Ipponsugi is a very small one-lift ski hill that is located just a few hundred metres from the West Exit of Echigo Yuzawa Station, and is found just off the main onsen road of Yuzawa town. Ipponsugi is one of the few remaining areas that are
skiers-only - ie. snowboarding is not allowed! The only other 'skiers-only' area in Yuzawa town is the nearby
NASPA Ski Garden. Ipponsugi is very much oriented towards young families with one 300m pair lift and children's activities.
Yuzawa town and neighbouring Minamiuonuma city - located around 200km to the north north-west of the Tokyo region in Niigata Prefecture - are together home to over 20 individual ski and snowboard resorts, including some of the most well-known ski resorts in Japan. With easy and quick access by both train and road and a wide choice in a relatively compact area, this region is one of the most popular ski destinations in Japan. The region usually enjoys very heavy and consistent snowfall each winter and with Yuzawa town also being the inspiration and setting of the famous Nobel prize-winning novel
Yukiguni (Snow Country), it can certainly lay claim to being the original 'Snow Country'.
Niigata Prefecture is located in the central region of Honshu to the north of Tokyo and has a 250km long coastline facing the Sea of Japan. Convenient transportation links make Niigata very easy to get to from Tokyo and other surrounding regions. Most of the larger ski and snowboard resorts in Niigata Prefecture are concentrated in the southern regions around Yuzawa town, Minamiuonuma city and Myoko city.
Ropeways
Gondolas
Quad lifts
Triple lifts
Pair lifts
Single lifts
Other
