Ani is a ski area located on the western slopes of Mt Moriyoshi in Kitaakita City in the northern region of Akita Prefecture.
This ski area has a 3,473m 6-person gondola lift going from base to summit along with two pair lifts; a 1,006m lift from the base area and a 993m lift in the top area.
A long, narrow downhill course stretches from the summit area back to the base.
Impressive Juhyo ice monster formations can often be found on the trees in the top area during the peak season from January until early March and there is a 'Night Snow Monster Viewing' service available on some days in February.
Several runs at Ani are left ungroomed, and a few local backcountry tour guides are available.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
1200
Vertical (m)
663
Bottom/base (m)
537
Beginner runs (%)
60
Intermediate runs (%)
40
Advanced runs (%)
0
Longest course (m)
4400
Steepest slope (°)
28
Number of courses
5
Ski lifts
3
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
1
Quad lift (4-person)
0
Triple lift (3-person)
0
Pair lift (2-person)
2
Single lift (1-person)
0
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates
Ani usually plans to be open from early December until late April. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening hours
Ani Ski Area is normally open daily from 6th December 2025 until Sunday 29th March 2026. The operating hours are normally 8:45am and 4:00pm. The ski area plans to be open on just weekends and holidays in April (and possibly over Golden Week). There are also scheduled Pisten Tours in April.
Night skiing
There is no night skiing at Ani.
Pisten Tour
While the ski area is not fully for normal operations beyond March, there is usually a Pisten Tour available in April. It is limited to 15 people a day on weekdays and charges apply. There are a number of ungroomed course areas at Ani and a few local backcountry tour guides are also available.
Families & children
There is a beginners slopes by the base of Ani, otherwise there are no special facilities for children.
Lessons
Ski and snowboard lessons are available at Ani. Telemark lessons are also available as well as backcountry guides.
Rental
Ski and snowboard equipment rental is available. Wear, snow scoots, sledges and snowshoes are also available to rent.
Lift ticket prices
2025-2026 season
Information for the upcoming 2026-2027 season will be added by December 2026
1 day
Adult: 7,000 yen
Child: 5,200 yen
Senior: 6,000 yen
5 hours
Adult: 7,000 yen
Child: 5,200 yen
Senior: 6,000 yen
3 hours
Adult: 7,000 yen
Child: 5,200 yen
Senior: 6,000 yen
Gondola 1 way
Adult: 7,000 yen
Child: 5,200 yen
Senior: 6,000 yen
Gondola return
Adult: 7,000 yen
Child: 5,200 yen
Senior: 6,000 yen
1 lift coupon
Adult: 7,000 yen
Child: 5,200 yen
Senior: 6,000 yen
The lift coupon can be used on the romance (pair) lift.
Historical snow depth data
The following ski season and official snow depth data have been independently compiled by SnowJapan for publication on this website. Where available, the data is updated annually after each ski season.
First and last dates of recent seasons
2025-2026 season: 13th December - 26th April (135 days)
2024-2025 season: 7th December - 27th April (142 days)
2023-2024 season: 19th December - 21st April (125 days)
2022-2023 season: 10th December - 26th March (107 days)
2021-2022 season: 11th December - 1st May (142 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2025-2026 season: 380cm on 31st January - 3rd February
2024-2025 season: 395cm on 23rd and 26th February
2023-2024 season: 260cm on 22nd-23rd March
2022-2023 season: 320cm on 26th February
2021-2022 season: 310cm on 7th February and 7th-8th March
2020-2021 season: 300cm on 10th February
2019-2020 season: 265cm on 9th-10th February
2018-2019 season: 345cm on 15th-18th February
2017-2018 season: 450cm on 18th-23rd February
2016-2017 season: 390cm on 11th March
2015-2016 season: 250cm on 1st-5th March
2014-2015 season: 330cm on 15th-20th February
Resources
Weather & snowfall (Japan Meteorological Agency) [open in new window]
Introduction to the region
Akita Prefecture is located in the Tohoku region, on the northwestern side of the main island of Japan, facing the Sea of Japan.
Akita shares borders with Aomori Prefecture to the north, Iwate Prefecture to the east, Miyagi Prefecture to the southeast and Yamagata Prefecture to the south.
The ski areas in Akita Prefecture are distributed across the mountains from north to south. Two of the more well-known ski areas are Tazawako, on the western slopes of Mt Akita-Komagatake in Semboku City, and Ani, on the southwestern slopes of Mt Moriyoshi in Kitaakita City.
Most of the other ski areas in Akita Prefecture are small local operations.
About the information on this page
SnowJapan independently researches, checks and updates the information on this page at least once each year, in the lead-up to every ski season. We also update it whenever we become aware of other changes. The information published on SnowJapan is based on independent research using official Japanese-language sources and is not supplied by ski areas. If you are planning to visit a ski area, we recommend checking the official ski area website for the latest operational information. We take great care to keep the information on SnowJapan accurate and up to date. However, SnowJapan accepts no responsibility for decisions made based on information published on this website.
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