Book direct with Ministry of Villas for the best price and to receive our complimentary concierge service. Select your dates below to reserve GAKUTO VILLAS
Prices are calculated using the villa's nominated currency, typically USD. Amounts shown in other currencies are based on today's exchange rate.
Description
Gakuto Villas Overview
Gakuto Villas is a crisp and modern estate of 12 private two-bedroom chalets surrounded by the powder snow and world-class skiing of Hakuba, Japan. Each chalet includes bright and modern living areas, two well-appointed bedrooms and of course, a ski room for storing your gear. The chalets have a great location within minutes of the Happo One ski lift and offer easy access to great restaurants and pubs.
Sleeps: 4 guests (6 max)
Features
- Centralised heating
- Kitchen
- Satellite TV
- DVD player
- Free Wi-FI Access
- Safety box
- Laundry
- Ski storage
- Baby cot (subject to availability)
- High chair (subject to availability)
Inclusions
- Property manager
- Housekeeping
- Nescafe Gusto coffee & tea
- Towels / linen
- Toiletries
- Airport transfer assistance
- Shuttle service to restaurants
- Hakuba Train/Bus Station Transfers (on arrival / departure)
Extras
- Extra person JPY ¥8,000 per night
- Ski / snowboard rental
- Ski / snowboard lessons
- Lift passes
- Car rentals
- Airport Transfers
Hot Deals
Last Minute & Early Bird Bookings
Contact our Villa Specialists to find out if your dates are eligible for our Last Minute and Early Bird discounts.
Gakuto Villas Living
Gakuto Villas is a trailblazer credited as being the first modern estate of western style chalets in its area. The chalets sit in a quiet neighbourhood and have a light and bright décor perfect for recharging your batteries – but you’re still just minutes away from slopeside thrills and great dining.
Living Room
The open-plan living and dining room has floor-to-ceiling windows allowing for endless natural light. The living area is furnished with a sofa and a TV with satellite channels.
Dining Room
The four-seater dining table sits across from the living room and is flanked by a small fully-equipped open-plan kitchen.
Gakuto Villas Bedrooms
Each Gakuto Villa has two bedrooms. One of the rooms has a double bed and the other room has two single beds. One bedroom is located on the ground floor and one is upstairs on the first floor. One folding bed and one sofa bed are available against an extra charge. Using the extra bedding, each chalet can sleep up to six guests.
Bedroom 1
The first bedroom is housed on the ground floor and includes a king bed and access to bathroom with a bath and shower just outside the room.
2 Guests
1 King Bed
Bathroom (Bath & Shower)
Bedroom 2
The second bedroom is located on the first floor. This room has two single beds and access to second bathroom on the first floor with shower.
2 Guests
2 Single Beds
Bathroom (Shower)
Gakuto Villas Layout
Gakuto Villas is an estate of 12 private chalets, each with two bedrooms. Each chalet includes an open-plan living and dining room with a fully-equipped kitchen as well as housing a dry room for your ski equipment. One of the bedrooms has a double bed and the other has two single beds.
Gakuto Villas Staff
Your stay is made enjoyable by the professional staff who have been professionally trained and will do their utmost to please with their warm and friendly hospitality.
Property Manager
The chalet’s experienced and knowledgeable manager is responsible for the overall operation of the chalet. The property manager will oversee and coordinate the staff and property and assist you during your stay.
Housekeeping
Our chalets in Japan often have housekeeping 1 – 2 times per week depending on the property. Each chalet will have their own cleaning schedule.
Location
Gakuto Villas is located in Hakuba, Japan. The chalets are located in the Wadano Mori district and offer easy access to the area’s best skiing with the Happo One ski lifts waiting within minutes from your doorstep. There is also a good selection of restaurants, bars and onsens within an easy stroll of the chalets. The estate includes a shuttle service to restaurants and the bus terminal. The property is located directly on the public shuttle route, providing easy access to the slopes.
Bookings
Click on the ‘Reserve’ button to view live rates and availability for your desired dates. To book click on ‘Reserve Now’ and follow the steps. Ministry of Villas accepts Visa, MasterCard, Amex, PayPal or bank transfer. Once your payment has been processed, we will send you a booking confirmation via email.
Need to Know
- Min stay: Low Season: 2 nights, High Season: 2 nights, Peak Season: 3 nights
- Our rates include Government tax and services. Other websites add this on at the end of the booking!
- We offer the best rates online and offer a price guarantee to prove it!
- A deposit of 50% of the total amount must be paid at the time of booking
- Final payment is required 60 days prior to arrival
- Check-in time: 3pm – Check-out time: 10am
- Payment can be settled by credit card or PayPal (3% payment processing fee)
- Payment can be settled by bank transfer in your preferred currency (AUD / EUR / GBP / JPY / NZD / SGD / USD)
- Read our full terms and conditions
Natalie Riches –
Fabulous accommodation- very spacious and comfortable. Kitchen well stocked with plates, cutlery, appliances. One downside was no drying room for boots or ski clothes or washing. We used bathroom with heated floor on that worked quite well. Helpful service in daily supermarket bus trip. Bus right outside to Sakka slope but had to walk to larger hotel down road for most other resorts. Very little information on getting around or walking into Hakuba town. Staff spoke very little English but very responsive on Whats app service. Wifi not that reliable.
Overall Would definitely recommend.
Google Reviewed 5 February 2024
Sara –
Wow, my husband and I stayed here and the views looking out to the forest are incredible. Really cosy villa with ample room for two couples both with a bathroom. Easy access to restaurants and town.
AL –
Fantastic value, great location and easy access to the lifts.
Kristine N –
A wonderful place to stay
We loved Gakuta. The staff have been wonderful. Guin has answered so many emails for us pre trip. Using Whats App is the best way to communicate with them during your stay. They have booked restaurants and ordered taxis’s for us. It’s been so easy.
Tips. Even villas look over the forest. Odd villas look over a snow filled car park. Spicy Wadano is a 5 min walk for rentals and they drop and pick up gear to Gakuto The free shuttle bus stops is the car park next door in both directions so it’s easy to get to the slopes. Bus 1 to Sakka and Bus 2 to Happo Gondola. So easy and no walking with gear. They run every 30 min.
Compared to our last visit most places (including supermarkets) now use cards instead of cash only
Eat at Hybrid – awesome service and amazing food. I mean amazing and fresh local produce. Highly recommend The Pub is a 5 min walk and easy for a casual dinner and the hotel attached Moninoki has an all you can eat buffet (nice) as well as a beautiful outdoor onsen (walk ins only) and 1,000 Yen and highly recommend. The villas are very clean and basic kitchen with some tea and coffee provided. (If you want to cook bring some salt and pepper) Gakuto will also happily recommend restaurants and I suggest you book as they fill up very quickly. Would definitely stay here again and it’s great value.
Happy skiing
TripAdvisor Reviewed.
Stayed in February 2023
Esther Chan –
Great Stay!
We had a wonderful stay at Gakuto Villas. The villa was impeccably clean and the beds were very comfortable (not generally the case in most ski chalets in Japan from previous experience). The location was fantastic, short walk to Rhythm and ski lifts and also close to some fantastic restaurants (i.e. Hummingbird). We loved the always helpful staff who were more than happy to help with dinner reservations, recommendations etc. I really don’t have anything negative to say about the villas and am looking forward to the next visit!
TripAdvisor Reviewed.
Stayed in February 2020
Judith S –
Snow skiing holiday
We spent 6 nights here for a skiing holiday. The villas were very well presented and clean and tidy, with everything that you could need. They offer a free drop off service to the supermarket each afternoon. Ideally one option to do this a little bit later would have suited, as we had to leave the ski slopes early to be able to catch it. The staff were very helpful, and it’s a brilliant location, with the village shuttle stop directly out the front.
We would definitely stay here again!
TripAdvisor Reviewed.
Stayed in February 2020
Suzanne M –
Perfect hosts
Gakuto villas are a short walk from Happo ski field and Sakko (beginners ski field), there are quite a few restaurants also in walking distance too. It is almost opposite Spicy’s ski rental which is really handy. The 11 villas are spacious, open and warm. The even numbers look out onto the mountain and the odd numbers onto a car park. We had an odd number but didn’t mind at all, as we could see the kids playing with the snow from our large lounge window.
The staff are amazing. All speak great English (or are Aussie/English) and nothing is a problem for them. They will take you to the supermarket, restaurants, ski-field if you ask nicely, and one day even took us back to villas when we randomly bumped into a staff member in Echoland (thank you Jacob!). They will book things for you (Onsen, restaurants, buses), which makes the language barrier much easier to navigate. The villa has a washer/dryer and plenty of room for ski equipment. It is serviced every few days.
TripAdvisor Reviewed.
Stayed in January 2020
ss0s –
Lovely villas. Helpful staff. Good Location.
These villas suited our family of 5 perfectly. 1 bed room upstairs and one downstairs. 2 bathrooms with toilets and showers, 1 with bath. Fridge,freezer, toaster, kettle, rice cooker, washing machine and drying rack. (could dry in machine, but I didn’t). Very warm underfloor heating. Skype phone with free local calls. Staff helpful with booking dinners. Villa shuttle service was very obliging – drop and pick up from dinner (until 8pm). Dropped us at ski slope on the first day when we missed the bus and were running late. Rescued me and kids when we got lost and ended up on a roadside a long walk from the lifts. Shuttle service to supermarket every evening. Can walk to Kokasai lift (where Evergreen international ski school is) in about 5min. Could also walk to Sakka lift – further but downhill on the way home. Snowball makers and sleds available to use for free. No onsen, but can walk 2min to Momoniki hotel and use theirs for 1000yen.
TripAdvisor Reviewed.
Stayed in January 2020
KewarraBeachPharmacy –
Family ski/board holiday
Can thoroughly recommend these villas for your family holiday. Everything is covered, even the washing machine/dryer. There’s your own drying room for ski gear. The bathrooms have what you need, hot, powerful showers and a bath. Plenty of room in the bathrooms as well. Large lounge and kitchen area. Clean, modern style. The staff are amazing, with information, arranging transportation, info on slopes, restaurants etc. All very well organised. Other major bonuses are the fact that the bus stop for virtually all the slopes is right outside your door. No walking in ski boots! Even if your choice is not on the list, it will be covered by the buses that go from Hotel Tokyo, just down the road. Having easy access to the slopes and great accommodation is awesome. Great time had by all.
TripAdvisor Reviewed.
Stayed in January 2020
Spudgirl18 –
Skiing
Fantastic villa for ski holiday for family of 4. Plenty of room with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Good location , able to walk lots of places including ski school. Plenty of free shuttles nearby. Staff incredibly helpful with free transport and information. Will definitely be back.
TripAdvisor Reviewed.
Stayed in January 2020
Michelle B –
Ski Holiday
Awesome friendly helpful staff whom went out of there way to accomodate everything we asked . The villas have everything a family needs and more !! Location is perfect, with bus stop located outside villa to all the ski slopes and walking distance to many cafes and restaurants We will be back !!! Thankyou for the best family holiday !
TripAdvisor Reviewed.
Stayed in January 2020
AlliraMelbourne –
Beautiful villas, great location.
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Gakuto Villas for 5 nights. The staff are very friendly and helpful with a reliable shuttle to pick up/drop off from the bus dermal and local supermarket. The villas are all very new and clean with minimal but great facilities (inc washing machine). Entry hall with ski storage, heated floors, large bedrooms and a great open plan living/kitchen. Very comfortable and warm.
Great location within walking distance to ski lifts and hire shops. The villas do provide basic cooking facilities such as a fridge, microwave, stovetop but no oven. Great for breakfast/lunch, but if you wish to cook more, you will need to bring/buy essentials such as oil, salt etc.
TripAdvisor Reviewed.
Stayed in February 2019
dtm1 –
What a fantastic apartment
I was torn about whether or not to write this review, as I don’t want to have to compete with other people when we go back in the future. This was our first trip to Hakuba, so we had not idea of what to expect in terms of location or facility. We also had nothing to compare it to.
However, we should not have been concerned. We spent 6 nights here and everything was great. Wadano, as an area is a little bit quieter than other areas in the valley in the evenings, but there are still plenty of options. The villa was perfect and gave us everything that we would not have had in a hotel. The kitchen was more than ample and the two bathrooms worked perfectly. The wi-fi was great and the living area was perfect for a family of 5. Washing machine was great. No dryer, but no need – clothes dried on rack overnight. Heating was under floor heating, but worked so well, we had to turn it down and occasionally open the windows.
An additional kids’ bed was provided in the upstairs bedroom and that worked fine. On check-in, reception told us that the villa would be cleaned in the middle of our stay and that was fine. We could leave garbage bags out at night and they were collected by morning.
Reception happily provided a lift for us to the supermarket and waited while we stocked up on essentials – word of warning though, the main supermarket does not take most foreign credit cards. It even arranged a driver and car out of the scheduled trip hours, which was very nice.
The villas are a 10 – 15 minute walk (in ski boots) from the kokusai kift at Happo One (which is 50m before the ski school). Alternatively, the shuttle bus takes about 5 minutes. There is also a shuttle to the beginners (Sakka) lift area, which takes about 3 minutes, but as it’s uphill, better to take the shuttle than walk.
Reception sell discounted single and multi-day passes for Happo One. The discount is significant for multiple days, but you may want to consider whether you want to ski other mountains as well. I bought 2 day passes and they worked out to be about 3,700 yen per adult. They don’t sell kids passes or sakka passes.
It was brilliant sitting in the upstairs lounge room or in the bedroom downstairs and watching the snow fall. We had an even numbered villa, which faces uphill to an essentially private view. The odd numbers will face towards the car park, so probably not as private a view. reception also have various snow toys that the kids can borrow and a selection of dvds.
Ski rental places are pretty close and all do pick up and drop off as well (although we had already ordered our ski gear before arriving in Hakuba and just went for fitting and pick-up). The villas are not cheap, but we felt that they were very good value for what we got.
Will definitely be going back!
TripAdvisor Reviewed.
Stayed in January 2019
Sara –
They might be small from the outside but these 2 bedroom chalets have plenty of space for 2 couples or a small group. Great all year round!
Rockers_73 –
Great place to stay
Very happy with our stay at Gakuto Villas, very modern accommodation with great facilities and very close to the slopes and restaurants.
Staff at Gakuto were lovely and very helpful too.
I really recommend this place and will happily visit again.
TripAdvisor Reviewed.
Stayed in March 2018
hodrijamesHK –
Ski Holiday
Modern, well built villas Two bedrooms and two bathrooms work well for families. Ski slopes / ski hire within 5-10 mins walking distance if no car. Also near a lot of cafes / restaurants. Great staff!
TripAdvisor Reviewed.
Stayed in February 2018
Roam533437 –
What can I say… AMAZING!
So I finally decided to start writing TripAdvisor reviews and it’s all because of this place! Gakuto Villas are a truely amazing place to stay. We were a family of four traveling from Australia. Husband and wife plus a two year old and one year old. I was seriously concerned about embarking on a snowboarding holiday to japan with two young children BUT thanks to Gakuto for making it so so so much easier then I expected. The location is incredible. Walking distance to Rythem snow sports, saka lift, happo day care and the evergreen ski school. The villas are quiet, clean and have everything you need.
We made Breakfast ourselves everyday and I packed the children a lunch for Daycare. Gakuto provides a baby cot for our youngest and even two high chairs! The staff were so beautifully kind to us and drove the children to day care every morning and us to the saka lift. We had so much to carry with two children so we couldn’t have done it without them. The made dinner Booking for us and drove us two and from restaurants. They also drove us to the supermarket and chemist. I have to make a special mention to sue for answering all my emails I the lead up and giving me all the info I needed.
Also to jay for being so helpful and friendly. And an extra special special mention to nick who really made our experience at Gakuto. He was the most friendly, helpful and thoughtful staff member we have ever come across whilst travelling. He treated us and the children like we were family and went above and beyond to help us out. Hubby and I even joked that if we ever open a hotel we know who we will be calling first. Thanks Gakuto. We will be back!
TripAdvisor Reviewed.
Stayed in February 2018
Duncan S –
Beautiful modern apartment villas
These villas were beautifully designed and well finished. They were spotlessly clean and very spacious. We were there for skiing and there was plenty of space to park and it was only a short distance to the closest lift. The staff at reception were very helpful. Highly recommended!!
TripAdvisor Reviewed.
Stayed in February 2018
yoloep –
Gakuto is excellent!
My first visit to Hakuba. Stayed for 6nights in mid-Feb. Great location, nestled in nature and quiet. Was about less than 5mins ride from Hakuba main station to the villa. Villa is modern, clean, cozy with beautiful view into the surrounding forest and spacious enough to fit 4-6 adults easily. Washer/dryer was available.
Easy access to ski slopes via free shuttle bus or short walk to nearest ski lift. Bus stop is just few steps away from the guest house. Staffs were incredibly friendly and accommodating, special thanks for helping me to find and arrange for ski lesson even when it came last minute!
There are some nice restaurants nearby (recommended by staff) and would advise to book in advance. Cooking was another option as kitchen was equipped to cook simple meals. Gakuto provides free shuttle to the grocery store.
Overall was an enjoyable and pleasant stay. One small housekeeping improvement that I can suggest was replenishing coffee capsules in the villa as there aren’t many cafes nearby to get coffee in the morning.
Would definitely return. Highly recommend.
TripAdvisor Reviewed.
Stayed in February 2018
3Youngs –
Lucky us!
Not having skied in Hakuba before (and leaving our booking run a little late) we were lucky to find ourselves at Gakuto Villas. Well located (shuttle right outside), clean and with large rooms the villas met our every need. As with most places the people make it- Nick and Jay, thanks! You guys were terrific!
TripAdvisor Reviewed.
Stayed in January 2018
Kate B –
Spectacular
Fantastic accommodation in beautiful Hakuba-one. These villas were perfect for our family of 5 (including three teenagers). Good location, very well equipped (although a bigger utility room with heating would be good). Staff were terrific. Big shout out to Nick! Thanks for a great stay.
TripAdvisor Reviewed.
Stayed in January 2018
Greg M –
Great place to stay
Can’t rate this place highly enough. The accommodation was excellent, perfect location, walking distance to lifts and equipment hire and the staff were really friendly and willing to help. This was our first time in Hakuba and they made our experience unforgettable.
TripAdvisor Reviewed.
Stayed in January 2018
Jo C –
Warm and very comfortable
Well designed, spacious and very comfortable villa, it had everything we needed for a great stay. The underfloor heating was brilliant and we never felt cold despite the thick snow outside the window. The staff are great and really helpful and the location is good for the shuttle buses and walking to restaurants. Great to have ski storage area and all our clothes dried overnight. Very highly recommended!
TripAdvisor Reviewed.
Stayed in January 2018