Originally Posted by
5khours
If you give us some more detail about what kind of skiing you like and how much time you have, we can probably provide more info. As RichardSF says the Karuizawa skiing is pretty mediocre.
If you like good skiing, Yuzawa is the place for a day trip. More time... head to Nagano (Shiga Kogen), even more time fly up to Hokkaido.
Looking to spend 5 nights, probably ski 3-4 days, daytrip to the snow monkeys another. Both advanced skiers... love powder. Also was hoping for a place with a little bit of culture, village/restaurant/bars/etc...... would prefer it not be overrun with English-speakers. Tentatively booked at Kiriya Ryokan in Nozawa Onsen... tripadvisor seems to love it. Doesn't look too lux, but the town seems pretty nice.
We'd love ski-in/ski-out, though a short walk is fine, too... no interest in taking day trips from Tokyo... feels too good to take off the boots, grab a beer, jump into a hot tub (or an onsen, perhaps) after a hard day of skiiing... no chance I want to hop back on a bus or a train.