Joetsu Kokusai Ski Resort

Joetsu Kokusai Ski Resort (上越国際スキー場) is located in Niigata’s Minami-uonuma city, a 3-hour drive from Tokyo. It’s not quite as popular as the nearby Gala Yuzawa (which has Shinkansen access right to its door) but I think actually this works in its favour, since the two times we’ve visited we haven’t found the slopes to be too crowded at all.

We first visited this resort last year on the final day of a 3-day ski weekend, when we were looking for a different place to try out after spending two days at Maiko Resort. And I feel like we stumbled upon a hidden gem? The Google reviews paint a picture of a very old ski resort that has seen better days, and some of the negative reviews are valid - for sure, the lifts are kind of slow, and lack of signage in some parts can make navigating the park a little confusing. Not to mention they still use paper tickets (so make sure you have a ticket holder).

But on both times we’ve visited, the powder snow was amazing, and the best part of all - it wasn’t too crowded (I hate having to dodge other people on the slopes). The one reason I would dissuade you from visiting this park is if you are a complete beginner to snowboarding, as I find that there aren’t any gradual slopes that are good for beginners to practice on - it’s all either medium grade or super flat bits.

For beginner skiers you might have a better time of things since y’all are much better at being able to propel yourself along the flat bits with your poles, but us snowboarders have to settle for an undignified shuffle, or have to unclip a foot from the board entirely.

Pro-tip #1: head to the western section (“Atema”)

If you are going to visit Joetsu, I would recommend coming in prepared with a plan. If you take a look at the map, our favourite section was the green “West” zone in the top bit on the map. If you are starting at the hotel, you will have to take a total of six lifts (yes… six) to make it to that section, so expect to spend a bit of time on the lifts in the morning.

But once you’re there, the powder snow is great! And most of the beginners don’t bother getting on so many lifts, so it is relatively less crowded. The slopes here are of a medium difficulty, and the one downside is the aforementioned long flat bits. I found that (as a somewhat-beginner-but-maybe-intermediate snowboarder) you just need the confidence to gather enough speed to coast over it, and otherwise you’re good.

Although you have to take 6 lifts to get to the west zone, heading back isn’t so bad, as you will get to ski down some of the slopes instead of taking the lift 6 times again.

As we returned from our snowboarding in the western section and came down the “east” section near the hotel, the difference between the two zones is immediately obvious. There are plenty of beginners sitting on the slopes to get in your way, and the slopes are not powdery at all (probably from all the people using it). So it’s best to be skipped.

Pro-tip #2: use the Osawa carpark

If you want to save 1000 yen, you can park at the Osawa carpark (near the south zone) which offers free parking. The road up was a little less-maintained than the one to the main carpark, so I would only take it up if you know your car can handle it. (If you’re unsure, just go for the main carpark near the hotel). While you’re there, you can also check out the Osawa slope - from memory though this was definitely medium-to-advanced difficulty and I didn’t have too much fun sliding down on it (just personally), but it was quite empty which is a pro.

Check out the night skiing

Joetsu offers nighttime access (or ナイター) for a very cheap 1500 yen. Only the main eastern slope is open, but it’s a nice way to do a bit of warming up before a proper day of skiing the next day.

This was my first time snowboarding at night! It wasn’t as cold as I was expecting, and the slopes were pretty empty (it was a Friday night) so it was pretty fun.

Staying at a minshuku (Japanese guesthouse)

Staying at the ski resort’s hotel will cost you around 30,000 - 40,000 yen a night for 2 people. We opted for a 10,000 a night room at the Sunvalley Higuchi (四季の宿 サンバレーひぐち) guesthouse or “minshuku” which I would totally recommend. It’s right off the freeway, and is about a 20 minute drive from from the resort itself.

If you’re not familiar with minshuku - your room will be quite minimal with futons for sleeping, and the toilets and onsen are shared with the other guests. The onsen is gender-segregated, but there’s no private shower so you will have to be okay about getting naked in front of other people if you go at a busy time. But it’s cheap, and feels very cozy and homey so I’d take it over an expensive hotel room anytime.

Access by car

It’s a 3-hour drive from Tokyo to the Joetsu ski resort. Tokyo doesn’t get much snow at all, and so for most of the drive in we didn’t see any snow. But after we passed through a long 10km tunnel that goes underneath Mt Tanigawa and entered Niigata, suddenly there was snow on the side of the road and on the mountains around us.

Google Maps might make it a little confusing, but the ski resort’s carpark is right outside the Annex building. If you come in the morning, expect to pay 1000 yen to one of the parking lot attendants. If you slip by for the nighttime skiing, they weren’t around so we got free parking.

The lift is directly behind the Annex building, and on the left wall outside the Annex building is a window where you can buy lift tickets (5,500 yen for the day). It was a little bit confusing when we first arrived due to the lack of signage but if you just do a loop around the outside of the Annex building you will come across the ticket counter.

Access by public transport

Joetsu is also super accessible by public transport - it’s a 2 hour trip from Tokyo. You’ll go most of the way on the Shinkansen, and then transfer to a local train for the final leg to Joetsu International Skiing Ground (上越国際スキー場前) station, which drops you off right outside of the aforementioned Annex building.

How much does it cost to ski in Japan (Tokyo -> Niigata)?

If you’re an overseas reader (hi!) and are curious what it costs us to ski in Japan compared to where you are from, the costs all-up for this trip were:

• A tank of fuel, ~4-5000 yen
• The highway tolls, ~6000 yen in each direction
• 5,500 yen per person for a day on the lifts
• 5,000 yen per person for a night at the minshuku (no meals included)

So all up, a little under 38,000 yen for the two of us, or round up to somewhere over 40,000 when you factor in food (like 1,500 yen per person for each meal). Which is around 375 AUD or 259 USD at current exchange rates.

Other considerations:

• If you were to get a Shinkansen instead, it looks to be in the range of 7000 yen one-way, so if travelling alone it is more economical to take public transport
• Of course, owning a car in Tokyo is pretty expensive to begin with and so me owning my Jimny is a pretty big luxury. If you were to get a rental car, it’s generally about 10,000 yen per day.
• You can also save lodging costs by doing it as a day trip, but we have reached a point in our life where we value sleep a bit more (ha) so we prefer not having to wake up before dawn do the driving in both directions and snowboarding all in one day.