Hiraniwa Kogen is a ski area located in the western region of Kuji City in the northern region of Iwate Prefecture.
This ski area has three pair lifts (728m, 710m and 530m).
It boasts the 'best white birch forest in Japan' with 350,000 shirakaba trees!
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
910
Vertical (m)
210
Bottom/base (m)
700
Beginner runs (%)
50
Intermediate runs (%)
30
Advanced runs (%)
20
Longest course (m)
1500
Steepest slope (°)
30
Number of courses
10
Ski lifts
3
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
0
Quad lift (4-person)
0
Triple lift (3-person)
0
Pair lift (2-person)
3
Single lift (1-person)
0
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates
Hiraniwa Kogen usually plans to be open from mid- to late December until mid- to late March. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening times
Hiraniwa Kogen is normally open from 9:00am until 4:00pm.
Night skiing
There is no night skiing at Hiraniwa Kogen.
Half pipe
There is usually a half pipe by the side of the lower Number 3 lift.
Families & children
There is a sledging area for children.
Lessons
Ski and snowboard lessons are available at Hiraniwa Kogen.
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: 2,750 yen
Child: 1,980 yen
1 day (weekdays)
Adult: 2,200 yen
Child: 1,100 yen
Morning
Adult: 1,430 yen
Child: 1,100 yen
Afternoon
Adult: 1,430 yen
Child: 1,100 yen
1 lift coupon
Adult: 240 yen
Child: 150 yen
Season ticket
Adult: 22,000 yen
Child: 11,000 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: 28th December - 19th March (82 days)
2024-2025 season: 22nd December - 25th March (94 days)
2023-2024 season: 23rd December - 28th March (97 days)
2022-2023 season: 24th December - 15th March (82 days)
2021-2022 season: 27th December - 21st March (85 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2018-2019 season: 60cm on various dates
2017-2018 season: 110cm on 25th-26th February
2016-2017 season: 100cm on 16th-17th February
2015-2016 season: 80cm on 20th January - 13th February
2014-2015 season: 80cm on 14th-22nd February
Resources
Weather & snowfall (Japan Meteorological Agency) [open in new window]
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.
Hiraniwa Kogen is the only ski area currently operating in Kuji 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.
Learn more about how we research, check and update information on SnowJapan.