The 2nd-largest resort in Japan by area — 22 lifts, 380ha, and the kind of wide groomers that reward cruise-skiers over powder chasers.
Live conditions
Off-seasonThe mountain is resting.
Next season
Opens late November
Current temp 14°C, wind 5 km/h. We’ll resume the daily report once snowfall picks up.
Forecast data via Open-Meteo. Refreshes hourly. Always verify with the resort before driving up.
Why Joetsu Kokusai Ski Resort
The 2nd-largest resort in Japan by area — 22 lifts, 380ha, and the kind of wide groomers that reward cruise-skiers over powder chasers.
Joetsu Kokusai Ski Resort is a ski resort in Niigata, with 22 marked runs and 817m of vertical. It averages around 10m+ of snowfall a season, over terrain that suits intermediates. Expect a large interconnected mountain.
Terrain in detail
BalancedMixed terrain — solid intermediate base with sharper lines for advanced skiers. Difficulty, powder character, and the stats that matter on the mountain itself.
Hardcore index
41
Mixed terrain — solid intermediate base with sharper lines for advanced skiers.
From terrain split, run profile, vertical drop, expert features.
Powder profile
Sea-of-Japan storm cycles — deep, heavier snow.
Heavier, frequent storm cycles — deep refills, denser snow.
10
m+
per season
Frequent deep days through midwinter
Expert runs
4 of 22
Estimated from advanced terrain split.
Vertical drop
817m
Solid sustained pitch.
Steepest pitch
—
Pitch not published.
Backcountry gates
None
In-bounds skiing only.
Tree skiing
Limited
Mostly groomed terrain.
Moguls
Few
Mostly cord and powder.
Best for
Terrain
Getting there
From airport
90 minutes by Shinkansen from Tokyo
Train / bus
Shuttle from JR Echigo-Yuzawa or JR Shiozawa stations 90 minutes by Shinkansen f
Shuttle from JR Echigo-Yuzawa or JR Shiozawa stations 90 minutes by Shinkansen from Tokyo
Photo: Ski Mania / Public domain · Source
Curated guides covering Joetsu Kokusai Ski Resort and the rest of Niigata.
More resorts in Niigata
destination resort
Home of the Dragondola — at 5.5km the world's longest gondola, linking Naeba to Kagura. The Prince Hotel anchors a full Niigata ski town.
powder-focused
Niigata's high-altitude powder magnet — base elevation above 1,200m means season lasts into Golden Week, and gate-managed backcountry is easy to access from the top.
day trip
The only resort in Japan with a Shinkansen station at the lift base — you can literally ski in a suit on your lunch break. Beginner-heavy, famously accessible.
day trip
Yuzawa's most walkable resort — the NASPA hotel sits on the slope, the Shinkansen station is a short shuttle away, and the runs are firmly beginner–intermediate.
