White World Oze Iwakura, also known as Oze Iwakura Resort in English, is a ski area located in Katashina Village in the northeastern region of Gunma Prefecture.
This ski area opened in 1974, and the (1,900m) gondola lift was added in 1989.
The ski area now features two quads and eight pair lifts in addition to the gondola. It is located on the southeastern slopes of Mt Nishi, east of Mt Hotaka.
The skiers-only Katashina Kogen is closeby, though the two ski areas are not physically connected, and they do not share a joint lift ticket.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
1703
Vertical (m)
697
Bottom/base (m)
1006
Beginner runs (%)
30
Intermediate runs (%)
40
Advanced runs (%)
30
Longest course (m)
3200
Steepest slope (°)
40
Number of courses
18
Ski lifts
11
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
1
Quad lift (4-person)
2
Triple lift (3-person)
0
Pair lift (2-person)
8
Single lift (1-person)
0
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates
White World Oze Iwakura usually plans to be open from mid-December until early April. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening times
White World Oze Iwakura is generally open from 8:30am until 4:45pm (last lift at 4:30pm) during the daytime in the main season. The official spring season is from Monday 16th March until Sunday 5th April 2026 and cheaper lift tickets are available.
Night skiing
Night skiing is from 4:30pm until 8:00pm (last lift at 7:45pm) on the following days:
31st December 2025
10th, 11th, 17th, 24th, 31st January 2026
7th, 14th, 21st, 22nd, 28th February 2026
The Number 3 quad lift and Number 7 romance lift operate during night skiing.
Ungroomed runs
The snow in a several areas is left ungroomed. There is a Pole Bahn area near base.
Families & children
The Rokkun Hiroba area for children is located by the Number 3 quad lift. Entry is 1,000 yen (or 500 yen with a valid ski lift ticket). Free entry on weekdays, when the snow escalator is closed.
Lessons
Ski and snowboard lessons are available at White World Oze Iwakura.
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: 6,500 yen
Child: 4,500 yen
Seniors: 6,000 yen
1 day (weekdays)
Adult: 5,800 yen
Child: 3,800 yen
Seniors: 5,300 yen
1 lift coupon
Adult: 700 yen
Child: 500 yen
5 hours (weekends & holidays)
Adult: 5,800 yen
Child: 3,800 yen
Seniors: 5,300 yen
5 hours (weekdays)
Adult: 5,300 yen
Child: 3,300 yen
Seniors: 4,800 yen
20 hours
Adult: 21,000 yen
Child: 13,000 yen
Seniors: 19,000 yen
Gondola (one way)
Adult: 1,800 yen
Child: 1,300 yen
Seniors: 1,800 yen
Gondola (return)
Adult: 3,000 yen
Child: 2,000 yen
Seniors: 3,000 yen
Night skiing
Adult: 2,500 yen
Child: 1,600 yen
Seniors: 2,300 yen
Season ticket
Adult: 80,00 yen
Child: 50,000 yen
Seniors: 70,000 yen
Season ticket (weekdays only)
Adult: 65,000 yen
Child: 37,000 yen
Seniors: 52,000 yen
A 500 yen returnable deposit for the required IC Card is needed when buying lift tickets.
A Special Senior lift ticket is available for people 75 years and older. The charges for these tickets are the same as the 'High School age' rates.
On some days (including New Year period) tickets are 500 yen more expensive than the normal weekend charges.
The spring season is from Monday 16th March 2026 until the end of the season.
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 - 5th April (114 days)
2024-2025 season: 14th December - 6th April (114 days)
2023-2024 season: 20th December - 7th April (110 days)
2022-2023 season: 17th December - 2nd April (107 days)
2021-2022 season: 18th December - 10th April (114 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2025-2026 season: 190cm on 9th-22nd February
2024-2025 season: 300cm on 19th-25th February
2023-2024 season: 150cm on 30th-31st January, 6th-19th February
2022-2023 season: 190cm on 11th-13th January, 26th January - 7th February
2021-2022 season: 290cm on 22nd-27th February, 7th-10th March
2020-2021 season: 240cm on 11th-13th February
2019-2020 season: 170cm on 6th-7th March
2018-2019 season: 250cm on 29th January - 19th February
2017-2018 season: 250cm on 18th-26th February
2016-2017 season: 270cm on 22nd February
2015-2016 season: 170cm on 10th-16th February
2014-2015 season: 280cm on 15th-24th February
Resources
More information on White World Oze Iwakura
Official website [link opens in new window]
Weather & snowfall (Japan Meteorological Agency) [open in new window]
SnowJapan Directory: accommodation listing in the region
Introduction to the region
Gunma Prefecture is located in the northwestern part of the Kanto region on the main island of Honshu. It is one of eight landlocked prefectures in Japan. Gunma is surrounded by Niigata Prefecture and Fukushima Prefecture to the north, Nagano Prefecture to the west, Tochigi Prefecture to the east, and Saitama Prefecture to the south.
The ski areas of Gunma are largely found in the northern region (Minakami Town, Kawaba Village and Katashina Village) and the western region (Kusatsu Town and Tsumagoi Village).
The region east of Minakami Town and northeast of Numata City comprises Kawaba Village and Katashina Village. There are several ski areas in this region's mountains, all accessible from the main Route 120 road from central Numata. The road is also known as the Nihon Romantic Highway. It continues east towards Nikko in Tochigi Prefecture, but the prefectural border section of the road is closed during the main winter season.
White World Oze Iwakura is one of 5 ski areas currently operating in Katashina Town.
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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