As autumn arrives, it is the time of year when various ski area news starts appearing. The following ski areas are currently known not to be operating during the 2026-2027 season.
Asahi (Shibetsu City, Hokkaido)
Announcement made of permanent closure on 30th June 2026.
Choei Yuda (Nishiwaga Town, Iwate Prefecture)
Announcement made that the ski area will not operate during the 2026-2027 season following damage caused by heavy rain in August 2026. The future of the ski area remains undecided.
Fujisato Choei (Fujisato Town, Akita Prefecture)
Announcement made of permanent closure in December 2025.
Gokase Highland (Gokase Town, Miyazaki Prefecture)
Announcement made of permanent closure in summer 2026. Notable because it was the most southerly ski area in Japan and one of only two ski areas operating on Kyushu.
Ikawa Skijo Kanaiyama (Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture)
Announcement made that the ski area would close permanently at the end of the 2025-2026 season. Its final day of operation was 1st March 2026.
Omagari Family (Daisen City, Akita Prefecture)
Announcement made of permanent closure on 23rd February 2026. Its final day of operation was also 23rd February 2026.
Sonei Kunohe (Kunohe Village, Iwate Prefecture)
The future of Sonei Kunohe remains undecided. The ski area was closed during the 2025-2026 season, and a committee established by Kunohe Village to consider its future recently recommended that it continue operating for another two or three years. The village has now decided that it will not open for the 2026-2027 season. The village says that if the cost of necessary repairs is ¥10 million or more, it plans to abolish the ski area within three years.
The above 7 ski areas will remain on the main SnowJapan listings for the moment and, if nothing changes, will eventually be moved to the Inactive ski areas section. Their current status has meanwhile been noted on their respective listings.
As we make our annual database updates over the coming weeks and months, we will continue to monitor the status of every ski area across Japan and update this news item as further announcements are made. It's complicated!