Probably the distance from the slope. Walking takes approx 20 mins. Most morning, Toshi kindly dropped me off to the slope.

Yummy hot pot after a full day of skiing. Toshi and his wife were great host.

Stayed in January 2025

We received a very warm welcome from Yoshiko and Toshi at their delightful pension making us feel right at home. All of our communication prior to arrival was excellent and helpful. Our room was comfortable and warm with beautiful views over the snow covered fields. The Onsen tub was a perfect place to relax in after a day skiing. Toshi kindly provided us with a lift to the ski field in the mornings and we chose to walk the pleasant 10 min stroll home. The meals and communal dining were the highlight of our stay The food was delicious and very fresh with generous portions and wonderful variety. Yoshiko and Toshi were fabulous hosts and we look forward to staying again soon.

Stayed in February 2025

Lovely owners, cozy rooms, delicious and substantial food filled us up after skiing. Nice hot onsen style baths were also amazing. Great base to explore the numerous ski resorts nearby

Stayed in February 2025

Breakfast was very nice, lodge was warm and comfortable, hosts were extremely friendly and helpful.

Stayed in February 2025

I personally had no issues as my expectations were met based on the information provided on booking.com. the following reviews are based on observations. Please draw your own conclusions to see if this place is right for you: The rooms are very basic with no TV or fridge to put your own drinks or perishables. There is a Japanese style living room area with a piano and TV if you're feeling sociable though. If you're not into sharing bathrooms and toilets, you might want to look into staying at a hotel instead of a pension. But I didn't mind as this is expected for this kind of accommodation. Getting to madarao kogen hotel (ski slopes, ski hire, onsen, restaurants, buses to iiyama and other places etc) is an uphill walk from the pension. So please keep that in mind when lugging skis / snowboards around, or if you get hangry easily by doing extra walking to a restaurant only to find them closed at night.

Toshi and Yoshiko are beautiful friendly hosts. Their accommodation is well located by a few minutes drive or 10-15 min walk to the ski slopes. Toshi was available for skiing pick up and drop off's at beginning and end of the days. Ample Ski/board/ boot storage is available at the entrance to dry off. I was able to get ski lift passes directly and they were able to arrange luggage forwarding services for me to my next ski destination. WiFi was great and free. Rooms and common areas are clean and warm. Beautiful snowy views from the windows! I had breakfast included which was basic but delicious. Communication via booking.com was stress free and easy when it came to pickup and drop off at the bus stop. Maps and brochures are available for the area as well as bus information to get back to iiyama or other cities. Please try to pay cash when settling any smaller transactions. That being said, bring cash before heading to madarao as there are no ATMs anywhere. I learnt this the hard way, but I was able pay by card as I was low on cash by the end of my stay. Toshi and Yoshiko saved me!

Stayed in February 2025

The mattress was a bit old and uncomfortable. The breakfast was a little small. Breakfast was western, we prefer Japanese style breakfast

Good location, friendly staff. Large room.

Stayed in January 2025

Toshi and Yoshiko who run the place are a lovely couple. The place is a bit far off but they provide shuttle service to Madarao Kogen Hotel.

Stayed in January 2025

Was a bit of a walk from the lifts and bars/restaurants but the owners gave you a lift to the mountain each day, so not a massive issue.

Very relaxed location, staff were welcoming and helpful. Room was basic but would be excellent value for 2-3 people. Good meals.

Stayed in February 2024

The facilities are a bit dated and dusty. I wouldn’t have had an issue, but “mountain prices” are ridiculous this year: the basic room with shared toilet and baths was more expensive than a nice hotel room in central Osaka…

Maybe we were lucky to share the pension with respectful guests, or maybe the rooms had better insulation than most places, but it was really quiet. The beds were old but comfortable and the hosts were very helpful. Breakfast and dinner were good, too!

Stayed in February 2024

Location to ski hill was some distance away

Host & staff were outstanding

Stayed in February 2024

Not much

Owner and team are awesome. Thanks Toshi San and Takahasi San.

Stayed in January 2024

Quiet, secluded location. All very Japanese, not so common in Madarao anymore.

Stayed in February 2025

None.

The owner is super warm and nice person . Great food every day. We enjoy dinner and wine every night and it really warmed my heart.

Stayed in March 2025

Staff extremely friendly and helpful

Stayed in February 2025

Great hosts

Stayed in February 2025

The stay was great, the host was sooo helpful. Would love to go back there again. We would have stayed longer if they had any vacancies.

Stayed in January 2025

Overall it was a wonderful place to stay. The owners were warm, genuine and hospitable. The food was excellent. A neat and tidy place, that is good value for money. The ski area was easy to access because the owners dropped you off there every day.

Stayed in January 2025

By far our favourite stay in Japan! The room and facilities were good, but the reason the stay was so great was the owners, who really went out of their way to make us feel at home with fantastic food, helping us get to and from the piste, giving us great tips and generally being fantastic hosts. We'll definitely come here again if we're heading back to Madarao in the future.

Stayed in January 2025

Local family feel

Family owners were attentive and very helpful

Stayed in November 2024

nothing

Stayed in February 2024

Toshi was an exceptional host. Food was great with an easy walk to the ski lifts. Highly recommend……

Stayed in February 2024

Excellent meals and host. Toshi-san has done an incredible job managing the guesthouse by himself. He drove me to the slopes every morning, and shared fresh local produce with me during meals. Toshi specially prepared some wasabi and Japanese rice for me to bring back home when he found out that I really liked them! Also found out during the stay that Toshi went to the same university as I did nearly 50 years ago, so we had a good time sharing our experiences. Toshi is one of the most experienced pension-owners in Madarao and is extremely knowledgeable about the community. Will definitely be back next year for my snowboarding season!

Stayed in March 2024

Distance from the centre of Madarao Kogen but this is reflected in the lower price of the property.

Very friendly, family run pension. The staff are extremely friendly and inviting. It is very comfortable and the dinners and breakfasts are delicious, home-made Japanese dishes. Warm and good wifi. Excellent shared bathroom facilities plus a bathing area.

Stayed in February 2024

Friendly staff, good breakfast and tasty dinner

Stayed in February 2024