basic information

Yuzawa in Niigata Prefecture is one of the largest and the most easily accessed ski areas from Tokyo. You can be on the slopes from Tokyo Station in under two hours. Yuzawa is known for deep powder and a long season, with some of its resorts open from mid November to late May.

There are approximately twenty resorts in and around Yuzawa, varying in size from one to over thirty lifts. While some are near the town center, others are more remote, but they are all accessible by public transportation.

A few resorts team up to offer combination lift tickets that give you access to all of the participating resorts. They are typically connected to each other so that you can ski or snowboard between them.

Yuzawa is also known for its onsen (hot springs), with baths located at the ski resorts, hotels, public bath houses and shinkansen stations, including a sake bath as well as a sake museum at the Echigo-Yuzawa Station.

Gala Yuzawa, Ishiuchi Maruyama, Yuzawa Kogen Group:

A special combination ticket for all three resorts is available. It costs 4900 yen and can be bought at any of the three resorts' ticket counters.

Gala Yuzawa
Description	Just 90 minutes from Tokyo Station, Gala Yuzawa is the easiest resort in Yuzawa to access by train. The gondola to the mountain leaves directly from the shinkansen station, but be sure to check the wind conditions before you leave as the gondola does not operate when it is windy. There is no night skiing, but a "Sunset ticket", good between 3 and 5, is offered (2000 yen).
Season	Early December to early May			Lifts	11 Lifts
Tickets	full day	8-5	4300 yen	Rentals	ski	3000 yen
	half day	8-1, 12-5	3200 yen		board	3000 yen
	nighter	N/A	N/A		clothes	2000 yen
Access	bus/train	Joetsu Shinkansen to Gala Yuzawa Station
	car	Three kilometers from Yuzawa Interchange

Ishiuchi Maruyama
Description	Ishiuchi Maruyama is one of the oldest establishments in the Yuzawa area and is known to have great powder. The resort is fairly large and offers some really long runs.
Season	Mid December to early April			Lifts	19 Lifts
Tickets	full day	8-5	4200 yen	Rentals	ski	2500 yen
	half day	8-1, 12-5	3200 yen		board	2500 yen
	nighter	5-9	2000 yen		clothes	2500 yen
Access	bus/train	Three mins walk from Ishiuchi Station or ten mins by free shuttle from Echigo-Yuzawa Station
	car	Four kilometers from Shiozawa Ishiuchi Interchange

Yuzawa Kogen
Description	Yuzawa Kogen is located near the Yuzawa Interchange and Echigo-Yuzawa Station.
Season	Mid December to early April			Lifts	8 Lifts
Tickets	full day	8-5	4000 yen	Rentals	ski	2500 yen
	half day	8-1, 12-5	3000 yen		board	2500 yen
	nighter	5-9	1500 yen		clothes	2000 yen
Access	bus/train	Two mins by free shuttle bus from Echigo-Yuzawa Station
	car	Two kilometers from Yuzawa Interchange

Naeba, Kagura Group:

A combination ticket for Naeba and Kagura costs 5000 yen. All tickets sold in Naeba are combination tickets, while a Kagura-only ticket costs 4000 yen.

Naeba
Description	Naeba is operated by Prince Hotels and is very popular even though it is the most remote of the major Yuzawa resorts. It has a large number of lifts, with multiple lifts serving each run. The slopes are generally steep, and can become quite crowded on weekends. Naeba is connected to neighboring Kagura via the Dragondola, the world's longest gondola.
Season	Mid November to early May			Lifts	30 Lifts
Tickets	full day	8-5	5000 yen	Rentals	ski	4300 yen
	half day	4 hr block	3500 yen		board	4300 yen
	nighter	4-9	2000 yen		clothes	2700 yen
Access	bus/train	50 mins by bus from Echigo-Yuzawa Station
	car	21 kilometers from Yuzawa Interchange

Kagura
Description	Known for having good powder and long runs, Kagura is reached by either the Kagura/Mitsumata or Tashiro gondolas. It is also connected to Naeba via the Dragondola. Kagura has the longest season of the Yuzawa resorts thanks to its location high up in the mountains. Night skiing is not offered.
Season	Late November to late May			Lifts	26 Lifts
Tickets	full day	8-5	4000 yen	Rentals	ski	3800 yen
	half day	8-1, 12-5	3000 yen		board	3800 yen
	nighter	N/A	N/A		clothes	1700 yen
Access	bus/train	25 mins by bus (300 yen) from Echigo-Yuzawa Station.
	car	Eight Kilometers from Yuzawa Interchange.

Unaffiliated Resorts:

Iwappara
Description	Iwappara is located near the center of Yuzawa Town. The main area of Iwappara is extremely wide, well groomed and an excellent place for beginners. Be aware that there are no half day tickets available.
Season	Mid December to mid April			Lifts	11 Lifts
Tickets	full day	7-6	4500 yen	Rentals	ski	3800 yen
	half day	N/A	N/A		board	3800 yen
	nighter	5-8:30	2000 yen		clothes	1200 yen
Access	bus/train	10 mins by bus (200 yen) from Echigo Yuzawa Station or a 15 min walk from Iwappara Skijo-mae Station.
	car	Three kilometers from Yuzawa Interchange

Joetsu Kokusai
Description	Joetsu Kokusai is one of Japan's largest resorts, spanning a number of mountains and valleys. It offers long runs and lots of powder. Joetsu Kokusai is about ten kilometers north of central Yuzawa.
Season	Mid December to early April			Lifts	25 Lifts
Tickets	full day	8-5	4000 yen	Rentals	ski	5000 yen
	half day	8-1, 12-5	3000 yen		board	4000 yen
	nighter	5-9	1500 yen		clothes	4000 yen
Access	bus/train	25 minutes by shuttle bus from Echigo-Yuzawa Station or a few steps from Joetsu Kokusai Skijo-mae Station.
	car	Six kilometers from Shiozawa Ishiuchi Interchange.

Maiko Korakuen
Description	Maiko Korakuen is a large park located near the Shiozawa Ishiuchi Interchange, about six kilometers north of central Yuzawa. This resort also has some of the best rental prices in the area.
Season	Mid December to early April			Lifts	13 Lifts
Tickets	full day	8-5	4200 yen	Rentals	ski	2000 yen
	half day	8-1, 12-5	3500 yen		board	2000 yen
	nighter	5-9	1800 yen		clothes	1500 yen
Access	bus/train	30 mins by bus from Echigo-Yuzawa Station (300 yen).
	car	One kilometer from Shiozawa Ishiuchi Interchange

Yuzawa Nakazato
Description	Yuzawa Nakazato has its own train station on the local JR Joetsu Line. This resort offers a large kids snow play area and snowmobile rides.
Season	Late December to early April			Lifts	10 Lifts
Tickets	full day	8-5	3500 yen	Rentals	ski	3500 yen
	half day	8-1, 12-5	2500 yen		board	3500 yen
	nighter	5-9	1500 yen		clothes	3500 yen
Access	bus/train	20 minutes by free shuttle bus from Echigo-Yuzawa Station or a few steps outside Echigo-Nakazato Station.
	car	Five kilometers from Yuzawa Interchange.

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how to get there

By train

Echigo-Yuzawa Station can be reached from Tokyo Station in about 75 minutes by Toki trains or in about 90 minutes by Tanigawa trains along the Joetsu Shinkansen. The one way journey costs around 6000 yen and is fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass and JR East Pass. During winter, most Tanigawa trains continue to Gala Yuzawa Station.

A discounted round trip ticket, the "Joetsu Ski Round Trip Ticket" is offered by JR for access to Yuzawa from greater Tokyo during the ski season. JR and travel agencies also sell a range of discount travel plans that combine a round trip to Yuzawa with lift passes and/or accommodation.

By car

Yuzawa is located along the Kanetsu Expressway, which connects Tokyo with Niigata. The drive from Tokyo to Yuzawa IC takes about two hours and costs 4600 yen in expressway tolls (one way in case of a regular car). Winter tires are required when there is snow.

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