Hutte Birke

Stayed here for one night after skiing at Tazawako Ski Resort. Just 5 minutes drive from the ski field. Cozy rooms with futons. The bathroom with onsen water was excellent and the skin seems to improve after bathing. Dinner and breakfast were delicious. Owners were super friendly and informative. Lady owner has a great sense of humour and made our stay very memorable and joyful. The best stay around Tazawako ski area. I would like to come back in green season for hiking next time.

In six trips to Japan, this might be our favorite place we’ve stayed. It’s a perfect mix of casual and special. The food and the onsen were both amazing. We stayed in a small tatami room with futons and an amazing view. The hosts, Okaa-san (mother) and Otou-san (father), are both absolutely charming, and glad to help you out. While a little bit of knowledge of Japanese helps in navigating the area, Okaa-san’s English is quite strong. She’s always excited to tell you about the multitude of local dishes in each night’s dinner. We just booked directly via Hutte Birke’s website, with help with a translation app. The room reservations on the site are separated into Japanese and non Japanese guests, just so she can keep track of who’s coming.

We’re happy to experience excellent hospitality here. We can’t help but smile every time we remember our stay here. The okaasan and otoosan running this hutte are warm and friendly. It feels like going home to your grandparents house. The food is sumptuous and features the specialty of Akita. The quiz show during dinner was also entertaining. The private onsen was also relaxing. We’ll definitely visit again in the future.

This is the place to stay if you're skiing Tazawako. It doesn't even feel like a hotel - more like you're just staying with your nice Japanese grandparents. The rates are incredibly cheap, and it comes with so much. Breakfast and dinner were stellar, packed with delicious and healthy local specialities, the baths were top notch (using actual hot spring water) and just general service was also excellent - driving us to the slopes and other places, helping figure out bus times and other advice, the list goes on. Really can't recommend it enough. I hope I can find reason to visit again.

From the moment we arrived, proprietors Yuko and Ken made us feel welcome and looked after.||They are simply the best hosts we have ever experienced and made our 3 night stay a very memorable experience.||Logistically, the Hutte is about 100 - 150m from the ski terminal. We only ever had to walk a few meters to the ski hire (introduced by Ken) where we received excellent (new) skis at a very low rental (must have been "mates rates"). The ski hire people drove us up the hill to the terminal door each day. Returning, we were able to ski to the road, just a few meters from the ski hire place to change our boots for the short walk home. NB: A day pass at Tazawako is only Y2,500 making it the best value we have experienced in Japan. It is a lovely resort with views across Lake Tazawa dominating.||Our room was quite basic but spacious and with a view of the lake far below. There is wifi, a comfortable lounge, onsen, etc. However, what makes this place special is Yuko and Ken. Nothing is too much trouble. Yuko is more than entertaining - she is hilarious. She is also an incredible cook, serving up some of the best food we have ever eaten in Japan.||There is after dinner entertainment - I don't want to give too much away. If you want to see Yuko in full-flight, leaving you laughing hard, just ask her about the Korean movie IRIS, which was shot in the area.||We try and visit different ski resorts every year. However, we will be returning to Hutte Birke (and one other at Furano). They might not be the biggest / best mountains but the people who run them make them special. Heba-ne.

Can I put ten stars down for the food? After eating Yuko's hand-picked home-made pickles, nightly local variations on nabemono hot pot, fresh bamboo shoots wrapped in smoked salmon, butterflied shrimp and sweet potato bisque... followed by cold buckwheat soba, wild grape wine... I took notes but I still can't convey how good it all was. Breakfast was a similar affair--whether you request a Japanese style or Western (or both) it is authentic, fresh, inventive, and way more than you probably should eat. ||The rooms are comfortable with a beautiful view of Lake Tazawa and the Tazawako Ski Resort slopes which climb up Mount Komagatake. The ski area is across the street, and traditional onsen bathing a short bus ride away. With all of that, Yuko and Ken's hospitality is still the highlight at Hutte Birke. They are patient, accommodating, and a lot of fun.

Tazawako boasts the deepest lake on Japan and the largest ski fields in Akita. The third wonder is Hutte Birke, hosted by Ken and Yuko Sato. We first stayed here two years ago and if you scroll back you can read our glowing review. This time we brought friends, our adult children and their partners. It was wonderful to see them enjoy and appreciate Hutte Birke, as we did. With four double rooms, we had most of the lodge booked out. It is just so cosy, comfortable and welcoming. If you don’t like Japanese food, you might be disappointed. However, I am sure Yuko-san would prepare something to your taste. If you enjoy trying real Japanese food, local produce, vegetables, pickles, herbs harvested from the mountain, you are in for a real treat. The meals are a highlight and are included in the very reasonable tariff. Tazawako Ski Resort is small compared to the more well known mountains but there is plenty of good terrain to challenge all levels of skiiers and boarders. Next week, Tazawako is hosting the World Cup Freestyle Moguls, so that speaks volumes for the resort. The vista from the mountain (and Hutte Birke) of the lake below is stunning. It has one of the cheapest lift tickets around and the ski hire closest to Hutte Birke is also the cheapest we have found for very good rental gear. Tazawko is an easy 3 hr Shinkansen trip from Tokyo into the heart of snow country. Regular busses from the station take 20 mins and cost Y550. Another local treat is to stay in one of the mountain onsen ryokan, a short bus ride further. Why not tack that onto your trip to Tazawako and spend a couple of days exploring the mountain, based at Hutte Birke? If you have one of those days when you don’t feel like skiing, there is a bus which circuits the lake, stopping a few times to allow for sightseeing and photos. Highly recommended. We will be back. Heba-ne.

We had a wonderful stay at Hyutte Biruke because of the hospitality shown by Okaasan and Otousan Biruke. They are a young-at-heart couple that goes out all the way to make our stay enjoyable. Okaasan puts a lot of effort into her dinners and Otousan drives us around Tazawa-ko so that we can enjoy various other activities. ||||We booked 2 nights at Hyutte Biruke via the Tazawa tourist association at 7,500 yen/pax/night inclusive of breakfast and dinner. We got more than what we expected as:||1. Dinner was a 8 - 10 course meal||2. Tea was personally concocted by Okaasan Biruke. She picks and dries the leaves which results in a refreshing yet calming drink.||3. Otousan drove us to the Tazawa ski area and gave us some tips on skiing. Otousan loves skiing and he skis everyday during the winter. Otousan then drove us to Taenoyu onsen after skiing.||4. Our room was clean and it has a view of Lake Tazawa! ||5. Hyutte Biruke has two baths that draws the water from the nearby hot springs.||||Hyutte Biruke is most frequented by skiers. I think Hyutte Biruke itself is a perfect place to explore Lake Tazawa, Nyuto Onsen, Tazawa Ski area and the nearby mountains. We are thankful that we stayed at Hyutte Biruke as it left us with good memories and a warm feeling.