Tazawako is a ski area located on the western slopes of Mt Komagatake in Semboku City in the eastern region of Akita Prefecture,
The ski area overlooks Lake Tazawa. It has two quad lifts (1568m, 1083m) and four pair lifts (528m, 933m, 820m, 830m). The snow on three courses is left ungroomed, and there is a tree run course. Backcountry tours are available.
Tazawako has hosted numerous national ski events over the years.
This ski area has been operating since 1969.
There used to be three other ski areas operating in this region of Akita Prefecture (Tazawako Kogen ASSL, Snow World Tazawa and Nyuto). More information on those old ski areas can be found on SnowJapanHistory.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
1186
Vertical (m)
608
Bottom/base (m)
578
Beginner runs (%)
30
Intermediate runs (%)
30
Advanced runs (%)
40
Longest course (m)
3000
Steepest slope (°)
38
Number of courses
13
Ski lifts
6
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
0
Quad lift (4-person)
2
Triple lift (3-person)
0
Pair lift (2-person)
4
Single lift (1-person)
0
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates
Tazawako usually plans to be open from mid- to late December until late March or early April. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening hours
The lifts at Tazawako are normally open from 9:00am until 4:00pm on weekdays and from 8:30am on weekends and holidays.
Night skiing
There is no night skiing at Tazawako.
Park
There are a few Snow Park areas by the main base. A few runs on the mountain are left ungroomed and there is also an official tree run course.
Families & children
The Chibbiko Hiroba area for children is located just at the base of Tazawako. It is free to enter.
Lessons
Ski and snowboard lessons are available at Tazawako. Backcountry guide tours are also available.
Rental
Ski and snowboard equipment & wear rental is available.
Lift ticket prices
2025-2026 season
Information for the upcoming 2026-2027 season will be added by December 2026
1 day
Adult: 5,300 yen
Child: 1,700 yen
Senior: 4,400 yen
5 hours
Adult: 4,800 yen
Senior: 4,000 yen
1 lift coupon
Adult: 500 yen
Child: 500 yen
Senior: 500 yen
Season ticket
Adult: 65,000 yen
Child: 15,000 yen
Senior: 55,000 yen
A season ticket for Junior High School students is 25,000 yen.
A season ticket for Senior High School students is 30,000 yen.
A season ticket for people 70 years and over is 30,000 yen.
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: 20th December - 29th March (100 days)
2024-2025 season: 18th December - 30th March (103 days)
2023-2024 season: 27th December - 31st March (96 days)
2022-2023 season: 17th December - 2nd April (107 days)
2021-2022 season: 24th December - 31st March (98 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2025-2026 season: 180cm on 20th January - 14th February
2024-2025 season: 200cm on 24th February - 3rd March
2023-2024 season: 155cm on 26th-28th January
2022-2023 season: 180cm on 2nd February - 1st March
2021-2022 season: 200cm on 17th January - 11th March
2020-2021 season: 200cm on 30th January - 1st March
2019-2020 season: 130cm on 8th-14th February
2018-2019 season: 180cm on 12th-19th February
2017-2018 season: 240cm on 3rd-4th March
2016-2017 season: 165cm on 26th February - 1st March and 11th-13th March
2015-2016 season: 110cm on 27th January - 13th February
2014-2015 season: 185cm on 11th-21st 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.
Tazawako is the only ski area currently operating in Semboku City.
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.
Learn more about how we research, check and update information on SnowJapan.