Yuzawa Kogen is a ski area located in the central area of Yuzawa Town in the southern region of Niigata Prefecture.
Yuzawa Kogen has two areas, the main upper Kogen Area ('Highland Area' in English) and the lower town-level Sanroku Area ('Base Area' in English). The two areas are connected by the 166-person capacity Yuzawa Kogen Ropeway, which is open throughout the year for sightseeing.
Yuzawa Kogen Ropeway is just 600m from the West Exit of Echigo Yuzawa Station in the central area of the town.
The Highland area has three ski lifts, five ski runs, and a downhill course back down to base. The location offers spectacular views of Yuzawa town and the surrounding mountains.
The Base area has one pair lift, a few short beginner runs, and various snow activities suitable for young children - known as Yuzawa Onsen Snow Play Park. A ticket for just that area is available.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
1170
Vertical (m)
840
Bottom/base (m)
330
Beginner runs (%)
40
Intermediate runs (%)
40
Advanced runs (%)
20
Longest course (m)
6000
Steepest slope (°)
30
Number of courses
7
Ski lifts
5
Ropeway cable car
1
Gondola
0
Quad lift (4-person)
0
Triple lift (3-person)
1
Pair lift (2-person)
3
Single lift (1-person)
0
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates
Yuzawa Kogen usually plans to be open from mid-December until late March or early April. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening times
Yuzawa Kogen is open from 8:30am until 4:50pm every day and the Ropeway normally operates every 20 minutes. The first Ropeway is at 8:40am. The base pair lift is open from 8:30am until 4:50pm.
Night skiing
There is no night skiing at Yuzawa Kogen.
Snow Park
There is a wave area on the course off the top Sancho Panorama pair lift.
Families & children
There are two Snow Land areas at Yuzawa Kogen: one at the top Kogen area and one at the town-level (Nunoba) area. The Kogen Snowland area offers snowtubing activities, a two tunnel slider and tree castle as well as other fun activities for the kids. The larger base area, known as Sanroku Snow Land (or Yuzawa Onsen Snow Play Park) features a 100m long covered snow escalator and a 36m long snow escalator. Various tickets are available for these areas, including on that is good for all the ski lifts and entry to the Snow Land areas.
Lessons
Ski lessons and snowboard lessons are available at Yuzawa Kogen. 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.
Lift ticket prices
2025-2026 season
Information for the upcoming 2026-2027 season will be added by December 2026
1 day
Adult: 6,900 yen
Child: 3,500 yen
Senior: 5,800 yen
2 days
Adult: 11,000 yen
Child: 6,200 yen
Senior: 9,500 yen
4 hours
Adult: 5,200 yen
Child: 3,000 yen
Senior: 4,400 yen
Yuko Asobi park
Adult: 2,800 yen
Child: 1,800 yen
Senior: 2,800 yen
Ropeway (return)
Adult: 3,500 yen
Child: 1,700 yen
Senior: 3,500 yen
Cheaper lift tickets are available online in advance.
One day tickets for children ages 4-6 are 1,800 yen.
There is also a ticket called Yuzawa Snow Link that is valid at Yuzawa Kogen, GALA Yuzawa and Ishiuchi Maruyama. That ticket is usually available during the peak season 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: 14th December - 5th April (113 days)
2024-2025 season: 14th December - 6th April (114 days)
2023-2024 season: 22nd December - 7th April (108 days)
2022-2023 season: 21st December - 26th March (96 days)
2021-2022 season: 19th December - 27th March (99 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2025-2026 season: 300cm on 31st January - 4th February
2024-2025 season: 480cm on 23rd-25th February
2023-2024 season: 160cm on 21st-26th March
2022-2023 season: 260cm on 27th February - 1st March
2021-2022 season: 480cm on 25th-26th February
2020-2021 season: 340cm on 19th-22nd February
2019-2020 season: 170cm on 11th-15th February
2018-2019 season: 340cm on 2nd February
2017-2018 season: 320cm on 18th-27th February
2016-2017 season: 330cm on 12th-16th, 22nd February
2015-2016 season: 170cm on 11th-13th February
2014-2015 season: 380cm on 16th February
Resources
More information on Yuzawa Kogen
Official website [link opens in new window]
Daily weather & snow reporting on SnowJapan
Weather & snowfall (Japan Meteorological Agency) [opens in new window]
SnowJapan Directory: accommodation listings in the region
Hatago Isen (about 0.6km)
Takahan (about 0.9km)
Ishiuchi Vacation Rental (about 3.1km)
Hotel Yuzawa Yuzawa Denkiya (about 3.9km)
Bears House (about 4km)
Belle Vue Nishiura (about 4.7km)
Maruyama Onsen Kojyokan (about 6.3km)
Garden Cress (about 5.8km)
Maiko Kogen Hotel (about 8.6km)
Yuzkyu Resort Premium Lodge (about 10km)
Osawakan (about 12.5km)
Ryugon (about 17.9km)
The Kinta Naeba (about 22.1km)
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 and 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).
Yuzawa Kogen is one of 11 ski areas currently operating in Yuzawa Town.
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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