Akasawa is a small ski hill located in the south west region of Minakami town in Gunma Prefecture, close to Hoshi Onsen and the border with Niigata Prefecture... it is only about 14km from the famous Naeba ski resort in Yuzawa town just to the north. This small hill has two single lifts and a rope-tow. Akasawa used to be generally only open on weekends and holidays (and only open privately on weekdays) but it is now also opening on many weekdays to the general public. There are a few weekdays when it will be closed to the general public. Details can be found below.
Minakami town is separated from Yuzawa town in Niigata Prefecture to the north by the impressive Tanigawa mountain range. The nine separate ski and snowboard resorts in Minakami are quite spread out throughout the central region of the town. These maps show all of the ski and snowboard resorts in the Minakami area together. Minakami is a popular year-round destination offering a wide range of outdoor sports and activities... and the onsen hot springs are very popular too.
Gunma Prefecture is located in the north west area of Kanto region on the main island of Honshu and shares borders with Niigata Prefecture to the north and Nagano Prefecture to the west. There are over 20 ski and snowboard resorts in Gunma Prefecture and they are mainly concentrated in the northern regions of Minakami and Katashina and the western region of the Prefecture.
There is a ski school at Akasawa that offers ski lessons. But be warned, while the official website has English text on it, concerning ski lessons it states 'Foreigners can not accept'. Perhaps a more tactful wording of what they mean would be 'we cannot do lessons in languages other than Japanese', but best to check...
Equipment Rental
Ski Rental:
Not available
Snowboard Rental:
Not available
Rental equipment and wear is available.
Children's facilities
There is a sledding area at the base area of Akasawa. Free to use.
Park information
Akasawa Season & Opening Times
Typical season is from Late December until Mid March
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
Daytime
Weekends and holidays
Normally open from 8:30am until 4:30pm
Weekdays
Normally open from 8:30am until 4:30pm
'Nighta' (night skiing)
Weekends and holidays
No
Weekdays
No
Opening information
Akasawa is normally open from 8:30am until 4:30pm.
Fully open on weekends, 26th December until 3rd January, 11th January, 11th and 23rd February 2021.
Normally it is only partly open on weekdays in the months of January and February (when the rope tow or Number 2 lift are rested). Exceptions are as noted below and also the 1st and 11th January; and 11th and 23rd February 2021.
Closed on the following dates: - every Tuesday between 5th January and 16th February 2021 - Wednesday 24th February 2021
Closed to the general public due to private reservation on the following dates: - 8th, 21st, 28th, 29th January 2021 - 5th February 2021
Closed on weekdays in March 2021
There is no night skiing at this area.
Akasawa Lift Ticket Charges
Adults
Child
Elementary School age & under
Senior
55 years & over
1 Day (8:30am-4:30pm)
2,500 yen
1,500 yen
2,000 yen
Morning (8:30am-1pm)
1,600 yen
1,000 yen
1,300 yen
Afternoon (12pm-4:30pm)
1,600 yen
1,000 yen
1,300 yen
Lift 1 ride
200 yen
200 yen
200 yen
Lift 6 rides
1,100 yen
1,100 yen
1,100 yen
Rope Tow only (1 day)
1,200 yen
Rope Tow only (half day)
800 yen
Rope Tow only (1 ride)
150 yen
2020-2021 Season lift tickets
The lift tickets include use of lifts and the rope tow.
Akasawa is not open to the general public every day of the season - see opening dates information elsewhere on this page.
Getting to Akasawa
By public transport
Train
21.6km from Jomo Kogen Station on the Joetsu Shinkansen line
21.4km from Gokan Station on the Joetsu Line
27.1km from Numata Station on the Joetsu Line
Information
Akasawa is about 21.5km from Gokan Station in Minakami and about 27km from the larger Numata Station on the local Joetsu line.
Jomo Kogen Station on the Joetsu Shinkansen line is just under 22km from Akasawa.
There is no shuttle bus but local buses operate between Jomo Kogen Station and Sarugakyo Onsen.
Another bus operates from Sarugakyo Onsen to Hoshi Onsen (15 minutes). Get off at the Akazawa ski-jo stop.
By Car
21.9km from the Tsukiyono IC on the Kanetsu Expressway
27.1km from the Minakami IC on the Kanetsu Expressway
36.3km from the Yuzawa IC on the Kanetsu Expressway
Nearest national route: Route 17 (3.2km away)
Nearest prefecture road: Prefecture Road 261
Direction
Tsukiyono IC is the nearest exit on the Kanetsu Expressway, about 22km away.
From the Tsukiyono IC exit, turn onto Route 17 to head north - follow the signpost mentioning Niigata and Naeba. Go past Akaya-ko lake and through the Sarugakyo onsen area, and after about 17km from the IC exit follow the signs for Akasawa on the left side to head towards the base.
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Ropeways
Gondolas
Quad lifts
Triple lifts
Pair lifts
Single lifts
Other
