Joetsu Kokusai, often known as 'Jo-koku', is a ski area located in the southern region of Minamiuonuma City in the southern region of Niigata Prefecture.
This ski area covers an extremely wide area of over 10 million square metres. In that respect, it is the largest individual ski area in Japan.
Despite the name of the ski area, it is not in the Joetsu region of the prefecture but rather in the Chuetsu region.
There are four interconnected official areas. The main area with the Hotel Green Plaza at the base is known as East. The other areas are the South Active Zone (often known as Osawa), the North Panorama Zone (often known as Atema) and the West Forest Zone. Due to the scale of Joetsu Kokusai, many people concentrate on one or two areas rather than try to cover them all in one day.
The South (Osawa) and West (Atema) areas both have their own car parks and base areas and are only open on weekends and holidays.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
1017
Vertical (m)
817
Bottom/base (m)
200
Beginner runs (%)
30
Intermediate runs (%)
50
Advanced runs (%)
20
Longest course (m)
6000
Steepest slope (°)
38
Number of courses
22
Ski lifts
19
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
0
Quad lift (4-person)
3
Triple lift (3-person)
3
Pair lift (2-person)
13
Single lift (1-person)
0
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates
Cupid Valley usually plans to be open from mid-December until early April. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening times
Joetsu Kokusai is normally open from 8:00am until 5:00pm every day in the daytime. Not all lifts and/or sections open at the same time and sometimes opening times depend on the day. One notable change since the 2025-2026 season has been that the Atema Resort Center and car park, along with the Atema Number 1-3 pair lifts and slopes, are only open on weekends and holidays between 27th December and 8th March.
Night skiing
Night skiing is in the main area in front of the base hotel until 9:00pm, scheduled for every day of the season from 27th December 2025 until 22nd March 2026.
Snow Park
The Snow Park is in the Nakamine area and features a half-pipe.
Families & children
The Yuki no Yuenchi area, in front of the main hotel at the base of the ski runs, is open from 9:00am until 4:00pm and there is an entry charge.
The Sori Land sledging area, also in front of the hotel, and the Spongebob Kids Park on the Nagamine run, are both free to use.
Lessons
Ski and snowboard lessons are available at Joetsu Kokusai.
There are a number of independent ski and snowboard schools that cover the Yuzawa area and offer lessons in English.
Rental
Ski and snowboard equipment & wear rental is available along with other facilities in the main base hotel.
Lift ticket prices
2025-2026 season
Information for the upcoming 2026-2027 season will be added by December 2026
1 day (8:00am-5:00pm)
Adult: 5,500 yen
Child: 3,500 yen
Senior: 4,300 yen
1 day (8:00am-9:00pm)
Adult: 5,800 yen
Child: 3,800 yen
Senior: 4,600 yen
2 days (8:00am-5:00pm)
Adult: 8,800 yen
Child: 5,600 yen
Senior: 6,800 yen
2 days (8:00am-9:00pm)
Adult: 9,200 yen
Child: 6,000 yen
Senior: 7,200 yen
3 days (8:00am-5:00pm)
Adult: 11,500 yen
Child: 7,300 yen
Senior: 9,000 yen
3 days (8:00am-8:30pm)
Adult: 12,000 yen
Child: 7,800 yen
Senior: 9,500 yen
Night
Adult: 1,500 yen
Child: 1,000 yen
Senior: 1,000 yen
Season ticket
Adult: 46,000 yen
Child: 25,000 yen
Senior: 36,000 yen
Season ticket (Joetsu Kokusai & Iwappara)
Adult: 59,000 yen
Child: 35,500 yen
Senior: 48,000 yen
Special early (until 19th December 2025) and spring season (from 23rd March 2026) tickets are available at a cheaper rate. The 2 and 3 day tickets are valid for night skiing on all but the last day of the period.
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: 13th December - 31st March (109 days)
2024-2025 season: 13th December - 6th April (115 days)
2023-2024 season: 22nd December - 31st March (101 days)
2022-2023 season: 17th December - 2nd April (107 days)
2021-2022 season: 18th December - 3rd April (107 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2025-2026 season: 280cm on 31st January - 1st February and 3rd-4th February
2024-2025 season: 460cm on 25th February
2023-2024 season: 200cm on 10th, 13th-14th March
2022-2023 season: 270cm on 6th-7th, 10th-11th January
2021-2022 season: 400cm on 24th February
2020-2021 season: 310cm on 19th-20th February
2019-2020 season: 170cm on 11th-12th February
2018-2019 season: 330cm on 2nd February
2017-2018 season: 310cm on 27th January - 1st February
2016-2017 season: 300cm on 26th January
2015-2016 season: 190cm on 2nd March
2014-2015 season: 300cm on 14th-20th February
Resources
More information
Ski area spotlight (Minamiuonuma City)
Daily weather & snow reporting on SnowJapan
Weather & snowfall (Japan Meteorological Agency) [links open in new window]
SnowJapan Directory: accommodation listings in the region
Osawakan (about 0.7km: Osawa base)
Maruyama Onsen Kojyokan (about 6.7km)
Maiko Kogen Hotel (about 6.9km)
Belle Vue Nishiura (about 7.3km)
Ryugon (about 7.6km)
Ishiuchi Vacation Rental (about 8.7km)
Bears House (about 9km)
Takahan (about 11.1km)
Hatago Isen (about 12.4km)
Hotel Yuzawa Yuzawa Denkiya (about 15km)
Garden Cress (about 16.6km)
Yuzkyu Resort Premium Lodge (about 21km)
The Kinta Naeba (about 34.2km)
SnowJapan Directory: ski school listing in the region
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.
Yuzawa Town and neighbouring Minamiuonuma City are currently home to 18 individual ski areas, including some of the most well-known in Japan. With easy and quick access by train and road and a wide choice in a relatively compact area, this region is one of Japan's most popular ski destinations. The region usually receives heavy, consistent snowfall each winter. Yuzawa is also known for its hot springs and as the inspiration for the Nobel Prize-winning novel Yukiguni (Snow Country).
Joetsu Kokusai is one of 7 ski areas currently operating in Minamiuonuma 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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