Live nowStubai Zoo Park & Test DaysThe organiser lists Stubai Zoo Park & Test Days for 6–8 November 2026 at Stubai Glacier and in Neustift, Austria. Equipment testing at Eisgrat is scheduled only for Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November.
UpcomingLevi World CupThe FIS calendar schedules the women’s and men’s slalom races for 14–15 November in Lapland.
UpcomingGurgl World CupWomen’s and men’s slalom races are scheduled on the Kirchenkar World Cup piste on 21–22 November.PLACE JP-005 / Joshinetsu Kogen
A managed alpine network above Yamanouchi in Nagano, with 18 named ski areas spread across a northern group and a separate southern group.
116MAPS / UNDERSTAND THE AREA
Explore mapped pistes and lifts, compare the official plans and choose the right starting base. Check current opening separately.
Colours show the published skiing status or confirmed operating calendar, not whether every lift is running. Check the operator before travel.
Confirmed dates change colours automatically in the place’s local time. Tentative dates, conflicting reports and expired checks remain black.
Independent ODbL community geometry covers the reviewed managed alpine network from Sun Valley, Maruike and Hasuike through Giant, the central mountains and Ichinose to Yakebitaiyama and Okushiga, plus the separate southern Kumanoyu–Yokoteyama–Shibutoge group. Neighbouring Ryuoo, Maeyama summer lift, unnamed learner uplift, non-passenger structures, proposed/disused/private infrastructure and backcountry/freeride/extreme lines are excluded. The northern and southern groups have no direct ski connection; no line across the intervening gap is invented. Area outlines are not descents, and OSM way segments are not operator piste or lift counts. Generic community difficulty stays grey without a literal source colour. The earliest original canonical OSM API tile HTTP Date is the conservative snapshot, not an Overpass replication timestamp. Unconfirmed: the operator winter-map landing page is verified, but the current artwork edition and remote-preview or reproduction rights are not established; no operator map artwork is copied or embedded. Geometry and the historical photograph establish no current skiing, patrol, access permission, safe navigation or complete return.
HOW THE AREA CONNECTS
Access: Choose Sun Valley/Maruike/Hasuike, Giant, Hoppo Onsen, Takamagahara, Ichinose, Yakebitaiyama or Okushiga according to your booking and ability.
The operator describes linked pistes, lifts and gondolas within this zone. Confirm every actual open connection; a common pass does not guarantee a complete circuit.
Access: Use the appropriate Hotaru Onsen, Kumanoyu or Yokoteyama base and verify its last connecting ride. Travel to the northern group by road transport.
High mountain managed terrain with its own early-season plans and earlier upper-lift closing references. No direct northern ski link is established.
Hasuike and Sougoukaikan 98 are central arrival references; Ichinose, Yakebitaiyama, Okushiga, Kumanoyu and Yokoteyama have different bases. Confirm the actual hotel, lesson, rental and lift meeting point. The pin promises no parking or accessible transfer.
The operator describes linked managed terrain within the northern and southern groups. There is no direct ski connection between them; use a confirmed bus or private vehicle. Check each actual lift, piste and ability requirement before setting off.
Some upper Yokoteyama lifts list 15:30–15:40 closure, earlier than the general day band. Unconfirmed: the complete 2026/27 last-boarding, download and final-bus chain is not established. Agree every stage back to your own base and equipment shop in advance.
01 / FIELD OVERVIEW
Choose the right mountain base and pass, check the actual connecting lifts and arrange the full return. This independent guide separates 2026/27 plans from current skiing, historical services and map coverage.
18 named areas with distinct mountain bases
Separate northern and southern networks
Sourced practical guide and independent licensed map
The northern network combines Okushiga, Yakebitaiyama and the 13-area Central group: Ichinose Family, Diamond and Yamanokami, Takamagahara Mammoth, Tanne no Mori Okojo, Terakoya, Higashitateyama, Nishitateyama, Hoppo Bunadaira, Giant, Hasuike, Maruike and Sun Valley. The southern group is Kumanoyu with Yokoteyama and Shibutoge. These are managed alpine areas; neither the whole national park nor neighbouring Ryuoo is one ski resort.
The tourism association’s 28 October connection guide describes pistes, lifts and gondolas within each zone, but explicitly requires a bus or private vehicle between the northern and southern zones. Choose accommodation and lessons in the zone you expect to use most. A lift pass provides ticket scope, not proof that every physical link is open or suitable for your ability.
Conflicting sources: the association’s general introduction retains 48 lifts, while the 2026/27 common-pass page advertises 45. These are published summaries with different scopes, not a reconciled current inventory. The independent map’s community segments and area outlines are not counts of pistes or lifts. Local beginner/intermediate/advanced classifications remain distinct; generic OSM difficulty is not converted to universal colours.
Choose a passenger-lift approach for the relevant area. The central network includes the Shiga Kogen Resort Gondola, Bunadaira Gondola, Higashitateyama Gondola and named chairlifts. Yakebitaiyama and Okushiga have their own gondolas; Kumanoyu and Yokoteyama/Shibutoge use a separate southern lift network. Omitted summer infrastructure and unnamed learner equipment are not implied by this map.
The operator’s individual pages retain Resort Gondola 08:30–16:40 and Giant Pair 08:30–16:30, while Higashitateyama Gondola lists 09:00–16:10. Yokoteyama 3rd Sky and Shibutoge 1st Romance list closing at 15:40, and Yokoteyama 6th at 15:30. These are planning references that differ from the general 08:30–16:30 band. Unconfirmed: current last boarding, passenger download, all intermediate links and the complete return timetable are not established.
Unconfirmed: the tourism FAQ plans Kumanoyu and Yokoteyama from 14 November 2026 and wider opening around 20 December, subject to snow and weather. The 1 November association notice separately defines 5 December–5 May as common-pass validity. Neither establishes all-area skiing on those dates. Historical: Giant and Higashitateyama still display 31 March 2026 end notices, and the night programme remains 2025/26; a fresh-looking status date does not make those notices current.
The arrival reference is near Hasuike and the tourism office at Shiga Kogen Sougoukaikan 98, 7148-203 Hirao, Yamanouchi. It does not represent every ski base. Nagano has onward express-bus options; an alternative is Nagano Electric Railway to Yudanaka and a connecting bus. The association’s bus page directs readers to route planning rather than publishing a complete winter table. Unconfirmed: the final 2026/27 bus, guaranteed space, luggage conditions and an accessible vehicle-to-lift transfer are not established.
The dated 2 November road notice lists the Yosaka–Kusatsu section of Route 292 closed from 11 November 2026 at 13:00 to 21 April 2027 at 10:00; Route 502 from Okushiga closes from 4 November at 14:00, with branches reopening in May; Route 66 at Kasagatake closes from 6 November at 15:00. These are published plans in Japan local time, subject to actual restrictions. Do not plan a winter approach through a closed mountain pass.
The tourism driving guidance recommends a four-wheel-drive rental with winter tyres, chains and prior agreement with the rental company. Check current road conditions and learn chain fitting before the ascent. Some hotel parking is reserved for guests; overnight campervan stays within the national-park resort are generally not allowed. Unconfirmed: spaces, current individual parking conditions and assisted transfers must be checked with the chosen base.
Access warning, 7 November 2026: the official Shiga Kogen tourism account reports Route 292 between Shibu-toge and Kusatsu closed from 07:00 Japan time because of ice and snow. Unconfirmed: the inspected notice gives no reopening time. Check the latest road restrictions before departure; the planned winter closure from 13:00 on 11 November is a separate restriction.
The 2026/27 association tariff lists an adult all-mountain one-day ticket at JPY 9,500 and a four-hour ticket at JPY 7,500, with four hours running from first gate entry. Its early/spring adult day reference is JPY 7,500 for 5–18 December and 1 April–5 May. The tourism guide distinguishes all-mountain and single-area passes; an area ticket must be checked against the actual planned journey. Published references are not a guaranteed checkout price or confirmed skiing.
Day, point, multiday, early-morning and night products have different terms. The association requires separate early-morning/night tickets and does not refund unused time, points or days. Check the actual product, eligibility and closure/refund conditions before purchase. No lesson, hire, road transfer or mobility assistance is implied by a lift ticket.
Conflicting sources: the tourism pass guide states JPY 200 per child point, while the association tariff states JPY 100. Confirm the specific product directly. Historical: older KeyCard-return and 2025/26 night-page details remain online. Unconfirmed: next-season night dates, precise individual discount eligibility and the applicable final purchase terms are not established here.
Follow the operator’s closure signs, ropes, patrol directions and lift-station instructions. Control speed for visibility, terrain, snow and ability, give people below space and clear narrow or blind stopping points. The operator requires equipment leashes and prohibits entry into roped or restricted areas. Ask lift staff for help with boarding rather than assuming every chair or gondola provides the same assistance.
The operator warns that skiing carries weather, terrain, ice, natural-obstacle and collision risks, and that search/rescue outside the ski area may be charged. Backcountry, freeride, extreme lines and routes crossing closed terrain are outside this managed-piste guide. The map is a planning reference without current snow, grooming, patrol or navigation assurance; a drawn line is not access permission.
Unconfirmed: current public skiing, snow stability, patrol/clinic coverage, rescue response or charges in an individual case, adaptive-ski assistance and the full safe final return are not established. Ask the relevant area team before buying or departing, agree every connecting lift and onward road journey, and allow a margin before closing. Do not rely on the historical night calendar for after-hours access.
The operator lists rental points at Yamanoeki, Takamagahara, Ichinose, Yakebitaiyama, Okushiga and Hotaru Onsen. The dated rental update says all 2025/26 shops have closed and that 2026/27 details will follow; its retained shop hours are historical. Contact the chosen shop for actual reopening, sizes, collection and return before reserving. Ski schools and language options require direct booking; a directory entry establishes no place or equipment availability.
The restaurant directory includes venues near the central gondolas, Ichinose, Yakebitaiyama, Okushiga and Yokoteyama. Each has its own access and service. Historical: the tourism FAQ compiles previous-season answers, including seasonal medical locations at Ichinose Diamond and Yokoteyama; these are not verified current clinic hours. Unconfirmed: lesson/hire prices, food service, accessible toilets, storage and individual assistance are not established.
The tourism association lists +81 269-34-2404 and general enquiry hours 08:30–17:00, with possible temporary closures; these are office hours, not ski-lift hours. The live-area pages list individual operational contacts, including Giant on +81 269-34-2524, Higashitateyama on +81 269-34-2231 and Yokoteyama/Shibutoge on +81 269-34-2600. Confirm your exact base, date, mobility needs and complete return with that team; these numbers are not independently verified emergency-dispatch guarantees.
Selected source-checked references only. Use the complete official plan for the network; this list is not the resort’s total piste count or live opening report.
04 / AT THE BASE
05 / PROFILE BASIS & SOURCES
This profile is based on current information published or supplied by the place or its operator and the dated sources linked below.
Initial independent ten-scope review of managed-alpine identity, season plans, hours, access, status limits, passenger uplift, fares, safety, contacts, inventory and local classifications. Geometry and media inspections remain independent.
The hero image is an authentic photograph by MaedaAkihiko, reused under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
Historical: genuine winter photograph from 5 March 2023, showing the central mountain slopes. It establishes no current snow, operating lifts, route permission or safe return. Exact original retained; responsive display crops only, under CC BY-SA 4.0.