Naeba Ski Resort

Naeba (and partner resort Kagura) offers free lift tickets for children 12 and under. For a family of four with two children in that age range, that's effectively two lift passes covered — a meaningful reduction when you're planning a multi-day trip. This is rare in Japan's mid-size resorts and a key reason I recommend Naeba for first family ski trips from Asia.

The Prince Hotel was built during Japan's bubble era, which means the onsen inside isn't an afterthought — it's a proper, full-scale facility. The in-room baths, by contrast, are business-hotel standard. Naeba also offers night skiing from 16:00 to 20:30, and I recommend planning around it: soak in the onsen after the daytime lifts close, ski the night session, then soak again before bed.

The Prince Hotel has two buffet restaurants, and I recommend Azelia. The dishes lean toward Japanese home cooking with local Niigata flavors, which makes breakfast and dinner feel like part of the trip rather than just fuel between ski days. If you're in Japan partly for the food, this is the one to book.