The overwhelming advantage with Asuka Lodge is its location, which is literally right across the street from a chair lift and skiing at Happo One. The upstairs room I was at first allocated actually had a window that overlooked the chair lift and slopes, which was great. The reason I booked a flight to Japan, somewhat at the last minute, was that the Hakuba ski areas were having their best snow season ever, and I wasn’t disappointed. Of the seven nights I stayed, I think five nights it snowed. Also, I was alone, having travelled to Japan, and the Hakuba ski area with my family in December of 2024 and 2023, and breakfasts are served on long tables that facilitated discussions with other guests. The lodge is very informal and the staff (mostly expats) are laid back.

In my haste to book an available room, I didn’t read all of the description about the hotel, including that it doesn’t have in-room bathrooms. Each floor has a mens’ and womens’ toilets, but there’s only one shower for all three floors. I thought that this would be very inconvenient, but I soon learned the best time (about 9pm) to shower and it was less hassle than I imagined.

I had a really amazing time staying in asuka lodge. The staff were welcoming and friendly! They have a neck for creating an environment that allows travellers from different walks of life to mingle around! One even came with us to snowboard! The location is really close to happo-one ski resort as well! They provide a free shuttle to Lawson during dinner time as well to get our food supplies! It's always a pleasure evening as most of the travellers will eat together and mingle around in the living room.

Location is at the top so if your leg game is weak then you are cooked. Just hope that you can utilize the shuttle bus everytime. There is only one private bathroom in the whole lodge , so if that's taken you have to use the onsen and public bathroom that has no privacy. Lucky for me I manage to use the onsen when there isn't anyone inside.

Great location right next to the slopes, 2 min walk. The guesthouse has a great hostel like atmosphere,, lots of facilities for guests, e.g. games room, small Onsen (for max 2 people), in the dining room there are free drinks available all day, . The staff was super nice and helpful. Aditionally the guesthouse provides transport to nearby onsens and combini store plus provides shuttle to the train and bus station station. Our room was very small but clean and comfortable, the only drawback were very thin walls, so we could hear all the sounds in the corridor and in neighboring room.

Lokation, atmosphere and staff

Asuka lodge is like home. The Lodge itself is good and very accommodating. The staff, they are really good especially in communication. Kids are very welcome here. They will help you in any way they can. The location is superb. near to happo one gondola. I love that they do listen to their guest especially those for breakfast that cannot eat certain food.

I just don't like that in my email the breakfast is until 9am but in reality it's until 8am only. Beside that everything went really great. I recommend this lodge. They are really busy so book in advance especially peak season.

- location close to gondola with short walk or daily shuttle bus to restaurants, Lawsons and onsen - staff are really happy and fun - clean and comfortable dining and bar/lounge areas - breakfasts, different each day and good food and coffee - pick-up/drop off to bus terminal when arriving/leaving

- beds are rock-hard - only one private shower in whole lodge (ie. 30 peeps) with 3 male / 3 female showers in the onsens. Fine for me, but not great for kids/teens

This hotel is such good value for money. The location was perfect - ski right to your door. The beds and rooms were very comfortable, lots of communal space. The on site onsen made the recovery time so much faster. Staff are amazing and very helpful. Easy walk to lots of food outlets and walk across the road for closest ski lift. Evergreen ski school is a short 4 minute walk for those wanting lessons. Cannot recommend this place highly enough.

We appreciated the to/fro transportation service by the staff. We made a very last minute booking and the staff responded to our queries promptly, thank you! Shout out to Olivia and Justin :) They have english-speaking staff on site so not to worry about the language barrier. They served mainly American breakfast when I was there. Ambience/vibe-wise, if you're looking for a more local / Japanese experience, this might not be the best place as it seems to be catered more for Gaikokuki-jins. Onsen amenity was basic but served its purpose. There's only a sink in the room - you'll have to go out of the room to use the shared toilet / shared onsen. There's a washing machine for complimentary use (dryer at extra cost). There's a mini drying rack in the room. Shoes to be removed at the entrance. NO LIFTS so you'll have to carry your luggage up a flight of stairs. Went in late-December - the lodge felt warm and toasty (could go around in shorts) so not to worry about the cold. Happo-One slope is just right across the street (is right outside the window) but I suppose that's for intermediate / advance levels. You'll probably have to walk 10-15 mins (if in ski boots) to the beginner slopes. **For dinner around Hakuba in general, please ensure to make reservation ahead of time. It's HARD to find a place during dinner time, especially in the cold.

The lodge seems a little dated but otherwise was a comfortable place to stay in. Can get a little noisy from 7pm - 9pm at the common areas.

The location was wonderful and the staff where amazing. We had Clair pick us up from Hakuba station and she was wonderful to talk to and even offered advice on where to rent gear and get lessons from. Justin dropped us off at the station and he was also wonderful to talk to and made the whole experience extremely welcoming. I would highly recommend going here as it was overall an amazing experience.

Nothing, it was amazing everyone was amazing.

Love the comfy lounge area & the free coffee, tea and hot cocoa. The staff are very friendly. Free shuttle is to bus station and Lawsons is great. Comfy rooms. Excellent breakfast!

Its a bit of a hike to get there from town. There is only 1 regular shower. There is an onsen but I dont want to bring my male child to the female shower. Overall very kinor compared to all the positives

It was a great location just across the ski resort. Breakfast was included in the booking. Breakfast was absolutely delicious, the staff put a lot of effort to make sure you feel happy and comfortable. The place has a lot of facilities for you including onsen, and a very easy access to a dry room to hung all your wet gear after your snow sports. I was picked up from the station and dropped back off at no extra cost.

I can’t really complain about it. Staff were absolutely superb and kind.