Snowball Hostel

The hostel's location is the best part of the stay. It is a short 200-meter walk up to the Kitanomine gondola. So convenient. In addition, the facilities were, for the most part, new, clean and excellent. The rooms were great and the common rooms and kitchen were excellent. Showers had plenty of hot water and good water pressure. The Japanese washlet toilets were modern and clean. The only problem was the service. The manager was never around when you needed him, which was most of the day and evenings. For example, I arrived at 3PM and there was no one to check me in. There was a self check-in system but no one to explain about the hostel or give me a room key. If you needed change for the washing machine/dryer, you had a ten-minute walk down the hill (and back up) to the Lawson's convenience store because again, the manager was never around. It seems that the manager has a side-hustle, running a shuttle to Asahidake ski area 3 times a week (¥12,000/person: minimum 4 people=¥48,000), so he is gone from all day (8AM-5PM) therefore he is never around to do his main job. One more issue was security, each person had their own small room locker in the bunkrooms, which was good, but since the manager was never around, he left the front door and the door to dry room completely open all day. I live in Japan and I know that Japan is safe but this is a little ridiculous. Basically zero security with thousands of dollars in ski and snowboard equipment laying around in the dry room. I ended storing my gear in the Rhythm storage lockers across the street from the Kitanomine base lodge base for ¥1800/day. One more thing, the instructions on the panel in the bunk beds promised us new towels everyday which we never got (because the manager was never around). In summation, great hostel , it just needs a full-time manager.

Amazing location! Very accessible to get around. The chairlift is just down the road and there are many eateries and cafes around. The host is also very friendly and helpful. The place is very clean and I had a very comfortable stay. Would come back again!

I stayed 5 nights in July 2025, and I am fully satisfied and would totally recommend the hostel. The hostel is located in a peaceful area, you can get there by bus from the airport or from Furano Station. The hostel provides slippers, a towel, a toothbrush, a hair brush, and earplugs. You will find shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel in the showers. The bunk beds are spacious enough for a tall person (I'm 170 and had lots of space left), have and entrance with a curtain that totally covers from the light outside if you need to go to bed early, and you can charge your phone inside. I met many nice people, both Japanese and foreigners, the hostel is very international, we had some convenience store food for dinner/breakfast in the common room and shared our travel plans and recommendations for the local area. I was advised to go to Biei Tourism Information to book a half a day tour, which can be booked on the day there, and includes all the sightseeing spots around Biei, so you don't have to worry about how to get to these famous tourist spots. Also, I was advised to rent a bicycle (the 2nd one from the station is only 2000yen for a day) and where to go around Furano, so I'm really happy the hostel provides a common area for us to help each other, and to never feel alone there. All in all, I'll be back in the winter season and for lavender season again. Thank you for having me.

One of the most delightful stays I’ve had while travelling. The owner is nothing but kind and helpful. The location is also amazing for getting to the Ski Resort (5 mins). Super clean and super comfortable stay.

my first time staying at a hostel and i am quite impressed. it is apparently quite new at the moment. it is clean in general. i booked a female only dormitory room for 4 nights and was lucky that i had the whole room for the first 3 nights. t Owner is helpful and responds fast when i message them over trip.com. Worth the value to stay for those travel alone for ski/snowboard. Location is so convenient to the North Gondola.

The hotel room was nice and clean, with plenty of communal space. The shower and toilet were spotless. Although the room was small with two bunk beds, it was perfect for a family. Locker storage was convenient, but there was no table or chair, which made eating or working less comfortable. Would definitely book again.

INCREDIBLE ! No other words, we stayed only for one night in a dorm but I wish I could stay for longer! So clean, brand new, great location, free parking, the host was very nice as well! The mattress was amazing, I slept so well in a long time in hostels ! Thank you so much !

Very clean and new would definitely recommend, hopefully the blower near the entrance will be checked/xhanged since I got grounded on it other than that everything was perfect

Really clean, comfortable bed, nice facilities and great guests!