our Yuzawa map.

1. Post Office (east side of the station) - international and domestic cards
2. Daishi Bank (east side of the station) - domestic cards only
3. 7eleven (west side of the station, next to the WeLoveSnow office) - domestic cards only.

With a passport and and a credit card, you will also be able to withdraw money from the Daishi Bank over the counter, though you may encounter language difficulty..

Please check the map for opening times: apart from 7eleven, the ATM's are not open 24hours.

In general, we advise our customers that it is best to withdraw cash before arriving in Yuzawa - there's too much fun to be had here to be spending time at the bank or ATM machine!

11. When are the National Holidays in Japan?

It is often is cheaper to avoid making a trip during a National Holiday. When a holiday falls on a Sunday, the Monday is taken off as a holiday.

Japanese National Holidays for the Winter 07/08 Season are as follows: