Enjoy snow sports and the climate of Aizu at Hoshino Resort. Enjoy winter attractions at Bandaisan Onsen Hotel and Nekoma Mountain.

The calendar says it is already spring, but recently we often hear the term "the strongest cold wave" being used. Yes, it means that winter is not over yet.

For those who want to fully enjoy winter, you can stay at "Bandaisan Onsen Hotel by Hoshino Resort" in Yama-gun, Fukushima Prefecture, and enjoy snow sports at "Hoshino Resort Nekoma Mountain," a ski resort in front of the hotel.

Bandaisan Onsen Hotel by Hoshino Resort, located at the foot of Bandaisan, is characterized by its emphasis on Aizu culture. Bandai, a rich variety of local sake from 31 breweries in the Aizu area, akabeko and folk songs.... You can fully enjoy the culture born out of the climate of Aizu.

The same goes for the food. Buffet-style meals include freshly made soba (buckwheat noodles), kozuyu, a local Aizu delicacy, and other dishes that make use of Aizu's fermented culture, such as miso and koji. There are a total of nine types of rooms available. There are nine types of rooms, ranging from modern rooms to maisonettes, suites, and even "Gorogoro Rooms," where you can bring your dog, as is typical at Hoshino Resort.

While the fresh greenery and autumn leaves are hard to miss in the region, the snow season is also full of attractions that can only be experienced during this time of year.

One of them is Hoshino Resort Nekoma Mountain, one of the largest ski resorts in Japan, which is only a 0-minute walk from the hotel. The resort used to be divided into two separate ski areas, Arzu Bandai (now South Area) and Nekoma Ski Area (now North Area), but now it is a single ski area with 13 lifts and 33 courses that can be enjoyed from north to south of Nekomagatake until May.

As mentioned above, there is a wide variety of courses, from snow escalators for beginners to long intermediate courses, unpaved courses with steep slopes on pressurized snow, and even a high-level park built by a staff member who has experience in world-class competitions. This year, the Friendly Cat Express high-speed quad lift has been newly installed, creating a gentle 1 km course perfect for snow sports debuts.

Snow sports, of course, will be tried even more differently this winter.

The "Yukinaka Sake Brewery," made with snow on the slopes, is now more powerful than ever, including chilled sake with frozen peaches in snow-cooled, semi-sherbet mizore-shu, hot sake with seared dried fish such as iriko and surume, and "snow-stored sake" aged in a snow room.

There is also a "90's Retro★Ski Trip" plan that allows you to ski in 90's retro snow wear and have a night party in a room full of retro items.

In winter, check-in time is 4:00 p.m. and check-out time is 2:00 p.m., so you can stay for a maximum of 22 hours. You can also take advantage of the extra time to try your hand at "micro fine snow" in the Urabandaï area, or try your hand at wakasagi fishing.