Hakodateyama is a ski area located in Takashima City in the northwest region of Shiga Prefecture, to the west of Lake Biwa.
This ski area is sometimes known as Biwako Hakodatayama, perhaps to distinguish it from other places with the same name.
The 8-person 1,323m Gondola takes people to the ski area base from the car park and bus stop. At the top are three ski lifts (200m, 209m and 421m) servicing the ski slopes. Snow making machines are on hand to assist nature when required.
There has been skiing at this location dating back to 1935, with the ski area officially opening in 1962. The current Gondola lift replaced a Ropeway lift in 1999, and there used to be several other ski lifts that are no longer in operation.
The snow on one 'off-piste' area is left ungroomed, and snowshoe tours are also available.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
690
Vertical (m)
150
Bottom/base (m)
540
Beginner runs (%)
25
Intermediate runs (%)
50
Advanced runs (%)
25
Longest course (m)
700
Steepest slope (°)
38
Number of courses
10
Ski lifts
4
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
1
Quad lift (4-person)
0
Triple lift (3-person)
0
Pair lift (2-person)
3
Single lift (1-person)
0
Surface lift
0
Information
Normal season dates
Hakodateyama 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
Hakodateyama is normally open from 8:00am until 5:00pm on weekends and from 8:30am until 5:00pm on weekdays. Until 31st December 2024, it is open from 8:30am until 4:30pm.
Night skiing
There is no night skiing at Hakodateyama.
Ungroomed
An area by the Three Valley lift is left ungroomed.
Families & children
The Kids World and snow rafting areas are located by the base area (ie. the top gondola station). There are also two Chibbiko areas for young children. Snow rafting is 800 yen (per person, one time).
Lessons
Ski and snowboard lessons are available at Hakodateyama.
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 (weekends & holidays)
Adult: 5,500 yen
Child: 2,900 yen
Senior: 4,700 yen
1 day (weekdays)
Adult: 4,800 yen
Child: 2,200 yen
Senior: 3,900 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: 20th December - 15th March (86 days)
2024-2025 season: 21st December - 23rd March (93 days)
2023-2024 season: 22nd December - 10th March (80 days)
2022-2023 season: 23rd December - 12th March (80 days)
2021-2022 season: 24th December - 21st March (88 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2025-2026 season: 210cm on 31st January - 5th February
2024-2025 season: 215cm on 25th-26th February
2023-2024 season: 85cm on 26th-30th January
2022-2023 season: 110cm on 6th-8th January
2021-2022 season: 300cm on 25th-26th February
2020-2021 season: 180cm on various dates
2019-2020 season: 70cm on various dates
2018-2019 season: 140cm on 1st-3rd February
2017-2018 season: 230cm on 18th-20th February
2016-2017 season: 210cm on 13th-16th February
2015-2016 season: 80cm on 25th-27th January
2014-2015 season: 210cm on 14th-16th and 20th-21st 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.
Hakodateyama is one of several ski areas currently operating in Takashima 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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