Where is Hoshino Resorts Urabandai Nekoma?

The Hoshino Resorts Urabandai Nekoma Ski Resort is situated on the north or back face (Ura-bandai) of Mount Bandai (Bandai-san) in the Aizu region of the Fukushima Prefecture.

Urabandai Nekoma Ski Resort is located in Kitashiobara and is:

• 300km north of Tokyo
• 60km NW of the Koriyama train station (a shinkansen station)
• 22km NW of the town of Inawashiro
• 8km from Active Resorts Urabandai Hotel (13 mins drive)
• 8km from Kyukamura Urabandai Hotel

Guided Tour

The easiest way to explore Hoshino Resorts Nekoma is to visit as part of a multi-resort tour of the Aizu region. Your guide will drive you to Nekoma and other nearby resorts, and also show you the best powder stashes.

Driving to Hoshino Resorts Nekoma

If you’re not on a tour and want to stay in the area for more than one day, you’ll want to have a car to afford you plenty of flexibility to get to Nekoma and other Aizu ski resorts, and to also get to your accommodation.

You can rent a car at the Koriyama train station (enter Koriyama Fukushima as pick up location). For day trips to Nekoma, you probably also want to drive. Hoshino Resorts cite that Nekoma is “a quick 3 hour drive from Tokyo”, but it’s probably closer to 4 hours, particularly if traffic is congested. Either way, it’s definitely further to get from Tokyo to Nekoma compared to the Aizu ski resorts further south such as Alts Bandai and Inawashiro.

The telephone number of Hoshino Resorts Urabandai Nekoma is 0241-32-3001. Note that during winter, Route 64 – Gold Line Road that connects the Kitashiobara Village with Bandai town is not open, so you’ll need to drive around via the east side of Mt Bandai.

Train and Bus to Nekoma

From Tokyo you can get the Tohoku Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo to Koriyama Station (1:30 hours) and then there is a long 65km shuttle bus ride to Nekoma, although it’s not clear if this is still running.

Otherwise sometimes there are private buses that operate between Tokyo and Nekoma.

Getting Around the Area

There used to be an Aizu ski bus that travelled around the different resorts and stopped at Urabandai Lake Resort and Active Resorts Urabandai, but like other things at Nekoma, this may have ceased.

Other Ski Resorts Nearby

Nekoma abuts Alts Bandai Ski Resort, which is just to the south, but by road Alts Bandai is 48.5km away. Sometimes Hoshino Resorts run a shuttle system to connect the two ski resorts.

The Urabandai Nekoma Ski Resort shouldn’t be confused with the Urabandai Ski Resort which is located next door.

As part of the Aizu ski area, Nekoma is close to various ski resorts. Here is a selection of other nearby ski resorts:

• Inawashiro is 22km to the southeast of Nekoma
• Grandeco is 15km to the northeast
• Minowa Snow Park is 30km to the east

Note that whilst Tengendai Kogen in Yamagata Prefecture is reasonably close during summer, Route 2 is closed during winter so it’s a long drive to get there.