Cupid Valley is a ski area located in the Yasuzuka neighbourhood of Joetsu City in the southern region of Niigata Prefecture.
This ski area is on the northern slopes of Mt Higashitake, about halfway between the central city areas of Joetsu and Tokamachi. It is also around halfway between the popular Myoko and Yuzawa and Minamiuonuma regions of Niigata Prefecture.
The area is known as Yukidaruma Kogen (loose translation as 'Snowman Highland'). The Japan Sea can be seen from the north-facing slopes on a clear day, with layers of rice fields in the foreground.
There are two quad lifts (one newly opened for the 2025-2026 season) and one pair lift at Cupid Valley.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
920
Vertical (m)
490
Bottom/base (m)
430
Beginner runs (%)
35
Intermediate runs (%)
40
Advanced runs (%)
25
Longest course (m)
4000
Steepest slope (°)
32
Number of courses
13
Ski lifts
3
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
0
Quad lift (4-person)
2
Triple lift (3-person)
1
Pair lift (2-person)
0
Single lift (1-person)
0
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates Cupid Valley usually plans to be open from mid- to late December until late March. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening hours
Cupid Valley is normally open during the daytime from 8:30am until 4:00pm. The ski area is closed between 16th and 19th March 2026.
Night skiing
Night skiing is 4:00pm until 8:00pm on Saturdays and nights before holidays between 2nd January and 22nd February 2026.
Park
There are some areas of ungroomed snow and a few official tree run courses near the top.
Families & children
The Smile Kids Park is located by the Number 1 quad lift. Entry is 500 yen or free with a valid ski lift ticket on weekends. Plastic skis, sledges, buckets are available to rent.
Lessons
Ski and snowboard lessons are available at Cupid Valley.
Rental
Ski and snowboard equipment rental is available.
Lift ticket prices
2025-2026 season
Information for the upcoming 2026-2027 season will be added by December 2026
1 day
Adult: 5,600 yen
Child: 3,200 yen
5 hours
Adult: 5,000 yen
Child: 2,800 yen
Afternoon (from 12pm)
Adult: 3,500 yen
Child: 2,000 yen
4 lift coupons
Adult: 3,000 yen
10 lift coupons
Adult: 7,000 yen
Night skiing
Adult: 2,000 yen
Season ticket
Adult: 40,000 yen
A season ticket for people ages 70 and over is 25,000 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: 27th December - 22nd March (86 days)
2024-2025 season: 21st December - 30th March (100 days)
2023-2024 season: 23rd December - 24th March (93 days)
2022-2023 season: 23rd December - 21st March (89 days)
2021-2022 season: 25th December - 21st March (87 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2025-2026 season: 430cm on 31st January
2024-2025 season: 640cm on 24th February
2023-2024 season: 240cm on 10th-15th March
2022-2023 season: 380cm on 29th January and 16th February
2021-2022 season: 590cm on 24th February
2020-2021 season: 430cm on 21st February
2019-2020 season: 220cm on 11th February
2018-2019 season: 450cm on 17th February
2017-2018 season: 390cm on 3rd, 21st-22nd February
2016-2017 season: 330cm on 15th February
2015-2016 season: 235cm on 11th February
2014-2015 season: 510cm on 10th February
Resources
More information on Cupid Valley
Official website [link opens in new window]
Weather & snowfall (Japan Meteorological Agency) [open in new window]
Introduction to the region
Niigata Prefecture is located in the Chubu region of the main island of Honshu, and it is commonly associated with the Hokuriku subregion. The long Niigata coastline faces the Sea of Japan, and the prefecture borders Yamagata Prefecture, Fukushima Prefecture, Gunma Prefecture, Nagano Prefecture, and Toyama Prefecture.
Niigata played a significant role in the history of skiing in Japan. After Hokkaido and Nagano Prefecture, it is currently home to the third-most ski areas in Japan.
The ski areas of Niigata are scattered across the mountainous regions of the prefecture, and there is even one on Sado Island. The majority can be found in Yuzawa Town & Minamiuonuma City in the Chuetsu region and Myoko City in the Joetsu region.
Joetsu City is to the north of Myoko City, which is home to numerous famous ski areas. Cupid Valley itself if located in the region between central Joetsu City and Tokamachi City.
Cupid Valley is one of 2 ski areas currently operating in Joetsu 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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