Kotobiki Forest Park is a ski area located in Iinan Town on the northern slopes of Mt Kotobiki in Shimane Prefecture.
It is located close to the border with Hiroshima Prefecture.
It has three pair lifts (303m, 712m and 673m) and uses artificial snow-making machines to assist with natural snowfall if required.
Mountain
statistics
Top/peak (m)
720
Vertical (m)
180
Bottom/base (m)
540
Beginner runs (%)
25
Intermediate runs (%)
50
Advanced runs (%)
25
Longest course (m)
830
Steepest slope (°)
25
Number of courses
7
Ski lifts
3
Ropeway cable car
0
Gondola
0
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
Kotobiko Forest Park usually plans to be open from mid-December until early March. See below for the actual opening and closing dates in recent seasons.
Normal opening times
Kotobiki Forest Park is normally open from 8:30am until 4:30pm.
Night skiing
There is no scheduled night skiing at Kotobiki Forest Park. However, private night skiing is possible with reservations: 65,000 yen on weekdays and 80,000 yen on weekends and holidays.
Snow Park
There is a Snow Park area by the lower section of the Number 2 lift.
Families & children
There is a Family Park area near base with a 70m moving elevator, sledging and more. Entry is 1,000 yen (or free with a valid ski lift ticket). There is also a free Kids Park that features a slide and a giant inflatable elephant.
Lessons
Ski and snowboard lessons are available at Kotobiki Forest Park.
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: 4,500 yen
Child: 3,000 yen
Senior: 4,000 yen
10 hours
Adult: 9,500 yen
Child: 6,000 yen
Senior: 8,000 yen
1 lift coupon
Adult: 400 yen
Child: 400 yen
Senior: 400 yen
Cheaper tickets are available until 28th December and also on some weekdays (details unconfirmed).
The 4 Hour ticket is valid for four hours from the time of purchase.
1 adult and 1 child - 6,500 yen
1 adult and 2 children - 9,000 yen
2 adults and 1 child - 10,500 yen
2 adults and 2 children - 13,000 yen
Additional adults at 4,000 yen and additional children at 2,500 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: 19th December - 1st March (73 days)
2024-2025 season: 20th December - 9th March (80 days)
2023-2024 season: 22nd December - 3rd March (73 days)
2022-2023 season: 17th December - 5th March (79 days)
2021-2022 season: 24th December - 13th March (80 days)
Deepest recorded snow depth
2025-2026 season: 100cm on 3rd-4th and 9th-10th February
2024-2025 season: 130cm on 9th-14th and 24th-26th February
2023-2024 season: 70cm on 23rd-24th December
2022-2023 season: 100cm on 30th January - 1st February
2021-2022 season: 110cm on 22nd-27th February
2020-2021 season: 150cm on 9th-13th January
2019-2020 season: 60cm on 13th December
2018-2019 season: 50cm on 30th December - 3rd January and 27th-28th January
2017-2018 season: 150cm on 8th-9th and 15th February
2016-2017 season: 130cm on 13th-16th February
2015-2016 season: 120cm on 25th-28th January
2014-2015 season: 90cm on 5th January and 14th February
Resources
Weather & snowfall (Japan Meteorological Agency) [open in new window]
Introduction to the region
Shimane Prefecture is located in the Chugoku region of the main island of Honshu in western Japan.
Shimane Prefecture borders Yamaguchi Prefecture to the southwest, Hiroshima Prefecture to the south, and Tottori Prefecture to the east.
There are only a few areas currently operating in Shimane Prefecture, all near the border with Hiroshima Prefecture.
Kotobiki Forest Park is the only ski area currently operating in Iinan 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.
Learn more about how we research, check and update information on SnowJapan.