It’s about a 10-minute walk from the ropeway station. Seating is assigned. Dinner includes a clay-plate grill dish, which is very satisfying. You can get beer from a vending machine or order it with your meal. In the evening, the chain around the nature park is removed, allowing you to come and go as you please. The bathhouse is equipped with shampoo and body soap, so you can thoroughly wash off the sweat. I chose a shared Japanese-style room. The standard futons provided a good night’s sleep, allowing me to rest up for the next day. Since you can set out before the ropeway arrives in the morning, the hiking trails aren’t crowded, which is great.

I booked a shared room with a traditional Japanese-style floor. It was a room on the second floor with a capacity of four people, and we stayed there as a pair. There was only one other guest in the room, so the three of us were quite comfortable. There’s a lounge on the second floor, which was also very comfortable. The bath area had four washing stations, and while the tub was just big enough for three people, it was plenty spacious given the room’s capacity, and it wasn’t crowded. The dinner dishes—breaded white fish (I think?) and the pork hot pot—were absolutely delicious. Draft beer was 900 yen, but I thought the single-cup serving of local sake at 500 yen was a great deal. “Daiseikei” is one of my favorite sakes. Except for draft beer, payment was made at the front desk; perhaps the staff wasn’t very familiar with credit cards or QR code payments, as it took a little while. Breakfast was a semi-buffet where guests served themselves lettuce, cucumbers, dessert (Fruits?), and natto—I thought it was a well-thought-out service. (You also serve yourself rice and miso soup.) I stayed at Tsugaike Sanso the night before, and my hike consisted solely of a round trip to Tenguhara and a stroll through the Tsugaike Nature Park. The weather wasn’t great, and I didn’t get to see the Hakuba Three Peaks even once, but I think Tsugaike Hutte is a lodge with a wonderful location.

I stayed here before climbing Mt. Hakuba. Three of us shared a traditional Japanese-style dormitory room; with one other guest, there were four of us in total. There was a wooden platform in the corner where we could store our backpacks, so there was plenty of space. For dinner, as is typical at a mountain lodge, the main course was whitefish, along with pork sukiyaki served in small pots—it was a luxurious meal and very delicious. Both the restrooms and the bath were clean and comfortable. I feel that prices at hotels and other accommodations have gone up recently due to the influx of international tourists, but considering the facilities and meals, I think this is a great value. The gift shop had a wider selection of postcards than Hakuba Sanso. I bought a few and mailed them from the post office at the summit.

The building was new, and both the rooms and the dining hall were clean. In the rooms with bunk beds, they had kindly assigned us seniors the bottom bunks. Dinner was also excellent. There was also a bath, which was great. There were two drawbacks: the entranceway where we took off our hiking boots was a bit cramped. Also, out of the three men’s restrooms, one was broken and unusable. Another was a squat toilet, which was difficult for us seniors to use. Overall, it was a good experience.

The water in the tub was too cold, so I couldn't soak in it. It might be fine during the height of summer when you're sweating, but in mid-October, it was too cold. Otherwise, I was satisfied.

When I was younger, I couldn’t see the value in anything other than mountain huts along the ridgeline, but as I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to truly appreciate facilities like the Tsugaike Hut. It’s very clean and in a great location, and I’d love to stay there again.

It has a sense of cleanliness and openness that you wouldn’t expect from a mountain lodge. From the dining room and terrace, you can enjoy views of the mountains and trees, and it’s easy to watch the sunrise or gaze at the stars in the night sky. Both dinner and breakfast are delicious and nutritionally balanced. The hot tub soothes your fatigue, and the mineral-rich spring water—which contains sodium and other minerals—seems to have therapeutic benefits. Wi-Fi is also available.

Breakfast is served a little later here than at other mountain huts, so it would be helpful if it could be served about 30 minutes to an hour earlier, if possible.

I stayed in a private room. The room and bedding were very clean, and I had a very pleasant stay. The bathroom was clean and featured a whirlpool tub, which was perfect for soothing the fatigue from hiking in the mountains. The meals were delicious and hearty. The inn itself was clean and comfortable. There was a heater near the TV area on the first floor, so after dinner, I spent some time there watching TV while warming up. I’d definitely like to stay here again.

They said lights out was at 8:00 p.m., but since the lights never actually went out, I thought maybe they could extend the lights-out time a little.