Shiga Kogen Prince Hotel
The Prince Hotel at Yakebitaiyama is one of the best accommodations at Shiga Kogen for many reasons:
- Yakebitaiyama is the largest of the Shiga Kogen ski areas, has great snow quality, offers off-piste skiing opportunities, and has the best lift infrastructure.
The accommodation caters to various budgets with rooms ranging from moderate to deluxe.
- The hotel offers complete ski-in ski-out convenience.
The Prince Hotel offers a range of facilities on-site including restaurants and ski/snowboard rental equipment.
- English is spoken by some of the very helpful reception staff.
Where is the Shiga Kogen Prince Hotel?
The hotel has three different buildings which are located at the base of the Yakebitaiyama ski area at
Shiga Kogen. Yakebi is the second last resort at the north eastern end of Shiga Kogen between the
Okushigakogen and Ichinose villages.
See the
travel to Shiga Kogen page for information on getting there. The Nagaden buses provide drop-offs and departures at all three wings of the Prince Hotel.
The three wings are somewhat separated, so a shuttle bus runs at regular intervals throughout the day and early evening to provide transport between the wings. The Prince Hotel also offers an evening shuttle service to and from Ichinose village. Otherwise it’s about a 20 minute walk from Ichinose to the West Wing.
Hotel Rooms
This colossal hotel has 690 rooms, many of them with great views. The different buildings provide a range of rooms to suit different budgets and needs.
East Wing Prince Hotel
The East Wing has 97 spacious deluxe twin rooms (maximum 2-3 adults) that are 29-31 m2 in size and include a sofa bed, a small table and chairs.
For even more space, there are three maxi suites that are 58 m2 in size.
All rooms offer delightful views of the ski slopes and the ensuite bathrooms have a small Japanese style bath. In-room facilities are extensive and in line with what you’d expect for deluxe accommodation.
South Building
The South Wing is more informal. This building has 240 twin rooms that are either 18 m2 (maximum 2 adults) or 24 m2 (maximum 3 adults). The South building offers really easy access to the ski area with a direction connection to the #2 gondola station.
West Building
The West Wing offers a choice of moderately priced accommodation. Of the 350 rooms, half are small twin rooms (maximum 2 adults) and the other half are family rooms (maximum 4 adults) with 4 beds that are 21.7 m2 in size.
Prince Hotel Facilities
The hotel has extensive facilities across the three wings which include:
- Free wireless internet
- Bathhouse (not natural onsen) including open air bath (West Building for guests staying in the West Building)
- Foot care salon (West Building)
- Shops selling souvenirs, basic ski and snowboard accessories, snacks and beverages (West Building and East Building)
- Lift ticket sales
- Ski and snowboard lockers
- Ski and snowboard rental
- Laundry
- Karaoke rooms (West Building)
- Games corner
- Concierge for activities
Dining/Bar
The Shiga Kogen Prince Hotel has several restaurants open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, all with English menus.
Formal dining is within the East Building Main Dining Room dining room. This large restaurant provides fantastic views from all aspects of the dining room. Breakfast consists of a huge range of hot and cold buffet items with a combination of Japanese and Western food. Lunch is a Japanese and Western a la carte menu. For dinner there’s a half buffet and main dish.
The East Wing has Bar Le Etoile, a sedate spot to have a quiet cocktail whilst enjoying the views of the partially illuminated slopes (that's of course if it's open when you actually want a drink!). Alternatively you can have a drink down in the lobby.
Next door to the West Wing is Shishi, a cheap and cheerful Chinese restaurant. Naturally there are set menus, or a range of a la carte dishes.
The West Wing has an open plan cafeteria style restaurant that serves up more casual buffet fare for breakfast and dinner.
Ramen Corner next to the West Buiding is a casual ramen restaurant that’s open for lunch and dinner.
The South Building Dining Room has buffets for dinner, whilst Restaurant Mizubasho has cafeteria style fare for lunch but it’s only open occasionally.
Izakaya After in the South Building is open for lunch and dinner and serves up Japanese rice bowl dishes.