Geto Kogen is a ski area located west of central Kitakami City in the southwestern region of Iwate Prefecture.
This region of Iwate is known for heavy snowfall and Geto Kogen for some of Japan's most impressive snow depth numbers. The ski area aims to open as soon as there is enough snow, usually in late November.
The ski area has two gondola lifts (1740m, 1240m) one quad (950m) and two pair lifts (550m, 440m). The Number 2 gondola is usually open on weekends and holidays.
Geto Kogen has a number of official tree-run courses. Whether they can open is determined each morning after safety checks.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
1070
Vertical (m)
430
Bottom/base (m)
640
Beginner runs (%)
40
Intermediate runs (%)
40
Advanced runs (%)
20
Longest course (m)
3000
Steepest slope (°)
36
Number of courses
14
Ski lifts
5
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
2
Quad lift (4-person)
1
Triple lift (3-person)
0
Pair lift (2-person)
2
Single lift (1-person)
0
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates
Geto Kogen usually plans to be open from late November until early May. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening times
Geto Kogen is generally open from 8:30am until 4:30pm during the daytime in the main regular season with the pair lifts opening first. The Number 1 Gondola usually opens from 9:00am.
Early season:
From opening until Friday 5th December 2025Lifts: Number 1 gondola (and Number 1 gondola on 29th and 30th November)
Normal opening times: 9:00am until 4:00pm
Regular season:
Saturday 6th December 2025 until Sunday 29th March 2026Lifts: all lifts (the Number 2 gondola is open only on weekends and holidays and over New Year; the Number 2 pair lift is usually only open on weekends and holidays from 1st March)
Normal opening times: 8:30am until 4:30pm
Spring ski season:
Monday 30th March until Tuesday 6th May 2025Lifts: Number 1 gondola, Number 1 pair, Number 2 pair
Normal opening times: 8:30am until 4:30pm
Night skiing
Saturdays, Sundays and holidays between 13th December 2025 and 23rd February 2026; 27th December 2025 until 4th January 2026Lifts: Number 1 pair
Normal opening times: 4:00pm until 8:00pm
Tree runs & park
The G Park normally opens from during the peak season. Geto offers quite a few official Tree Run Areas on the upper area of the ski area and they are suitable to varying skill levels. Various guides are available for tree run courses as well as a normal ski and snowboard school. There is a Snow Mobile Adventure area near the base area.
Families & children
The Kids Area is located in the main base area.
Lessons
Ski and snowboard lessons and various guides are all available at Geto Kogen.
Rental
Ski and snowboard equipment & wear rental is available. Backcountry gear is available. The base area also offers various locker rooms, changing rooms, restaurants and other facilities.
Lift ticket prices
2025-2026 season
Information for the upcoming 2026-2027 season will be added by December 2026
1 day (8 hours)
Adult: 6,800 yen
Child: 3,400 yen
Senior: 5,400 yen
5 hours
Adult: 6,400 yen
Child: 3,000 yen
Senior: 5,000 yen
20 hours
Adult: 27,600 yen
2 days
Adult: 13,200 yen
Child: 6,500 yen
Senior: 10,500 yen
3 days
Adult: 19,400 yen
Child: 8,800 yen
Senior: 14,800 yen
7 days
Adult: 39,200 yen
Child: 18,400 yen
Senior: 30,000 yen
Night skiing
Adult: 2,600 yen
Child: 1,400 yen
Senior: 2,400 yen
Pair lift
Adult: 4,200 yen
Child: 1,800 yen
Senior: 3,800 yen
1 point
Adult: 500 yen
Child: 500 yen
Senior: 500 yen
7 points
Adult: 3,000 yen
Child: 3,000 yen
Senior: 3,000 yen
Gondola (sightseeing)
Adult: 1,500 yen
Child: 1,000 yen
Senior: 1,500 yen
Season ticket
Adult: 94,000 yen
Senior: 84,000 yen
Cheaper season tickets are available if purchased before 15th December 2025.
Using points:
Pair lift - 1 point
Quad lift - 2 points
Gondola - 3 points
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: 5th December - 1st May (148 days)
2024-2025 season: 1st December - 6th May (157 days)
2023-2024 season: 26th November - 26th April (153 days)
2022-2023 season: 9th December - 23rd April (136 days)
2021-2022 season: 27th November - 8th May (163 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2025-2026 season: 390cm on 10th February
2024-2025 season: 445cm on 24th February
2023-2024 season: 340cm on 4th-5th March
2022-2023 season: 400cm on 26th February
2021-2022 season: 540cm on 7th-8th February
2020-2021 season: 475cm on 10th and 25th February
2019-2020 season: 365cm on 7th February
2018-2019 season: 430cm on 15th-18th February
2017-2018 season: 545cm on 2nd March
2016-2017 season: 470cm on 11th-13th, 16th February
2015-2016 season: 380cm on 3rd-5th March
2014-2015 season: 480cm on 17th-20th February
Resources
More information on Geto Kogen
Official website [link opens in new window]
Weather & snowfall (Japan Meteorological Agency) [links open in new window]
Daily weather & snow reporting on SnowJapan
SnowJapan Directory: accommodation listings in the region
Introduction to the region
Iwate Prefecture is located in the Tohoku region, on the northeastern side of the main island of Honshu. It is the second-largest prefecture in Japan (after Hokkaido). Iwate Prefecture borders Aomori Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefecture to the west, and Miyagi Prefecture to the south.
Most of the ski areas in Iwate Prefecture are in the western mountainous regions of the prefecture, close to the border with Akita Prefecture.
Appi, Hachimantai Resort Panorama & Shimokura and Shizukuishi are in the northwestern region within the boundaries of Hachimantai City or Shizukuishi Town. In Kitakami City, further to the south, Geto Kogen usually receives some of the heaviest snowfall in Japan and refers to itself as ‘King of Snow’.
In recent years, both Appi and Geto Kogen, in particular, have been working to attract overseas visitors.
Most of the other ski areas in Iwate Prefecture are smaller operations.
Geto Kogen is the only ski area currently operating in Kitakami 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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