Scout loves
- Convenient and excellent location in Furano
- The very friendly, vibrant and happy atmosphere
- Children’s playroom with lots of toys that will keep kids busy
- The lounge area where there is a countertop fireplace, and where you can roast marshmallows
- The clean, fresh ambiance
Scout tips
- Free wi-fi access throughout the hotel
- You can choose from a selection of pillows
- The onsen is not a natural hot spring, but still very good
- Depending on your preference, you can choose a room with a ski side or valley view. Scout prefers the valley views.
- Minimal English is spoken
- Sometimes the hotel can be heavily booked with school groups
- While well adapted to westerners, Hotel Naturwald is an authentic Japanese experience which may pose challenges to some travellers. Read our story about Staying in a Japanese hotel.
SCOUT REVIEW
A fun, friendly, happy hotel in a great location, Naturwald is an excellent option if you want to be just a hop, step and jump across the road from the slopes, and a short walk from the Kitanomine ski base area, the main gondola, ski school and ski rental shops. It is also surrounded by Kitanomine’s restaurants and bars. This Japanese style hotel with western amenities was recently renovated so you get a fresh, updated and vibrant ambiance. It has an “Ikea” feel to it which is very different from the usual 1980’s pastel colors and outdated furnishings usually found in Japanese hotels.
Naturwald hotel has both Japanese style rooms and Western style rooms. Most of its rooms are Western style which are ample in size and feature two twin beds, a small sofa bed, flat-screen TV, a fridge, an electric kettle with complimentary green tea bags, and a bath and toilet. While these rooms fit three people, it would be a tight squeeze so only recommended for the third person to be a young child. The Japanese style rooms feature tatami mats, flat-screen TV, a fridge, an electric kettle with complimentary green tea bags, and a bath and a toilet.
Naturwald has a handful of large suites with mini kitchens and generous living areas. While they can be hard to book, if available they’re an excellent choice for families or those who want to stay longer (please ask us for pricing). Naturwald hotel has lots of unique features including a large selection of pillows so whether you love hard or soft pillows, Scout knows you will be sleeping comfortably. Most of the rooms at Naturwald have nice views of the mountain, ski slopes or valleys, and Scout prefers the rooms with the valley views.
Although Naturwald is surrounded by Kitanomine’s restaurants and bars, it has a good restaurant which serves a combination of Japanese and Western dishes for its buffet breakfast, and a set menu for dinner.
It also features facilities that will appeal to both the young and the old. The natural onsen (both indoor and outdoor) are lovely and the children can find entertainment in the kids room, or roast marshmallows over the small table-top firepit in the lobby. Other facilities include washers and dryers, ski rentals and a convenience store.
Naturwald offers you an entirely different Japanese style experience and hospitality which will want you to come back for more.
Who should stay here
Naturwald hotel is ideal for couples, groups of friends or families, people who want to be close to the ski area of Taisetsuzan and town of Furano.
Scout Customer Reviews
It was a very Japanses experience! We really enjoyed it, the English speaking staff were really helpful. The rooms were not huge but perfectly adequate for a week. We liked the option to not have our rooms cleaned and get 1000yen per room per day to spend in the gift shop! The kids ended up with a couple of free Furano hoodies! The onsen was amazing and the breakfast was incredible! Best of all the ski lifts are so close. Charlie, Scout Customer 2020
Naturwald was perfect. Great location and helpful staff. Nothing fancy but consistent with the overall Furano vibe, and good value. We got a kick out of the total lack of restaurants/bars at the bottom of the mountain; our apres ski was to sit in the Naturwald lobby with a couple of beers and watch people come and go. And, the breakfast buffet, while not fancy, was great. Andrew, USA, Scout Customer, 2019
We are a family of 4 with 2 teenagers, who have recently returned from a skiing holiday in Japan. Part of our trip was a wonderful stay at Naturwald Hotel in Furano. We all loved it! The adults loved the Onsen on site, convenient laundry, very well appointed rooms with absolutely everything you might need as far as toiletries (right down to heat pads for sore muscles and beauty face-masks) and fantastic service from all the staff. Teenagers loved free wifi, and the convenient location. Straight out the front door of the hotel, cross the road & car park and hop straight onto the ski lift. The ski/snowboard lockers were roomy, warm, dry, and perfectly located off to the side of the front door; so convenient. Breakfast was good, there is self serve coffee and softdrinks machines free of charge all day, as well as plenty of vending machines everywhere for everything else. Daily there are times where cookies, ice creams even small free beers are available free of charge. The beds were comfortable, and there also a good selection of pillows available. The beds are not big though, so if you are tall keep that in mind, but I am 6'8" and although it was small fit, this is not a deal breaker for us to plan a trip back in the near future. The location is perfect, and every staff we encountered on our stay were fantastic. Everyone seems genuinely happy to be working there. A special mention to Gareth and all the front desk staff who gave us great advice and help when required to make this truly our best ski trip to Japan (2 previous ones before). Also, special shout out Greg & Yoshi at Harro's Ski/Snowboard hire for great service and fantastic gear, and off course Sarah at Scout Ski for the great advice. Bastien, Sydney, Scout Customer 2019
Naturwald Hotel was fantastic and I was pleasantly surprised at how well set up they were for babies and young children… even with baby bath seats and breastfeeding pillows for guest use. As our little one grows, I have a feeling that the Naturwald will be top on our list of family-friendly hotels. Kita-san was also great. - Simon, Hong Kong, Scout Customer 2018
Furano was a perfect location and Naturwald was a great quirky location for Xmas. Guy, Sydney, Scout Customer 2018
Location
Naturwald is a very short walk across the street to Furano Ski Resort's Kitanomine base area and the main gondola, ski school and ski rental shops. It is surrounded by Kitanomine Village’s restaurants and bars.
Find a great map of the Furano Ski Resort area and location of Naturwald here.
- Short walk to lifts
About Furano
Furano is up there with the best when it comes to ski resorts in Japan. Offering a wide variety of terrain, lots of powder, a good selection of accommodation and a relatively authentic village and nearby town, it has something for everyone and will suit a range of tastes and budgets. Furano is a good mix of Western influences and comforts, and Japanese culture. The ski resort itself caters to all ability levels and skiing preferences, from advanced off-piste and amazing sidecountry (easily accessed) to long leg-burning groomed runs. Receiving abundant snowfall each season (up to 9 metres), Furano is a perfect spot to experience true Hokkaido powder.
Read more about Furano and other hotels in the area.
Hotel Amenities
- Public Laundry (washers and dryers)
- Free Wifi
- Pillow selection
- Public Hot Baths (onsen)
- Kids Playroom
- Lounge area
- Convenience Store
- Full service spa
- Ski Rentals
Hotel Policies
Arrival Details: If arriving into Furano by Hokkaido Resort Liner, there is a stop directly at the front of Hotel Naturwald.
Naturwald is a typical Japanese hotel with onsen facilities. Please read our guides on staying in a Japanese Hotel and to Onsen Etiquette.
Property T&Cs:
- All guests may be required to give their full name, age, passport number, postal address, nationality and occupation on or prior to check-in, in compliance with Japanese Law.
- Property is non-smoking.
- Cots (cribs) and highchairs can be requested at time of booking and are subject to availability and an extra charge.
- Guests accept responsibility for damage to the property, fittings, furniture, keys and other chattels caused during their occupation, including any consequential losses incurred.
- Credit card details and authorization may be required to be provided upon prior check-in as a security deposit.
- Check-out is 10AM. Late check-outs may be possible on a request basis and a charge applies.
- Parking during winter months is severely restricted and must be requested and confirmed for each booking if required.
- Children aged 2-5 years are at a reduced rate. Please contact Scout for an updated quote based on the ages of those travelling.
Available: This selection is currently available for this price. Once you submit an inquiry our agents will confirm your booking via email and send you an invoice for a deposit. You will need to pay a 25% deposit within 7 days (unless otherwise specified) to secure the booking.
On Request: Our agents need to confirm availability of this room. Once you submit a request we will endeavour to get back to you by the next business day to confirm availability (some properties may take longer). If prices are listed they are the exact prices for your dates, room selection and room occupancy. Where prices are not listed we will confirm the price when we confirm availability. In either instance, you are not committed to your selection until after we confirm availability and price. Once you agree to that confirmation, you will be sent an invoice and will need to pay a 25% deposit within 7 days (unless otherwise specified) to secure the booking. If your requested room is not available, we will present alternative options.
Subscribe to the Scout newsletter - a regular roundup of news from the slopes and magazine articles.