Ramat – Testimonials

They do free shuttle to the mountain in the morning and pick up/drop off at the train or bus center on arrival and departure. They even helped us send our snowboard bags off to the next location! It was such a peace of mind to know you will get there when you need to be and your stuff will arrive where it needs to be. Location was a bit of a walk in to the heart of town but there are free shuttles through out the day that drop you off just around the corner. The facilities were exactly as described, the house is nice and warm and there are many places to lounge about. There is breakfast in the morning which is delicious and it’s a perfect start to a day on the mountain. The bar and pool table make for lots of fun and excitement. 

I cannot say enough good things about this place, I’ll definitely be back!

They really go above and beyond to make sure you are comfortable and well accommodated. Beds were clean and tidy when we arrived, they have extra plug ins on each bunk to make sure everyone can charge your phones/ cameras. Each bunk group gets its own western style bathroom and a shower, and you are provided with a fresh towel (daily), shampoo, and body wash. The atmosphere is light and the staff is really friendly and helpful. They have a full board room that includes cubbies, board and boot racks, and hangers for all your gear. They even have a waxing bench with everything you would need. Best part about the room is its heated, my boots/ gear were nice a toasty every morning.

The free breakfast has everything you need to get fueled up and ready for the day, they have something for everyone to eat, and it doesn’t run out. The bar is great as well. They do happy hour everyday from 4-6 and the bar is open until 10. Everyone tends to hang out after a long day and make plans for the night at this time, great opportunity to get to know the staff better and other guests. We were there for the super bowl and the staff put it on for us ( around 9-10am) and we got a good crowd watching, so they opened up the bar early for us ha. We were traveling in a group of 11, but 8 of us were staying at another place. They didn’t mind all of them coming to the happy hour, they even let us play music and everything. Everyone one on the trip wished they had booked the Ramat.

They really do go above and beyond what is necessary to ensure you are comfortable and enjoying your stay. Just make sure to be respectful and a decent human being and you will love this place. I don’t think I’ll book anywhere else. Shout out to Gary, Lauren, and Miumi (sorry that’s spelled wrong) for all the local knowledge and always being happy to pour us a drink or give us a lift!!

Note: Don’t let the distance from town scare you away. This was something I worried about, but they run their own shuttles everyone morning, afternoon, and one around 10:15 at night. This always allows you access to the mountain and back home. They also have a standard bus stop close to the building that comes every 20-30 minutes that’s free. If all else fails, the walk is pleasant and only takes around 15 minutes, maybe 20 in gear.

Beds are comfy
Shower is powerful
Living room and bar room is amazing
Breakfast is great
There is a shuttle bus 4 mins walk down the road which takes you to the slopes from 8:30am – 8:30pm, operating every 20mins.

Gary and Michiko made our group feel like family and went above and beyond with their customer service. We all are looking forward to planning another trip in the future. Thanks Gary, Michiko, and the rest of the Ramat Niseko staff!

Staff is unbelievably friendly and helpful. Went out of their way to help me with anything I needed numerous times. Heated room for gear is a bonus.

Was great being able to sit down and have a chat with staff and other guests in the shared common areas with plenty of tables and sofas to sit around. Loved the breakfast which was provided each morning with a selection of hot and cold foods to help fuel us for a day of snowboarding. Hot shower after a day on the cold mountain was great. Free wifi. Door to door service from/to the Welcome Centre upon our arrival and departure. Distance from main centre is not an issue as there is a free shuttle bus close by.

In particular breakfast and a drying room. Best part of this stay was the staff who go out of their way to support a good holiday including a free scheduled shuttle to the slopes in the morning and restaurants at night.

place was clean and i was their first guest for the season, so had the place all to myself the first few days 😀 . Also love the ensuite in the room.

No problem walking back in the evening from Hirafu by myself. 

Thank you for the transport, the accom, the meals, the warm atmosphere, had a lovely time! 🙂

The price is amazing, the breakfast is good, a recommendation for anyone going there. The staff is also really friendly, they brought me to the train station when I was leaving etc.

The only negative is that it’s a bit out of the Niseko village, BUT there are plenty of options to get back and forth, especially the east Village shuttle, which drops you off 50 meters from the front door.

Great breakfasts, excellent shuttle service to the Gondola for the 8.30am start, nice room, excellent washing and drying facilities, good beer, great people. What more could you want?

pool table and a bar in the evenings. Great western style breakfast included in your stay and the staff were welcoming and made the effort to go above and beyond.

easy check in and gear storage, timely shuttles to the gondola, good tips on powder stashes for a Niseko newbie, fun conversation at the daily happy hour (bar is onsite and affordable), and always happy to help with random things. Place is a little out of town but they provide regular rides, or I just walked the 15 minutes each way for the most part. Good way to build an appetite, or work off a buzz, depending which direction you’re going. I was solo and had a room to myself, it was super comfy, clean and quiet. Just what you need when your focus is to maximize exposure to the japow. Would def stay again.

We had a good night rest as the beds were comfortable. Good experience with the warm and friendly folks managing Ramat. Breakfast was relaxing too as we looked out the windows with Mount Yotei in sight while enjoying our brekkie. Warm friendly people, clean rooms and comfy beds – we made a good choice ;))

Excellent service from Katie and Joanne who helped me select the best option for car rental which was the Toyota Fielder, 4W drive, that got me safety to Niseko and back to Chitose Airport. Plenty of space and a very comfortable ride. 

Accommodation was very homely. Nothing modern but very cozy place to stay. Room was big and I chose one with toilet and shower facilities! They fixed me closest to the main door and on level a where I had a much easier time getting my super luggage in! 

Enjoyed the stay, together with the plenty amount of snow that came! Will definitely stay there again!

Simple breakfast but good enough to start your day !! 

Thanks again for the great service!

Oh not to forgot Gary who was busy clearing the tons of snow with his amazing machine everyday to make sure that we get out of the house !! 8)

a bit dated but with a very homely feel. The staff were awesome – very friendly, always helpful and kept smiling even while we were reliving our epic day on the mountain despite the fact they’d been working all day! Already planning our next trip back!

The lodge is about a 15 minute walk from Hirafu village, but they run free shuttles for first tracks in the morning and a drop off and pick up shuttle for going out in Hirafu at night. The lodge itself had was well laid out and had a number of different areas for guests to hang out – tv area downstairs, bar upstairs with a pool table, and another lounge area. There was a hot Western breakfast buffet provided every morning, with plenty to eat before a big day on the mountain.

We had a double room to ourselves and it was HUGE and clean, with comfy bedding. The lodge was also safe enough that we didn’t feel the need to lock the door at all during our stay.

Would definitely be back and would recommend Ramat to others – especially if you’re a couple or small group who enjoy socialising with others at the end of the day. Or even a bit of friendly competition with a game of Crud! Big shout out to Brian and Will for playing great hosts during our stay too!

Where to start I am not sure originally booked in for 7 nights and my first time in Japan I had no idea what to expect, but this hostel made it feel like home right away.

Will picked me up from the Welcome Center no problem after a longer than planned trip, located a short 15 minute walk from town soon found the free shuttles all day made the hostel even closer to the ski hill, restaurants, shops and the town of Hirafu. Lots of clean large rooms lots of storage for your gear also completed with a drying room down stairs so that all your gear was dry and toasty for the next days powder. (best powder in my life and I live by what is known as the powder highway in Canada.) Geared towards skiing and boarding for sure lots of tools, also there is a great place to wax your board in the Snowgum lodge next door, I had the pleasure of staying there for a night also because we ended up staying an additional 4 more days in Niseko, we couldn’t leave it was too much fun.

Special thanks to Sue, Allen, Michi, Miho, Katie, Gary, Brian, Gabe, and Will . Who took care and helped us with everything from renting a car to making a delicious breakfasts, to some exploring showing us a great thrift store in the country. Always having a cold beer ready and delicious snacks. Allowing us to keep booking one night at time for two nights before for we finally knew that we were not going anywhere. Not getting too mad at my manger and I for our not at times so inside voices sometimes :). After riding hard all day my first thought would be to have a nap but once I reached the hostel and felt the energy and was surrounded by great people there were no naps to be had, great place I couldn’t picture being anywhere else nor would I have wanted to be already checking out flights for next year. Make sure you get to stay for a Thursday for the weekly crud match, Oh ya did I mention there is a pool table, darts, lots of snow banks for some late night sledding ( should be a couple green sleds donated somewhere at the lodge).

If you just want to chill there are a ton of movies down stairs and nice sitting area, also a group computer to huddle around and watch the days go pro footage. Can’t say enough everything you could ask for I love Ramat , Love Japan see you next year!

Your, Resident Rockstar

we had a xmas buffet when we arrived with people from all over the world, a sake tasting and some great nights spent pares-ski around the bar and pool table. Even though you’re not in the centre of town, this is no problem as the staff do runs to and from town throughout the day and there is also the shuttle bus to get you around. We would definitely stay there again and in fact will be back again this year we loved it so much!

Our stay only got better from there and over the 6 days we got to know all the staff who were all really accommodating and went out of their way to make all of our group feel welcomed.

Every night there seem to be a event of some type put on by the lodge. Mishi and Elena put on a great & cheap set menu one night, Garry and Barry kept the draft Sapporo flowing nightly at the bar and Alan the owner organised a guests and staff pool competition against a nearby lodge. Being outside of town wasn’t a problem as Barry and Garry regularly dropped anyone out to the village and it was only a 10min walk home, including the mandatory late-night-deep-fried-chicken stop in at the Lawson.

We later stayed at a private lodge but we commented how we missed the communal feeling we had a Ramat. I have been to Niseko three times and hands down it has been the best place to date. It will definitely be my first place I look, next time I go back.

I stayed in the bunkroom, which is well equipped compared to most backpacker/budget accommodation. Clean room, clean bedding and towels supplied and plenty of space to store gear.

if you’re looking for a quiet, friendly lodge in the quiet end of town, then this is ideal. Transport around the village is fantastic – shuttle buses all the time, taxis and the lodge runs their own ‘First Tracks’ shuttle in the morning. Gets you to the gondola before it opens. I think it’s easier to get to/from the lodge to the lifts than it is in town. If you stay right in Hirafu, you need to walk up and down the hills. I’d rather get a bus!

Probably the best aspect of this lodge is the staff. Easy going, ridiculously helpful and knowledgeable about the mountains and town. More than happy to help with trips into town, bookings at restaurants (over the phone can be tricky…), getting about and general advice.

Bottom line – for the money a single traveller won’t find a better deal than this. For couples I suspect it’s much the same too. You won’t find a friendlier place on the mountain either.

The staff were friendly and very accommodating. Although it wasn’t ski in/ski out accommodation, the friendly atmosphere, free shuttles to town and spacious lodgings more than made up for it.

Bar and pool table/darts upstairs. Continental breakfast with fresh cooked eggs and/or porridge. Drying room for snow gear. Washing machine. In-house Thai massage. There are a couple of restaurants within walking distance which the staff will point out, but they also run people into the main street at night if they want to go out for dinner or drinks.
Did I mention the super friendly staff???!

Nothing seemed to faze anyone – our lazy teens and late starts to the day must have been a pain to Gary who was already busy shovelling snow. But he and Mitchiko happily ferried us to the snow and beyond at any hour.

Erina, the Japanese yogi and masseuse was regularly disturbed by our requests for more miso please. Her Japanese Sushi making dinner is a must-do, as is Alan’s traditional Thai BBQ and Friday night Pool competition with a twist. (Prepare for annihilation!)

The kids were spoilt by an endless choice of DVDs, wii, pool table, playstation, bottomless hot chocolates and open fire place.They want to return every year and stay only at Ramat. As our 11 year old said: Ramat is better than a 5-star hotel with an all day buffet.

I had read the Lonely Planet guide of Japan and Katie answered any questions I had about skiing in Japan. Our stay was early in the season, and after Katie emailed us about the amount of snow they had had prior to us leaving, we were looking forward to our time in the snow! The email also contained what was happening over Xmas while we were there.
The staff- Gary, Mitchico and Katie were warm, friendly and welcoming. Nothing seemed too much to ask.

and the pool was great -…. not to mention the bar, and icicles and fresh pow outside the window to have with Baileys…. ?

All the staff are FAB! Were very happy to help and also leant us kit – when ours got damaged and leaked!!
Room was very warm ………too hot if not careful! ………. oh and the Thai massages on offer were fantastic — Jodi and I had a great time and would recommend this place to all..

and we hardly ever return to the same place for vacation twice. But ever since we discovered the amazing powder paradise Niseko, we return there every year, and since ski season 2008/09 we are regulars at the Ramat Niseko (when they first opened).

Alan, Sue and Gary make you feel like family. Everything you need is arranged by them: Airport transfer, ski rentals, lift passes and any extra requests. Even if there is a shuttle bus stop very close to the lodge, they will make sure to drive you to the ski lifts in the morning, to town for onsen or dinner in the evening, to the ski rental place, supermarket and even to the doctor’s if you need it.

3 single beds. carpet is clean as new. good privacy, bathroom and wardrobe are separated. The living room and dining room upstair make us feel cozy at home. We feel safe eventhough the room was never lock !

Although the lodge is not walking to the ski field, Gary was wonderful , he send us to ski Field every morning, and drive us to ski rental shop and return the ski gear too, transport has never been an issue, the free shuttle run from 8 am to 9pm, if you miss the free shuttle, taxi is only 560 yen. Not a problem at all !