Shiga Kogen is a highland area in Yamanouchi town in the northern region of Nagano Prefecture and part of the Joshinetsu Kogen National Park. The ski and snowboard resort that is known as ‘Shiga Kogen’ is actually made up of 18 mostly inter-connected areas that share a lift ticket.
Shiga Kogen was host to some of the events of the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1998 - the alpine skiing slalom and snowboarding giant slalom were held at the Yakebitaiyama area, while the alpine skiing giant slalom was held at Higashitateyama. Shiga Kogen may not receive as much snowfall as some nearby regions, but often makes up for it in snow quality. Shiga Kogen is also well known as being close to the famous Jigokudani snow monkey park where you can see monkeys soaking in an onsen hot spring.
Shiga Kogen Terakoya is one part of Shiga Kogen. Terakoya is the second highest part of Shiga Kogen after Yokoteyama, with the peak rising to 2,125m. Access to the slopes of Terakoya is only from the upper area of the Ichinose Family or Higashitateyama areas. This map shows all of the Shiga Kogen ski and snowboard resorts.
A new 'pulse' gondola lift is opening in Shiga Kogen for the 2020-2021 winter season. The new lift features two ‘pulses’ of 3 cabins, each holding 8 people. The short 400m journey from near the Yama-no-Eki building in the Hasuike area down to the Giant area takes just 90 seconds. A new name 'Shiga Kogen Mountain Resort' and logo has also been introduced.
Nagano Prefecture is located in the Chubu region of the main island of Honshu. Most of the Northern Alps, Central Alps and Southern Alps are located within Nagano (along with neighbouring prefectures). Nagano has the second highest number of ski and snowboard resorts in all of Japan and they are spread around the whole prefecture. Nagano city and many of the major ski resorts are located in the northern region.
A number of ski and snowboard schools operate around the Shiga Kogen resort areas. Check our Lessons in English page for any ski school listings on SnowJapan.
Equipment Rental
Ski Rental:
Available
Snowboard Rental:
Available
A number of ski and snowboard equipment and wear rental facilities are available around the Shiga Kogen resort areas.
Children's facilities
There are no special facilities for children at Terakoya.
Park information
There are no special snow park facilities at Terakoya.
Shiga Kogen Terakoya Season & Opening Times
Typical season is from Early December until Early May
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
The Shiga Kogen resort areas are generally scheduled to be open from 8:30am until 4:30pm for daytime operations but there are some variations.
Night skiing operations for the 2020-2021 season in Shiga Kogen are planned at the following areas:
* Only limited parts of the below resorts are floodlit and open for nighta. * Areas not mentioned are not open for night time operations. * Seperate lift tickets are required for night skiing.
The tickets shown above are valid at all of the 18 ski areas in Shiga Kogen. Lift tickets include the use of the shuttle bus service within the Shiga Kogen area.
The multiple day tickets can be used for the respective number of one day tickets during the season - the days do not need to be consecutive.
A 500 yen returnable deposit is required for all lift tickets.
'Point Tickets' are also available, sold in blocks of 20-50 at 120 yen per point for adult and 60 yen per point for children. (Different ski lifts within the area require a different number of points to ride - for example, lifts need 2-6 points and Gondolas require 6-9 points).
Children's Day is the third Sunday of the month from December until April.
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Cheaper Early Ski tickets are available until Friday 17th December 2021.
Cheaper Spring Ski tickets are available from Friday 1st April 2022 until closing.
A one day Early or Spring ticket for adults is 5,000 yen.
Getting to Shiga Kogen Terakoya
By public transport
Train
46.8km from Nagano Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen line
18.9km from Yudanaka Station on the Nagano Dentetsu Nagano Line
35.3km from Iiyama Station on the Iiyama Line
Information
Yudanaka Station on the Nagano Dentetsu Nagano line is the closest station to the Shiga Kogen ski and snowboard resorts and is about 19km away from Terakoya.
The Nagano line operates between Nagano Station and Yudanaka Station and the main Nagano line can be found just by the Zenkoji Exit of the main JR Nagano Station.
Iiyama Station and Nagano Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen (bullet train) line are about 35km and 47km respectively away from Terakoya.
Buses are available from Yudanaka Station to Shiga Kogen. This bus service bus takes about 30 minutes to get to the central Hasuike bus terminal of Shiga Kogen.
There is also direct bus to Shiga Kogen from the East Exit of Nagano Station. The journey from Nagano Station to Shiga Kogen typically takes around 80 minutes and costs 1700 yen.
Once at Shiga Kogen, a free shuttle bus service that travels around the ski areas operates during the daytime. This service is free to use for everyone with a valid Shiga Kogen lift ticket.
By Car
29km from the Shinshu Nakano IC on the Joshinetsu Expressway
34.5km from the Obuse PA Smart IC on the Joshinetsu Expressway
35.9km from the Toyota Iiyama IC on the Joshinetsu Expressway
Nearest national route: Route 292 (4.8km away)
Nearest prefecture road: Prefecture Road 471
Direction
Terakoya is 29km from the Shinshu Nakano IC exit of the Joshinetsu Expressway.
At the Shinshu Nakano IC exit traffic lights, go straight ahead on the Shiga Nakano Toll Road. This road is normally 310 yen per vehicle though there are alternative routes through a town area that do not involve a toll if you check maps. Continue straight on this road as it changes to Route 292. About 7km from the IC the road splits - be sure to keep in the right side lane to remain on Route 292. Shiga Kogen is clearly signposted in English. Route 292 heads all the way up to Shiga Kogen, passing close-by the popular Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park on the way.
Route 292 on the way up to Shiga Kogen is a wide and winding road which doubles back on itself a number of times. On a clear day with dry roads it is an easy journey but in mid-winter in snowy and icy conditions it can be much slower, especially if you find yourself behind a struggling large vehicle!
Soon after arriving in Shiga Kogen at the Hasuike junction, turn left onto Prefecture Road 471. (The road sign at the junction mentions Sakaemura and Nozawa Onsen - though note that in the winter months the section of road going to those places is closed). Continue on Prefecture Road 471 for about 6km for the car parks for the Ichinose areas.
Access to the Terakoya slopes is via the top of Higashitateyama or Ichinose Family areas.
Important! During the winter season - usually from late November until late April - the section of Route 292 between the Yokoteyama area of Shiga Kogen through to Kusatsu town in Gunma Prefecture is blocked off and closed due to large amounts of snowfall. This means that Route 292 from central Yamanouchi on the Nagano side is the only way to approach Shiga Kogen in the peak winter months.
Updates to 2021-2022 season information on these individual ski areas listing pages are ongoing. All information will be manually checked and updated. Some official information from ski areas becomes available earlier than others, so not all our data can be updated simultaneously. The ongoing process will continue through December 2021.
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Triple lifts
Pair lifts
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