Japan Specific Snow Brands

The Snowiest Ski Resorts in Japan

NZ 2024 - A Pie Eating, Snowboarding South Island Road Trip

Solo Snow Trip Hokkaido Part 2 - Moiwa

Where to Buy Ski & Snowboard Gear in Sapporo

Solo Snow Trip Hokkaido Part 1 - Hakodate

Where to Buy Ski & Snowboard Gear in Tokyo

The Best Japanese Ski Resorts for Absolute Beginners

Hokkaido's Famous Soup Curry

Snow Trip Japan Tips

Ski Japan: Hokkaido Road Trip Part 2

Japanese Craft Beers from the Snow Country

Best Japanese Ski Resorts for Kids Who Rip

MOSS : A Legacy of Japanese Snow Surfing

Vector Glide Family in Hokkaido

Ski Japan: Hokkaido Road Trip Part 1

Hokkaido's Best Ramen

Rusutsu Supernatural Terrain Park with the Salomon Crew

The best ski schools & backcountry guides in Yuzawa.

Yuzawa Ski Schools & Guides | Snow Explorers - SKI + SNOWBOARD + TRAVEL

Yuzawa Ski Schools & Guides

Yuzawa Ski Schools & Guides  | Snow Explorers - SKI + SNOWBOARD + TRAVEL

Gala Yuzawa Ski Resort

Iwappara Ski Resort

Canyons Yuzawa

Sherpa Adventure Center Naeba

TriForce

Muikamachi Hakkaisan Ski

Yuzawa International Snow School

Yuzawa Kogen Ski Resort

Mitsumata Snowboard School

Kagura Snow Resort

Kandatsu Snow Resort

NASPA Ski Garden

Maiko Snow Resort

Muika Snow Resort

Kagura Powder Station

Naeba Ski Resort

Ishiuchi Maruyama Ski Resort

Naeba Prince Hotel

Naspa New Otani

Maiko Kogen Hotel

Yuzawa

Muica Snow Resort

Situated in Southern Niigata on the border with Nagano, Yuzawa is known for insane levels of snow that will excite even the most seasoned powder sliders. This is the YukiGuni - Snow Country of the award winning Japanese novel of the same name. An onsen town nestled deep within a white landscape of the Echigo mountains. Yuzawa is easily accessible, only 75 minutes by Shinkansen from Tokyo. Despite its proximity to the mega city, Yuzawa has not succumbed to international pressures, maintaining much of her local culture.&nbsp;

<h3>Skiing in Yuzawa</h3>
Yuzawa has 12 ski resorts, so there is definitely a run here waiting for you to carve it up.&nbsp; Three of the main resorts Gala Yuzawa, Yuzawa Kogen and Ishiuchi Maruyama are inter-connected and the Yuzawa Snow Link ticket lets you ski all of them for a grand total of 48 trails. Gala Yuzawa is conveniently a shinkansen station, making it the preferred resort for first timers and day trippers. Ishiuchi Maruyama is a large resort with great heritage having been in operation since 1949. It has great facilities and definitely worth visiting since it&rsquo;s a short shuttle ride from town. Yuzawa Kogen is smaller and more suited to beginners and families. Naeba is one of the largest ski areas in Japan. Operated by the Prince hotels group with a ski in ski out hotel at the base. It&rsquo;s connected to neighbouring Kagura by the Dragondola - the longest gondola in the world. Kagura is a favourite destination of more advanced skiers looking to challenge its steeper, ungroomed trails and sweet sidecountry runs. The Kagura Powder Station is a base for backcountry skiers and where you can book tours and guides. Further North in Minamiuonuma is Hakkaisan Ski Resort with a reputation for steep and long runs and ample powder snow. There are also smaller resorts like Nakazato, Muica, Naspa and Kandatsu which can be good for escaping the crowds.

<h3>Staying in Yuzawa</h3>
The town is centered around Echigo Yuzawa station where you will find the highest concentration of hotels and ryokans. Staying here is super convenient as the station is the hub for shuttle buses going to the various Yuzawa resorts. Yuzawa also has a number of ski in ski out hotels where you can stay right by the slopes. Naspa New Otani in town has it&rsquo;s own small ski area. Further out, Prince Hotel Naeba is a large self contained hotel at the base of Naeba ski resort. If you are touring the Japanese ski fields, Naeba has an attached campervan park where you can stay with full access to hotel facilities. There are also small hotels and lodges in the Marunuma area.

Yuzawa is a famous onsen town and you can purchase a ticket which gives you discounts to 5 of the public hot springs in town.

Onsen Tour

Cocolo gangi dori shopping street in the Echigo Yuzawa station has market stalls selling local Yuzawa souvenirs, sake and food.

Cocolo Gangi Dori

This sake tasting room in Cocolo is the place to go if are a sake first timer or connoisseur. Sample 100+ varieties from the self serve vending machines. English tasting notes are available.


Echigo Sake Museum Ponshukan

Submerge into a hot bath filled with sake, which is meant to be good for your skin.


Sake-buro Yunosawa

The Yuzawa Snow Festival takes place every year at Yuzawa Kogen resort and features ice sculptures, food stalls & fireworks. 

Yuzawa Yuki Matsuri

You can go on a cat ski tour at the old Mikuni resort run by the Sherpa Adventure Center in Naeba.

Mikuni Cat Ski

<h3>Things to do in Yuzawa</h3>
The Echigo Yuzawa station has various shops and food stalls geared towards tourists. Since Niigata is home to most of of Japan&rsquo;s craft sake breweries, make sure to sample the local sake, buy a few bottles and even try out the sake onsen.

Using Tsurumochi noodles made with local Koshihikari rice flour, Ishin’s bowls of tsukemen are popular with locals and tourists. The main store is in town with another convenient stand in the train station.


Echigo Ishin Yuzawa

Soba definitely tastes better in the snow country and Nakanoya serves Niigata style “hegi” soba using seaweed as a binding agen


Nakanoya Soba Yuzawa

Yukinto food stall offers Daibaku “Big Bomb” - a large onigiri made with the famous local Koshihikari rice.

Daibaku “Big Bomb” Onigiri

Yuta in Gala ski resort is a proper restaurant serving dishes using only Niigata ingredients.

Japanese Restaurant Yuta

Grab hotdogs, extra big frankfurters and wash it down ice cold craft cola and beers. This cafe sources ingredients form their farm in Minamiuonuma.

Irori Cafe Suzuki Farm

This establishment on the slopes of Iwappara serves one of if not the best woodfire pizzas in Japan. Try the favourite Quattro Formaggio.

La Locanda del Pittore

<h3>Where to Eat in Yuzawa</h3>
In the town, there are lots of restaurants to try from ramen, sushi trains to izakayas. The resort restaurants are delicious and pretty good value was well, having to cater for a local crowd.

All Yuzawa resorts have rental stations, but if you rent in town you have the advantage of using the same gear at different resorts.
There are a couple of skiing and snowboarding shops and rental stations in Yuzawa town within walking distance of the station.&nbsp;Xraeb is a large shop for ski and snowboard gear. They also do rentals and tuning. If you need some tuning / waxing done quickly, Majestic is a little snowboard shop where you can get a drink while you wait.
Boo Sports, Daishin Sports and Chenda Rentals&nbsp; have a service where they will pick you up from the station or your hotel to get your rentals. When you are finished skiing they will pick you up from the resort back to the shop. You can also utilise their change rooms and lockers.
In Kagura there are 2 backcountry focused shops. The Kagura powder station is where you can book tours, hire guides and rent equipment for trips into the backcountry. Moment Kagura is a specialist ski shop and tour operator. You can also pick up backcountry supplies and fuel from here.

Yuzawa Ski Schools & Guides

Ski Schools

Ski Guides

Ski Tours

ski resorts