Pension R-Azteca

A Homey, Soccer-Themed Pension in Hakuba

Pension R-Azteca takes its name from Azteca Stadium, the setting for the final of the 1986 soccer World Cup in Mexico, and opened in 2006 in the Misorano villa area of Hakuba as a soccer-themed pension. Open the front door and a private long-pile artificial-turf pitch, a futsal court measuring 36 m x 16 m, spreads out right in front of you, free for staying guests to use. It is a place for an active stay all year round: soccer and futsal training camps in summer, and a base for skiing and snowboarding in winter.

Wood-Warmed Interiors and Guest Rooms

Natural woods, hinoki (Japanese cypress) among them, are used generously throughout, including for the flooring, giving the building a warm, wooden feel. There are 7 guest rooms in a simple lineup: 6 Western-style rooms and 1 Japanese-style tatami room. The choices run from a renovated double room with a bathroom and toilet, to twin, triple and Fours (4-person) rooms with two to four single beds, an 8-tatami Japanese-style room, and a room with bunk beds, so you can pick one to suit your group size and preferences. Every room has air conditioning and heating, and Wi-Fi is free. There are 2 shared household-style baths, available 24 hours.

What Families Will Appreciate

At the back of the first-floor dining room is a playroom with soccer games and manga, open until 11 p.m. The dining room also has a 60-inch large-screen television, handy for watching soccer or for training-camp meetings. Rates are set for children up to the sixth grade of elementary school and for children who have not yet started elementary school, and children under 3 who do not use bedding or meals stay at no charge (a 330 yen mini-buffet charge applies only when the plan includes breakfast), so the rate structure is easy to work with even when traveling with a baby. Meals are creative Japanese-Western dishes made with Shinshu ingredients, and kids' meals and allergy accommodations can be arranged with advance notice.

A Base for Hakuba Activities

Access is easy, with ski areas such as Able Hakuba Goryu and Hakuba Happo all within about a 10-minute drive, and there are restaurants within a 15-minute walk. If you book by the day before through the partner rental shop, ski and snowboard rental gear can be delivered to the pension. The pension can also help arrange activities in the area, including sports grounds, a gymnasium, fishing, paragliding, rafting, canoeing and soba-making.