Sierra Resort Hakuba
Twenty-five acres of Hakuba forest, six hot spring sources, one hotel
Sierra Resort Hotel Hakuba is a hotel set on 25 acres of forest and landscaped garden near the northern edge of Hakuba Village, with the North Japanese Alps rising beyond the lawn. Hakuba is unusual for the region: six natural hot spring sources feed the valley, and the hotel draws its own, piped into large indoor baths and outdoor pools of hinoki wood and stone. Rooms in the east wing carry private open-air baths on the veranda, filled with groundwater drawn from a well on the grounds and cleared for drinking as well as bathing. The Executive Suite runs to 57 square metres, with a separate bedroom and living room, a full-size massage chair, and a BALMUDA microwave that guests have singled out as an odd, likeable touch. A Superior Suite of the same footprint sleeps up to six, aimed at families and groups who want the bedrooms divided. A free shuttle runs to Hakuba Station and the Happo bus terminal. There is a seasonal outdoor pool, walking paths through the grounds, and, with some luck, wild rabbits or squirrels along the way.