Yamaboku Wild Snow Park, often known as Yamaboku is a ski area located on the southwestern slopes of Kasagadake in Takayama Village in the northern region of Nagano Prefecture.
This ski area feels different from most Japanese ski areas, with fewer trees and a more open feel. It also features ungroomed areas and various guided tours, including snowshoeing and telemarking.
YAMABOKU Wild Snow Park is geographically close to the Kumanoyu ski area of Shiga Kogen, but the connecting road is closed during the winter months.
Before 2010 this ski area was known as Yamada Bokujo.
The first ski lift opened in 1960, but skiing here dates back to the 1930s.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
1774
Vertical (m)
274
Bottom/base (m)
1500
Beginner runs (%)
30
Intermediate runs (%)
40
Advanced runs (%)
30
Longest course (m)
2800
Steepest slope (°)
38
Number of courses
16
Ski lifts
3
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
0
Quad lift (4-person)
0
Triple lift (3-person)
0
Pair lift (2-person)
2
Single lift (1-person)
1
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates
Yamaboku Wild Snow Park usually plans to be open from late December until late March. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening times
Yamaboku Wild Snow Park is normally open from 8:30am until 4:30pm on weekends and holidays and from 9:00am on weekdays. The Number 2 pair lift is rested on weekdays.
Night skiing
There is no night skiing at Yamaboku Wild Snow Park.
Ungroomed runs
More than 70% of the courses within the ski area remain ungroomed. Various tours are available including CAT tours.
Families & children
The Kids Area is near the Number 2 lift in the base area. There is also a Dog Run area.
Lessons
Ski lessons and guided tours are available at Yamaboku.
Rental
Rental & wear equipment 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: 4,000 yen
Child: 3,000 yen
Senior: 3,500 yen
1 day (weekdays)
Adult: 2,500 yen
Child: 1,000 yen
Senior: 2,500 yen
Half day
Adult: 3,000 yen
Child: 2,000 yen
Senior: 3,000 yen
1 lift coupon
Adult: 800 yen
Child: 600 yen
Senior: 700 yen
11 lift coupons
Adult: 4,600 yen
Child: 3,600 yen
Senior: 4,100 yen
A morning ticket is valid from opening until 12:30pm.
An afternoon ticket is valid from 12:30pm until closing.
There is an additional charge of 3,000 yen (on top of the one day or half day ticket) to use the Tacochi Course.
That area is outside of ski area control (and boundaries), and usually only opens from 10:00am until 2:00pm on weekends and holidays in the main season.
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 - 15th March (86 days)
2024-2025 season: 22nd December - 29th March (98 days)
2023-2024 season: 1st January - 29th March (89 days)
2022-2023 season: 25th December - 5th March (71 days)
2021-2022 season: 18th December - 27th March (100 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2025-2026 season: 170cm on 30th-31st January
2024-2025 season: 220cm on 20th and 24th-25th February
2023-2024 season: 180cm on 23rd March
2022-2023 season: 150cm on 22nd-23rd February
2022-2023 season: 150cm on 22nd-23rd February
2021-2022 season: 230cm on 22nd and 25th February
2020-2021 season: 150cm on 11th-13th January, 19th-20th and 23rd-24th February
2019-2020 season: 150cm on 11th-12th February
2018-2019 season: 210cm on 3rd February
2017-2018 season: 240cm on 5th-6th and 18th February
2016-2017 season: 300cm on 23rd-27th January
2015-2016 season: 110cm on 10th-11th February
2014-2015 season: 200cm on 15th-16th and 20th-21st February
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.
Yamaboku Wild Snow Park is one of 2 ski areas currently operating in Takayama Village.
The popular ski areas of Shiga Kogen are quite close by, but the road connection between the areas is closed during the winter season.
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.