Summer Leaves

Summer Leaves was a truly wonderful and unique place to stay, and our hosts, Mary and Mickey, are incredibly kind and warm people. When we arrived in Hakuba, Mary picked us up from the station. We chatted a little, and I mentioned how highly rated their place was and how excited I was to stay there. She laughed and said something like, “Oh yeah, people really seem to enjoy staying with us—the reviews keep getting longer!” After our stay, I completely understand why, because I also feel the urge to write a long review. We had a bit of bad luck with the weather. The week we were there was unusually warm, very little snow had fallen in December, and large parts of several resorts were closed. Even so, staying at Summer Leaves was the absolute highlight of our trip. Mary, Mickey, and all the volunteers were so kind and welcoming that, even though our stay was short, we felt like we had been welcomed into their little family. Every day after skiing, we would come back and chat, hang out, and talk about all sorts of things. One evening, we even went to an onsen together. We were invited to celebrate Christmas night with everyone and enjoyed real Chinese food for the first time (we don’t really have authentic Chinese food in the Netherlands) and it was delicious. They also taught us how to play mahjong, which was incredibly fun—we’ve already bought our own set and are planning to teach our friends soon. Traveling is always an amazing experience, and we both love it dearly, but being away from home can sometimes be difficult. At Summer Leaves, however, we truly felt at home while on holiday. If we are ever lucky enough to return to Japan for skiing, we already know we would only stay at Summer Leaves—hopefully with better snow and many more nights of mahjong.

Close to bus stop, ski hire, Tsugaike Resort and Sierra Onsen. Hosts Mickey and Mary were amazing, nothing was too much trouble and they were so friendly and welcoming.

If you want to be able to walk to restaurants and convenience stores you need to stay in Tsugaike or Hakuba, but if you want to stay in a guesthouse with friendly hosts and meet people from all over, then stay here.

Our family of five had a great stay at Summer Leaves. It was the perfect base to explore Hakuba Valley and all the ski spots. Mickey and Mary were excellent hosts and went out of their way to make sure all of needs were met. They even pulled our car out of the snow when we got stuck during a big snow fall. What sets their place apart from others is the real sense of community they enable with their common rooms, heated with wood-fired stoves and lots of comfortable seating, We really enjoyed getting to know the hosts and the other travelers staying at their lodge. Highly recommend.

Nothing noted

Hosts were super accommodating with daily shuttles to/from Tsugaike as well as breakfast. There's some fun common areas and a great homey vibe.

What a wonderful place run by a wonderful family. From the moment I arrived I felt welcomed and comfortable. Summer Leaves is a family run place and you immediately feel welcomed by this family. Breakfast was simple but great, a good variety and freshly made (not buffet.) Location is great, quite but close to everything.