Places to stay Goryu has a good selection of places to stay, though be aware it is not so easy to get to the other ski resorts - without a car your only means is to use the Hakuba Valley Shuttle bus system . If you do want to stay at Goryu check ou tthe Goryu Accommodation Guide.

Places to eat/drink/nightlife There are many places to eat at the bottom of the mountain , particularly in the Escal Plaza building including a “Subway” shop of all things. Down on the Iimori side there is a good value cafeteria/restaurant. Up top there is only the cafeteria/restaurant at the top of the gondola, a bit overpriced for what you get and always very crowded. Off the mountain there aren’t many dedicated restaurants but there are a number of good bars especially the Tracks Bar. See this page for more info on places to eat/drink in Goryu.

Childcare and kiddies areas Famillies are well looked after at Goryu. There are childcare facilities at the bottom of the gondola for 1,600 for the first hour and 1,000 for subsequent hours for kids between 1-5 yrs. They do not do lunchtime - only 9-12am and 1-4pm, so you will collect, feed and return for afternoon care. If they are 5 or older better to sign them up for an all day ski lesson - for 12,000 yen you can offload them for the day (lunch inclusive). At the front of Escal plaza there is “Kids Wonderland” , a free sledding area for kids.

Goryu has nearly one of the highest vertical drops in Japan- nearly 1,000 metres and has incredible views of the grand Northern Japan Alps. It’s a big resort and has terrain to suit everybody. On top of that it is linked with Hakuba 47 next door via the top runs and you can go to both ski-fields on the same ticket.

THE COURSES IN DETAIL BEGINNERS Beginners are well catered for at Goryu with the entire bottom area of Toomi and Iimori being relatively flat and very wide. There is an excellent Ski & Snowboarding school which run English lessons out of the Iimori section. They also have kiddies lessons in the same place and there are no less than 6 different ability levels to choose from. The night skiing is also at the bottom on the Toomi section so beginners can practice in the evening as well. POWDER Besides the areas off the Cosmo 4 lift in Iimori, there are also some great pockets of powder up top on the Alps Daira slopes at the top of the gondola. On a powder day it’s actually better to catch the gondi to the top and head over to Hakuba 47 where there are more tree runs and ungroomed terrain. ADVANCED TERRAIN The more advanced terrain is up top, particularly the Champion course. The Cosmo 4 lift at Iimori has a number of steep, challenging courses.