Kusatsu Onsen, often known as just Kusatsu, is a ski area located in Kusatsu Town in the western region of Gunma Prefecture.
This ski area has a long history that dates back to 1914. Until 2018 it was known as Kusatsu Kokusai.
Along with the now-closed Goshiki (link to SnowJapanHistory) in Yamagata Prefecture, Kanayasan in Niigata Prefecture and Numajiri in Fukushima Prefecture, it was one of the very first officially named ski areas to open in Japan. It was also home to one of the first ski lifts in Japan and is generally considered one of the 'classics'.
Modern-day Kusatsu Onsen has seven ski lifts. There also used to be a long gondola lift. Sadly, a nearby volcanic eruption in January 2018 cost one life, some injuries, and damage to the gondola. Since then, the ski area has been scaled back and is smaller than it used to be. The two Aobayama pair lifts are now the top of the ski area. With the gondola closing, more of Route 292 is now closed during winter, and the road has become a ski run (called 'Route 292').
For more information on the history of this ski area, please see the listing on SnowJapanHistory website.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
1600
Vertical (m)
355
Bottom/base (m)
1245
Beginner runs (%)
50
Intermediate runs (%)
30
Advanced runs (%)
20
Longest course (m)
4300
Steepest slope (°)
30
Number of courses
5
Ski lifts
7
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
1
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
GALA Yuzawa 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
Kusatsu Onsen is normally open during the daytime from 8:30am until 4:30pm during the daytime.
Night skiing
Night skiing is from 4:30pm until 8:00pm on the following dates:
Every Saturday between 27th December 2025 and 21st March 2026
28th December 2025 until 3rd January 2026
11th January 2026
22nd February 2026
20th March 2026
Snowshoe
There are no specific Snow Park areas, but there are a few snow-shoe courses (both 1.5km in length).
Families & children
The Kids Park is located at the base of the ski area and open from 9:00am until 4:00pm. The entry charge is 1,500 yen. An accompanying adult can enter for free. As well as a snow escalator there is a sledding area, an area for playing in the snow, a beginners run and snow racers.
Lessons
Ski and snowboard lessons are available at Kusatsu Onsen.
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: 6,000 yen
Child: 2,000 yen
Seniors: 5,200 yen
2 days
Adult: 11,200 yen
Child: 4,000 yen
Seniors: 9,700 yen
4 hours
Adult: 5,300 yen
Child: 2,000 yen
Seniors: 4,700 yen
Night (4:30pm-8pm)
Adult: 2,000 yen
Child: 1,000 yen
Seniors: 2,000 yen
1 lift coupon
Adult: 600 yen
11 lift coupons
Adult: 6,000 yen
Season ticket
Adult: 60,000 yen
Child: 20,000 yen
Seniors: 52,000 yen
Children 3 years and under can ride the lifts for free.
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: 18th December - 28th March (101 days)
2024-2025 season: 19th December - 6th April (109 days)
2023-2024 season: 16th December - 7th April (114 days)
2022-2023 season: 17th December - 26th March (100 days)
2021-2022 season: 18th December - 9th April (113 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2025-2026 season: 100cm on 8th and 10th-23rd February
2024-2025 season: 150cm on 19th-23rd March
2023-2024 season: 120cm on 21st-26th March
2022-2023 season: 90cm on 11th February - 4th March
2021-2022 season: 195cm on 27th February
2020-2021 season: 120cm on 11th-15th February, 18th February - 3rd March
2019-2020 season: 120cm on 11th-14th February
2018-2019 season: 150cm on 29th January - 20th February
2017-2018 season: 200cm on 3rd-19th January, 5th-12th February
2016-2017 season: 240cm on 22nd February - 22nd March
2015-2016 season: 180cm on 30th January - 21st March
2014-2015 season: 200cm on 16th February - 20th March
Resources
Weather & snowfall (Japan Meteorological Agency) [open in new window]
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).
Kusatsu Town is a popular onsen hot spring resort year-round. The base of the ski area is a few kilometres from the main town area.
Kusatsu Onsen is geographically close to the ski areas in Shiga Kogen (Nagano Prefecture), but the section of Route 292 connecting them is closed throughout the winter months.
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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