Saku Ski Garden Parada is a ski area located in Saku City in the eastern region of Nagano Prefecture.
This ski area is connected to the Sakudaira Smart IC and Parking Area of the Joshinetsu Expressway from the north. Approaching from the south, you need to exit the expressway at the next exit (Saku IC).
Saku Ski Garden Parada has two distinct areas, Minami Parada (South) and Kita Parada (North), connected at the top. Both have car parks and base facilities. The South Area is by the Smart IC exit. The North area is the larger of the two and considered the 'main area' by most.
Artificial snow-making machines are on hand to help natural snowfall if required.
This ski area says it aims to be 'the most family-friendly ski area in Japan'. There is a sizeable Kids Land facility in both base areas.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
1050
Vertical (m)
270
Bottom/base (m)
780
Beginner runs (%)
40
Intermediate runs (%)
40
Advanced runs (%)
20
Longest course (m)
1006
Steepest slope (°)
25
Number of courses
7
Ski lifts
6
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
0
Quad lift (4-person)
0
Triple lift (3-person)
0
Pair lift (2-person)
6
Single lift (1-person)
0
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates
Saku Ski Garden Parada usually plans to be open from mid-December until mid- to late March. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening times
Saku Ski Garden Parada is normally open from 8:30am until 4:30pm on weekends and holidays and from 9:00am on weekdays.
Night skiing
There is no night skiing.
Families & children
Kids Land offers a variety of courses and items for children and is normally open from 9:30am until 4:30pm on weekdays and from 9:00am on weekends and holidays. Entry is 3,000 yen on weekdays and 3,300 yen on weekends & holidays. There are Kids Land areas in both the North and South Area of the Saku Ski Garden Parada and tickets are valid at both areas. (The Kids Land in the South Area is only open on weekends and holidays).
Lessons
Ski and snowboard lessons are available at Saku Ski Garden Parada.
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 (weekdays)
Child: 2,200 yen
Senior: 4,800 yen
1 day (weekends & holidays
Adult: 5,900 yen
Child: 2,500 yen
Senior: 5,100 yen
PM (weekday from 11:30pm)
Adult: 5,200 yen
Child: 2,000 yen
Senior: 4,500 yen
PM holiday
Adult: 5,500 yen
Child: 2,300 yen Senior: 4,800 yen
Evening (from 3pm)
Adult: 2,000 yen
Night (5pm-10pm)
Adult: 2,300 yen
On a few days the tickets are slightly more expensive than the weekend prices shown.
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: 20th December - 22nd March (93 days)
2024-2025 season: 19th December - 23rd March (95 days)
2023-2024 season: 22nd December - 24th March (94 days)
2022-2023 season: 17th December - 21st March (95 days)
2021-2022 season: 17th December - 27th March (101 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2025-2026 season: 70cm on 6th-23rd February
2024-2025 season: 100cm on 20th February - 2nd March, 4th-7th and 9th-13th March
2023-2024 season: 85cm on 6th-14th February
2022-2023 season: 105cm on 22nd February - 1st March
2021-2022 season: 140cm on 11th-22nd February
2020-2021 season: 110cm on 25th January - 15th February
2019-2020 season: 70cm on 11th February
2018-2019 season: 100cm on 15th February - 1st March
2017-2018 season: 80cm on 3rd February - 6th March
2016-2017 season: 80cm on 26th January - 20th March
2015-2016 season: 70cm on 31st January - 21st February
2014-2015 season: 100cm on 21st February - 3rd March
Resources
Weather & snowfall (Japan Meteorological Agency) [open in new window]
Introduction to the region
Nagano Prefecture is located in the Chubu region of the main island of Honshu. It is one of only eight landlocked prefectures in Japan, bordered by Niigata, Gunma, Saitama, Yamanashi, Shizuoka, Aichi, Gifu, and Toyama.
Nagano Prefecture is sometimes referred to as 'the roof of Japan' because of the steep, rugged terrain of the many 2,000-3,000m mountains that comprise the Japan Alps. The Northern Alps are located along the northwestern region bordering Gifu and Toyama. The Central Alps are in the southwestern region, and the Southern Alps are along the southeastern border.
After Hokkaido, Nagano Prefecture is home to the second-largest number of ski areas in Japan. It has multiple world-class winter sports resorts within its boundaries, and some were venues for the main events of the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics. There are ski areas throughout the mountains of Nagano Prefecture, but the majority are in the northern and central regions.
Saku Ski Garden Parada is the only ski area currently operating in Saku 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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