Hounokidaira, or Hida Hounokidaira, is a ski area located in Takayama City in the northeastern region of Gifu Prefecture.
This ski area currently has one 800m quad lift and three pair lifts (200m, 450m and 450m).
In recent years another ski lift (Number 8 pair) has been closed, but a service called Summit Snow Taxi is available. This service is essentially a sledge pulled by a snowmobile that takes people from the top of the Number 3 quad lift over to what was the top of the Number 8 lift. From that point, a handful of ungroomed off-piste runs are available.
Hounokidaira opened in 1971 and is the largest ski area in Takayama City.
Takayama City is the largest city by area in Japan, and there are a number of ski areas across its mountains. It is often known as Hida Takayama, in reference to the old Hida Province and differentiating it from other places called Takayama.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
1550
Vertical (m)
350
Bottom/base (m)
1200
Beginner runs (%)
40
Intermediate runs (%)
35
Advanced runs (%)
25
Longest course (m)
2000
Steepest slope (°)
42
Number of courses
16
Ski lifts
4
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
0
Quad lift (4-person)
1
Triple lift (3-person)
0
Pair lift (2-person)
3
Single lift (1-person)
0
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates
Hounokidaira usually plans to be open from mid-December until late March. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening times
Hounokidaira is normally open from 8:00am until 4:30pm on weekends and holidays and from 8:30am on weekdays.
Night skiing
There is no night skiing at Hounokidaira.
Off-piste
There are six official off-piste areas across the mountain.
Families & children
Kids Land kids area is near the base and includes a moving belt and tubing course. Entrance is 700 yen (free with valid ski lift ticket). Open from 9:00am until 4:00pm. Snow rafting and 'moon bikes' are also available.
Lessons
Ski and snowboard lessons are available at Hounokidaira.
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 (weekends & holidays)
Adult: 4,900 yen
Child: 3,000 yen
Seniors: 4,100 yen
1 day (weekdays)
Adult: 3,700 yen
Child: 2,500 yen
Seniors: 3,000 yen
Half day (weekend & holidays)
Adult: 4,300 yen
Child: 2,500 yen
Seniors: 3,600 yen
1 lift coupon
Adult: 300 yen
Child: 300 yen
Seniors: 300 yen
Season ticket
Adult: 48,000 yen
Child: 19,000 yen
Seniors: 40,000 yen
A season ticket for Junior High school age students is 21,000 yen.
A season ticket for Senior High school age students is 30,000 yen.
The Snow Taxi that takes you from the top of the Number 3 quad lift to the summit area operates daily and costs 300 yen per go (or 1,500 yen for 6 rides). It is basically a carriage pulled by a snowmobile. (You sit in the carriage!)
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 - 22nd March (100 days)
2024-2025 season: 14th December - 31st March (108 days)
2023-2024 season: 23rd December - 31st March (100 days)
2022-2023 season: 17th December - 21st March (95 days)
2021-2022 season: 19th December - 31st March (103 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2025-2026 season: 130cm on 26th January - 22nd February
2024-2025 season: 210cm on 20th-21st February
2023-2024 season: 100cm on 17th-19th January, 21st-25th March
2022-2023 season: 110cm on 11th February
2021-2022 season: 180cm on 22nd February - 13th March
2020-2021 season: 130cm
2019-2020 season: 80cm on 11th-12th February
2018-2019 season: 100cm on 29th January - 3rd February
2017-2018 season: 150cm on 18th February - 5th March
2016-2017 season: 180cm on 24th-29th January, 3rd-5th and 21st-28th February
2015-2016 season: 120cm on 25th-28th January, 10th-13th February
2014-2015 season: 180cm on 15th-22nd February
Resources
Weather & snowfall (Japan Meteorological Agency) [open in new window]
Introduction to the region
Gifu Prefecture is located in central Japan and is one of only eight landlocked prefectures in the country. It is surrounded by seven other prefectures: Aichi, Mie, Shiga, Fukui, Ishikawa, Toyama and Nagano.
All the ski areas in Gifu Prefecture are in the northern mountainous regions of the Prefecture, in Gujo City, Takayama City and Hida City.
Six ski areas in Gujo City recently joined together for promotional purposes under the Takasu Mountains brand. (Takasu is the name of a neighbourhood in Gujo City. In 2004, Takasu Village merged with several other towns and villages to form the current city). That area is particularly popular with people visiting from Nagoya and Osaka. Train links are not particularly convenient, so most people travel by car or bus.
Hounokidaira is one of 4 ski areas currently operating in Takayama 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.
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