Sonei Kunohe is a ski area located in Kunohe Village in the northern region of Iwate Prefecture.
This small village-operated ski area opened in 1981 and is close to the centre of the village. It has one 600m pair lift and a 200m rope tow lift.
During the 2023-2024 season the ski area could only open for a total of 28 days due to a lack of snow. For the 2024-2025 season it managed to be open for 60 days.
Unfortunately, Sonei Kunohe did not open for the 2025-2026 winter season. Official reasons for the decision included the cost of operating and maintaining the ageing ski lift.
In August 2026, a committee established by Kunohe Village to consider the future of the ski area recommended that it continue operating for another two or three years. The village is expected to decide by the end of September whether Sonei Kunohe will open for the 2026-2027 season.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
564
Vertical (m)
164
Bottom/base (m)
400
Beginner runs (%)
50
Intermediate runs (%)
30
Advanced runs (%)
20
Longest course (m)
900
Steepest slope (°)
30
Number of courses
3
Ski lifts
2
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
0
Quad lift (4-person)
0
Triple lift (3-person)
0
Pair lift (2-person)
1
Single lift (1-person)
0
Surface lift
1
Information
Normal season dates
GALA Yuzawa usually plans to be open from late December or early January until early March. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening times
Sonei Kunohei did not operate during the 2025-2026 winter season.
Lift ticket prices
Not available
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
2024-2025 season: 2nd January - 2nd March (59 days)
2023-2024 season: 22nd January - 19th February (28 days)
2022-2023 season: 24th December - 5th March (71 days)
2021-2022 season: 25th December - 6th March (71 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2024-2025 season: 40cm on 26th January - 27th February
2023-2024 season: 30cm on 25th-29th January
2022-2023 season: 50cm on 20th February - 1st March
2021-2022 season: 35cm on 13th January - 26th February
2020-2021 season: 35cm on 8th-16th, 19th-25th January
2019-2020 season: 35cm on 9th-30th January and 6th-14th February
2018-2019 season: 25cm on 8th-25th February
2017-2018 season: 60cm on 25th February - 11th March
2016-2017 season: 65cm on 9th-27th February
2015-2016 season: 40cm on 22nd January - 14th February
2014-2015 season: 45cm on 16th February - 8th March
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.
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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