Biwako Valley is a ski area located in Otsu City in the western region of Shiga Prefecture, close to the western shores of Lake Biwa.
This is the only ski area in Otsu City and the southernmost in the Shiga Prefecture. At just 40km or so from central Kyoto, it is the nearest ski area to the city.
Biwako Valley has a 1,783m Ropeway (capacity of 121 people) that takes skiers up to what is effectively the base of the ski area at an elevation of 1,106m. From that point, there is a choice of runs going down, though this is not the ski area's highest point. The top elevation is 1,174m.
The ski area has two quad lifts (600m and 500m) and three pair lifts (400m, 700m and 300m).
There is no downhill ski course at Biwako Valley, so you must get the Ropeway back to the base at the end of the day.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
1174
Vertical (m)
224
Bottom/base (m)
950
Beginner runs (%)
30
Intermediate runs (%)
60
Advanced runs (%)
10
Longest course (m)
1400
Steepest slope (°)
30
Number of courses
8
Ski lifts
6
Ropeway cable car
1
Gondola
0
Quad lift (4-person)
2
Triple lift (3-person)
0
Pair lift (2-person)
3
Single lift (1-person)
0
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates
Biwako Valley usually plans to be open from late December until mid-March. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening times
The Ropeway is normally open from 8:30am until 4:30pm.
Night skiing
There is no night skiing at Biwako Valley.
Park
The Snow Park is near the top of the ski area. Activities at Biwako Valley include snow tubing and official snow shoe experiences.
Families & children
Various Snow Activities are available including zip line, tubing, snow shoe experiences. Snow Land is open from 28th December 2024 until 23rd March 2024 and is free to enter. The Zip Line Adventure is open from 28th December 2024 until 23rd March 2025 and costs 1,500 yen.
Lessons
Ski and snowboard lessons are available at Biwako Valley.
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: 6,800 yen
Child: 2,700 yen
PM (holidays)
Adult: 5,800 yen
Child: 2,200 yen
PM (weekdays)
Adult: 5,800 yen
Child: 2,200 yen
1 lift coupon
Adult: 500 yen
Child: 500 yen
Season ticket
Adult: 55,000 yen
Child: 35,000 yen
The Ropeway normally operates every 15 minutes (00, 15, 30, 45).
The half-day and 1-day tickets include return trip usage of the Ropeway and access to the Snow Land area.
Cheaper lift tickets are available online.
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: 28th December - 22nd March (85 days)
2024-2025 season: 21st December - 23rd March (93 days)
2023-2024 season: 10th January - 17th March (68 days)
2022-2023 season: 27th December - 21st March (85 days)
2021-2022 season: 24th December - 21st March (88 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2016-2017 season: 150cm on 10th-17th February
2015-2016 season: 75cm on 3rd-5th March
2014-2015 season: 130cm on 20th-23rd February
Resources
Weather & snowfall (Japan Meteorological Agency) [open in new window]
Introduction to the region
Shiga Prefecture is located in the Kansai region of the main island of Honshu in western Japan. It encircles Lake Biwa, Japan's largest freshwater lake, and borders Fukui Prefecture to the north, Gifu to the east, Mie to the south, and Kyoto to the west.
The ski areas in Shiga are located in the northern region of the prefecture.
Gransnow Okuibuki, one of the larger ski areas in the Kansai region and previously known as Oku Ibuki, is in the northern region of Maibara City, close to the border with Gifu. Biwako Valley, near the western shores of Lake Biwa in Otsu City, is popular with visitors from the Otsu and Kyoto areas.
Shiga Prefecture should not be confused with the popular highland area in the northern region of Nagano Prefecture known as Shiga Kogen.
Biwako Valley is the only ski area currently operating in Otsu 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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