The food varied on a daily basis and was delicious. The staff in the dining room were very accommodating. All the staff was exceptionally polite and made additional effort to communicate in English with guests. I would like to compliment Mr Sato in particular for taking care of his guests. On one occasion, I went for my first snowboarding on the second day of my
stay and ended up stranded at end of the slopes of SunValley. I was obviously lost and did not know which direction to go other than the slopes to get back to the hotel. Just then, Mr Sato drove by and he saw me. He stopped and reversed his vehicle. He seemed to have recognized me as one of his hotel guests and that I am lost. He re-packed the boxes in his vehicle to make space for me in the back seat and gave me a lift back to the hotel. Thank you so much, Mr Sato for your help. If it wasn't for you, my parents might have gone to the police to send out a search-party that evening. We hope to be back in the next couple of years to enjoy great food, wonderful hospitality and the lovely weather.

Valerie Ke with parents Vincent and Mary
From Perth, Australia
Feb. '10
Stayed at Hotel Shirakabaso, Shiga Kogen, Nagano