Hotel Listel Inawashiro Wing Tower

“Good quality hotel and friendly efficient staff”

I stayed here for 10 nights over Christmas whilst visiting my daughter who is working as a ski instructor at Inawashiro Global ski school. I was a little disappointed to find how far out of inawashiro the hotel was, but it runs a regular shuttle bus to/from Inawashiro train station and getting to t… more

I stayed here for 10 nights over Christmas whilst visiting my daughter who is working as a ski instructor at Inawashiro Global ski school. I was a little disappointed to find how far out of inawashiro the hotel was, but it runs a regular shuttle bus to/from Inawashiro train station and getting to town was straight forward (although it did stop running at 5pm). The twin bedroom I had was very spacious and well equipped. It was cleaned daily (if I managed to get out of bed in time to allow them in..!). You had to reserve a time to eat, both dinner and breakfast which unless you did so early may have made it difficult to get the time you wanted. The breakfast times were too early for my liking, but the restaurant started serving lunch at 11am, so many days I simply had a brunch intead. Lunch was Italian type food and for £20, you could have a gourmet 3 course meal - very good value and very nice. The spa/swimming pool was great and a lovely place to spend a couple of hours. It costs ¥1500 which is fine for a couple of hours and it was only ¥500 for a return visit. The buffet dinner was fantastic and it had something for everyone. Although it was very Japanese orientated (we were in Japan after all) I found it to be fantastic; even my daughter, who is very fussy found plenty to eat. The hotel shop, along with all the vending machines provided all the snacks and drinks you could want and all very reasonably priced. What I would have liked is a bar area to sit and relax in with my book. As I was on my own, not having somewhere to sit and mix with others was disappointing. Maybe it's not a Japanese thing to do.... English is not very widely spoken in this area and even amongst the hotel staff communication was tricky, however Google translate was our savior and with patience and perseverance we always manged to get sorted without too much problem. Regardless of the language barriers the staff couldn't have been more friendly, helpful or polite. I appeared to be the only western person, so perhaps English isn't required much, but if the hotel wants to appeal to, and to encourage tourists from the west, then perhaps this needs a little improvement. Although I was able to travel to the station in the mini bus (booking required, but always plenty space) and then I could get the free ski bus from the station to the inawashiro ski paradise slopes, it would have been useful and a big plus, if the hotel ran their buses to the slopes also. I'm led to believe from other reviews that they used to do this some years ago, but not any longer. Taxis are pricey, so make use of the hot shuttle if possible is definitely recommended. All in all, this is a nice place to stay, very comfortable with plenty good quality food and friendly helpful staff.

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“Pleasant stay”

Hubby and I stayed at this hotel for 5 nights on a ski trip. The hotel is a little dated but the room is very spacious by Japanese standard. We were given a western room (twin bed) and additional tatami area with 2 futon beds. The room can totally accommodate 4 people. Breakfast was very good with … more

Hubby and I stayed at this hotel for 5 nights on a ski trip. The hotel is a little dated but the room is very spacious by Japanese standard. We were given a western room (twin bed) and additional tatami area with 2 futon beds. The room can totally accommodate 4 people. Breakfast was very good with lots of options. There is a small ski field in front of the hotel and there is ski rental shop in the basement. The hotel provides free shuttle bus to other ski fields nearby but we had a rental car so didn't use the service. There are a number of restaurants inside the hotel, we had dinner in an izakaya in basement one night, it was pretty standard. There is a gym in the hotel but they charge 1500 yen per visit (which is also standard in Japan).

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“Experience Four Seasons-Their Motto, Yes, You Can!”

Early Summer Trip: 1. Go to Lounge on the 18th Floor for afternoon tea, has an excellent view of lake, sunset on the water. 2. Visit the ‘herb’ garden ¥310. Beautiful red poppies covering the field were in bloom early June. Many fascinating sculptures in garden, dragon 🐉 is outstanding! Lavender b… more

Early Summer Trip: 1. Go to Lounge on the 18th Floor for afternoon tea, has an excellent view of lake, sunset on the water. 2. Visit the ‘herb’ garden ¥310. Beautiful red poppies covering the field were in bloom early June. Many fascinating sculptures in garden, dragon 🐉 is outstanding! Lavender blooms later in June. Or autumn has the red KOKIA Burning Bush with fireworks on September weekends. We had the delicious Japanese buffet which was celebrating different regional dishes of the Tohoku area. The roast beef torch-blasted on Himalayan pink salt was unbelievable! Rooms were very clean and large. Bedroom and a separate tatami room. Thick bathrobes. My husband went to the large Onsen Bath but we never saw the Outdoor Bath or where it was located (poorly communicated- maybe in another building?)

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“Ski Trip”

Stayed at the Hotel Listel Inawashiro for 5 nights with my father on a ski and cultural experience in Aizu, Fukushima Prefecture Transferred to Inawashiro from Urabandai via Hotel Listel Inawashiro shuttle bus. Arrival - warmly greeted and welcomed upon arrival at the hotel. Front desk were expe… more

Stayed at the Hotel Listel Inawashiro for 5 nights with my father on a ski and cultural experience in Aizu, Fukushima Prefecture Transferred to Inawashiro from Urabandai via Hotel Listel Inawashiro shuttle bus. Arrival - warmly greeted and welcomed upon arrival at the hotel. Front desk were expecting the arrival of Western non-Japanese speaking guests and ensured an English speaking staff member was present to check us into the hotel, explain the hotel facilities and answer all our questions. Room - large by Japanese standards; although dated the room was clean, functional and boasted a spectacular view over the lake and remote towns. Amenities and housekeeping where of good standard. Onsen - hotel features both a large indoor and outdoor onsen (water drawn from 1.4km underground) Day Spa - offers selection of massages and treatments at usual hotel prices; ensured a facial by a masseuse that spoke basic English Dining - at the time of our visit there where several dining options. The BF buffet was satisfactory - best catered to the Japanese/Thai/Taiwanese markets. We did not dine in house for dinner as we ate on the ski mountains most days. Gift Shop - large and expansive shop on the ground floor. Expansive selection of gifts and souvenirs; good selection of food and beverages suitable for consumption in-house. Ski Hire - available in-house - although the majority of guests used this service we brought our own equipment Nearby Ski Mountains include: (1) Ski Fantasia - ski in/out from hotel, (2) ALTS, and (3) GranDeco, and (4) Inawashiro. Mountain maps are readily available from the lobby. The hotel offers a complementary shuttle service to all three mountains plus to Inawashiro train station - please note you must a reservation the night prior. Overall a very satisfactory stay - great location with access to ski mountains and Wakamatsu City. The hotel needs to invest in new carpet throughout the rooms and hallways to improve guest comfort. Other than this I would happily stay here again.

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“Give Fukushima a chance”

Rising from the foot of the mountain it seems like a sci-fi office block that’s been somehow extracted from Tokyo or even New York and plonked into the wilds of a wintery inland Fukushima. The Listel Inawashiro Hotel is certainly unmissable in this snow-covered landscape. It is a vast structure, or… more

Rising from the foot of the mountain it seems like a sci-fi office block that’s been somehow extracted from Tokyo or even New York and plonked into the wilds of a wintery inland Fukushima. The Listel Inawashiro Hotel is certainly unmissable in this snow-covered landscape. It is a vast structure, or even collection of buildings, with its central edifice and wing. Being well away from everything the Listel Inawashiro caters well for its guests, offering a range of luxury and mid-range accommodation, onsens (hot spring baths), restaurants, a spectacular indoor pool complex, convenience store, gift shop and best of all in winter its very own ski facilities, including ski slopes, chair lift and equipment hire. And within half an hour of the hotel are many other ski slopes. Such is the image of Fukushima as a place of devastation following the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant meltdown, there was not another western guest to be seen at the hotel. But from what I have read (as a non-scientist) inland Fukushima is quite safe and has very low levels of radiation so it is unfortunate that the rest of the world doesn’t know or accept this. The people of Fukushima are desperate for the rest of the world to revisit this beautiful prefecture and see it for what most of it is – stunning mountains, lakes, agricultural country and friendly towns. The Listel Inawashiro can seem a little impersonal and confusing to the non-Japanese speaker, and despite English language limitations with the staff they are friendly and do their best to help. It took me some time to work out how to get to my room from the reception area, and on at least two occasions I managed to take the wrong lifts to the wrong floors in the wrong wing! The hotel’s main rooms are very comfortable and spacious, mine offered stunning views over the snow-covered plains below the mountain. Waking up early to drink green tea in the warm room and watch the faintly orange sun rise while the snow ploughs go their hardest to open the roads is a calming start to the day. Add a visit to the outside onsen, complete with a bracing walk from the door to the water and back again, and you are ready for a bumper buffet breakfast (there are indoor onsens). Like the hotel the breakfast restaurant is vast and somewhat impersonal but offering a range of foods – perhaps catering more to the Japanese taste. I like Japanese food and according to some of my Japanese friends am possibly the first Westerner to delight in Natto (fermented soy beans stirred in a gooey mustard and soy sauce), so a local breakfast is fine with me. But there is plenty enough for everyone if you look hard enough. There are a few other restaurants dotted about the complex offering a range of western and Japanese menus. I am not much of a skier but was told that the Listel’s slopes are good for families and beginners, the more serious skiers may take the bus or their own cars to some of the other more challenging resorts nearby. For me the tobogganing was excellent and great fun, but most amazing was the offer to ride in an inflated rubber boat towed behind a snow jet ski. Swerving and sliding smoothly but uncontrollably around behind the jet ski (the rider didn’t speak English but seemed to be known what he was doing), hanging on to the handle grips for dear life, it was fantastic, and you can’t stop laughing. All of the snow activities are organised through the hotel at their snow centre on the lower floor plus they offer plenty of gear for hire. If you don’t have a car you are somewhat captive to the hotel and its facilities and prices. It is reasonably expensive, but if you stay in the less salubrious wing rooms you can save quite a bit over the hotel’s main rooms. If hotels such as the Listel Inawashiro want to attract tourists from beyond Japan, they would be encouraged to lower their prices and offer tempting deals across the web booking sites. Australians are hungry for any opportunity to ski in Japan, and many are on the lookout for new and interesting hotels and slopes in areas other than Niseko in Hokkaido, that tends to feel like the wintry equivalent of the Gold Coast during Aussie holiday periods. The Listel Inawashiro is not amazing but a good (and very solid!) hotel, worth a visit and good for families.

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