Oana (pronounced 'oh-anna') was a small ski hill just to the north of central Minakami town in northern Gunma Prefecture. It first opened in 1927 and from 1949 until 1963 a special winter-only train station was made (near the current Yubiso Station) just for skiers to alight near Oana. Yubiso Station itself opened in 1967. There is a ski jump to the side of the ski hill but it is currently unused.
With ageing facilities, decreasing numbers and sometimes snow condition worries it was announced in December 2018 that the 2018-2019 season would be the last. The last day of operations was Sunday 10th March 2019.
More information about Oana can be found on SnowJapanHistory.com.
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.
Ropeways
Gondolas
Quad lifts
Triple lifts
Pair lifts
Single lifts
Other
