Utopia Saioto is a ski area located in Kitahiroshima Town in the northern region of Hiroshima Prefecture, close to the border with Shimane Prefecture.
This ski area has north-facing slopes, three triple lifts, and three pair lifts. It also has snow-making machines to help assist with natural snowfall if required.
There are several ski areas in Kitahiroshima Town and this is the current list. Kitahiroshima was formed in 2005 from the merger of several towns, so it covers a large area. There actually used to be quite a few more ski areas in the region that are no longer with us for various reasons. More information on those can be found on SnowJapanHistory here.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
1150
Vertical (m)
414
Bottom/base (m)
736
Beginner runs (%)
40
Intermediate runs (%)
40
Advanced runs (%)
20
Longest course (m)
2000
Steepest slope (°)
32
Number of courses
6
Ski lifts
6
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
0
Quad lift (4-person)
0
Triple lift (3-person)
3
Pair lift (2-person)
3
Single lift (1-person)
0
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates
Utopia Saioto usually plans to be open from mid- to late December until early May. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening times
Utopia Saioto is normally open from 8:30am until 5:00pm on weekdays and from 8:00am on weekends and holidays.
Night skiing
There is no night skiing
Park
There are a number of Snow Park areas at Utopia Saioto. The Main Park (which increases in size from mid February) is by the Number 1 pair lift and the ski area claims that it is one of the largest in the region. The Debut Park is off the upper Number 4 triple lift.
Families & children
There are three children areas at Utopia Saioto. Snow Adventure Area (for playing in the snow) is by the car parks and free to enter. Kids Kingdom is for sledging and the snow escalator is 1,000 yen (or free with a valid lift ticket). Chibbiko Ski Challenge Zone is an area where special lessons are held. It is limited to 20 people per day and only available on weekends and holidays. Various events suitable for children take place every weekend.
Lessons
Ski and snowboard lessons are available at Utopia Saioto.
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: 4,800 yen
7 hours
Adult: 4,500 yen
4 hours
Adult: 4,000 yen
1 lift coupon
Adult: 500 yen
Season ticket
Adult: 47,000 yen
Season ticket (weekdays)
Adult: 43,000 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: 26th December - 3rd March (68 days)
2024-2025 season: 20th December - 16th March (87 days)
2023-2024 season: 20th December - 11th March (83 days)
2022-2023 season: 16th December - 12th March (87 days)
2021-2022 season: 18th December - 20th March (93 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2024-2025 season: 140cm on 14th-26th January
2023-2024 season: 100cm on 23rd-28th December
2022-2023 season: 150cm on 28th January - 3rd February
2021-2022 season: 140cm on 24th February - 3rd March
2020-2021 season: 150cm on 11th-21st January
2019-2020 season: 80cm on 19th-21st February
2018-2019 season: 70cm on 29th January - 3rd February
2017-2018 season: 250cm on 8th-15th February
2016-2017 season: 160cm on 13th-17th and 19th February
2015-2016 season: 150cm on 26th-28th January
2014-2015 season: 120cm on 11th-16th February
Resources
Weather & snowfall (Japan Meteorological Agency) [open in new window]
Introduction to the region
Hiroshima Prefecture is located in the Chugoku region of Honshu in western Japan. The prefecture shares a border with Shimane Prefecture and Tottori Prefecture, Okayama Prefecture to the east and Yamaguchi Prefecture to the west.
Most of the currently operating ski areas in Hiroshima Prefecture are located in the northwestern part of the prefecture, near the border with Shimane, in Kitahiroshima Town, Hatsukaichi City, and Akiota Town. There are also several ski areas in Shobara City in the northeastern region, close to the border with Tottori Prefecture.
In recent years, this region has increasingly struggled with unpredictable snowfall, and several ski areas have closed.
Utopia Saioto is one of 3 ski areas currently operating in Kitahiroshima 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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