I've been skiing in Japan for a number of years now. At first it was in Niseko but these days I tend to prefer Hakuba (more variety of terrain, more authentically Japanese, easier to access).
There are hundreds of places to stay in Hakuba, however for anyone interested these are my thoughts on a few of the best.
For top end / luxury - the Ridge Apartments or the Tokyu Hotel (both 5 star but a bit of a walk to the chairlifts. Not surprisingly, they'll drive you)
For proximity to the lifts - Hakuba Luna Hotel (a small, comfortable hotel really close to the Sakka lift)
For nightlife - one of the places in Echoland (the White Horse Arctic Hotel is very comfortable, with great service)
Here's a link to an official Hakuba tourism video. It gives you a pretty good idea of why Hakuba is so special. http://vimeo.com/4620924
