バブル期憧れのスキーリゾート 苗場プリンスホテルに宿泊
By: 根岸のわくわく社会科見学 · 27 Dec
No snow yet. The 2026/27 season is planned to open on 18 Dec (the resort’s announcement; it moves with the snow). Snow depth and the seven-day outlook appear once snow is on the ground or forecast.
A weather-model figure, worked out the same way for every ski area, and lower than what actually falls. Use it to compare ski areas, not against the resort’s own totals. How we measure →

The Dragondola gondola carries skiers across to the Tashiro area of neighbouring Kagura during the winter season. The resort opened in 1961, and in 1973 it hosted Japan's first Alpine World Cup races. It hosted the World Cup again in 1975, 2016 and 2020. Sources: e-yuzawa.gr.jp, princehotels.co.jp, town.yuzawa.lg.jp (sources read 11 Oct 2026; reviewed by the editor)
Modelled from weather data the same way at all 3,069 ski areas we cover. These are not the resort’s own published figures.
The tick marks the median across every Japanese ski area we measure. All four bars run the same way — longer is better.
The quality score leaves out how much snow falls (it uses temperature, frequency, rain and wind).
Within 50 km in a straight line. Ski areas in the same weather-model cell (about 30 km across) get the same figure.
| Ski area | Distance | Seasonal snowfall | World rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kagura | 6.8 km | 565 cm | 55 |
| Kandatsu Kogen Ski Resort | 13.0 km | 618 cm | 36 |
| Norn Minakami | 14.0 km | 368 cm | 233 |
| Nakazato Snow Wood Ski Area | 14.0 km | 712 cm | 6 |
| Yuzawa Nakazato Ski Resort | 15.0 km | 712 cm | 6 |
Compare side by side with Kagura and Kandatsu Kogen Ski Resort →
Counted from the runs and lifts drawn on OpenStreetMap, within the boundary of the ski area. These are not the resort’s own published figures.
92% of the vertical on the runs descends to the north or east. Those slopes get the least sun, so the snow lasts longer.
See past trail maps on Skimap.org ↗
Source: OpenSkiMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL 1.0). How finely ski areas are drawn varies by region, so treat the counts as indicative. Vertical is the difference between the highest and lowest points of the mapped runs and lifts.
The most snow falls in January. March brings 53% of January’s snowfall. That is in line with the median for ski areas in Japan (52%). In amount, March brings 78 cm, more than the median of 46 cm.
Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 446 cm, and 5 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2015/16 with 241 cm; the biggest was 2021/22 with 540 cm (2.2 times as much).
Snowfall each winter (December–March total). The dashed line is the average; the numbers mark the leanest and the biggest winter.
Footage remains the copyright of each operator. JAPANSNOWLINE neither stores nor redistributes it.
Naeba and Kagura webcams & snow report — all 3 ski areas →
Videos remain the copyright of whoever filmed them. JAPANSNOWLINE stores no video and plays everything through the standard YouTube player.
1 hot spring sources with published analyses lie within 5 km of this ski area, nearest first (the hottest is 32 °C).
| Source | Distance | Temperature | pH | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 苗場苗場 | 0.6 km | 32℃ lukewarm | 6.5 neutral | iron |
These are analyses of hot spring sources, not a list of baths you can visit. They date from 1910 to 2005, many from decades ago, so today’s temperature and chemistry may differ. Names are as recorded in Japanese. Temperature and pH bands follow Japan’s standard for analysing hot springs.
Source: processed from the hot spring analysis data in the Geothermal Information Database (GRES-DB), Geological Survey of Japan, AIST
Within 20 km in a straight line, nearest first. Some lie over a pass that is closed in winter.
| Place | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Mikuni Pass三国峠 (群馬県・新潟県) | Mountain | 3.8 km |
| Shimagawa Dam四万川ダム | Landmark | 10.3 km |
| Shima Onsen四万温泉 | Hot spring town | 11.5 km |
| Mount Tanigawa谷川岳 | Mountain | 13.5 km |
| Tanigawadake Ropeway谷川岳ロープウェイ | Nature | 16.2 km |
| Doai Station土合駅 | Landmark | 16.5 km |
Chosen from the places most read about on Wikipedia, favouring those with an English article. Based on the Japanese Wikipedia lists of sights in each prefecture, as compiled in travel-log-data (CC BY-SA 4.0). English names from Wikidata (CC0). The content of this section is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Getting there
Source: princehotels.co.jp · checked 7 Nov 2026. Shuttle days and times change with the season; check the official site before you go.
Checked on the official site (19 Oct 2026) · Source. Compare with other ski areas →
Contains advertising. Property names and Rakuten Travel’s booking pages are in Japanese.
41 properties on Rakuten Travel lie within about 3 km of this ski area. The table shows the nearest 12 with a listed price.
| Property (links to Rakuten Travel) | Lowest listed (per person, tax incl.) | Rating | Distance | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| わらび荘 | ¥6,000 | 4.63/5 27 reviews | 0.2 km | 湯沢駅から車で25分 |
| 苗場ウッドインだいまる | ¥4,000 | — | 0.3 km | JR上越新幹線・越後湯沢駅よりバスで45分, タクシーで約40分.関越自動車道,月夜野ICより50分、湯沢ICより30分 |
| サンダンス・リゾート苗場 | ¥7,700 | 4.83/5 10 reviews | 0.3 km | 越後湯沢駅より南越後観光バス「西武ヴィラ入り口」下車、徒歩にて約15分 |
| ファミールしらかば | ¥8,800 | 5.00/5 59 reviews | 0.3 km | 越後湯沢駅から車で30分 バス・苗場・浅貝方面行き40分 |
| ロッヂ 丘 | ¥4,000 | 3.25/5 117 reviews | 0.4 km | JR上越新幹線・越後湯沢駅よりバスで45分/関越自動車道/月夜野I.Cより50分、湯沢I.Cより25分 |
| 苗場のホテルthe Kinta Naeba | ¥12,000 | 4.57/5 95 reviews | 0.4 km | 越後湯沢駅から苗場浅貝方面行きバス45分 苗場スキー場下車 到着後電話をいただければお迎えにあがります。 |
| コンドミニアムホテル 苗場WEST・貸切コテージ | ¥8,800 | 3.93/5 252 reviews | 0.5 km | 月夜野ICより車で40分、湯沢ICより車で30分 |
| 三国峠温泉 御宿本陣 雪月風花 月見庵 雪見庵 | ¥9,400 | 4.22/5 693 reviews | 0.5 km | 月夜野ICより車で40分、湯沢ICより車で30分 |
| 苗場プリンスホテル | ¥4,565 | 3.71/5 1280 reviews | 0.6 km | 関越自動車道月夜野ICから33km(約50分)/湯沢ICから21km(約35分)/越後湯沢駅より専用バス有(事前予約制) |
| 豊島ロッヂ | ¥5,000 | 3.00/5 6 reviews | 0.8 km | JR上越新幹線 ・越後湯沢駅よりバスで約45分/関越自動車道/月夜野I.Cより約40分、湯沢I.Cより約30分 |
Prices are the lowest Rakuten Travel lists; a property name, or “Pick dates and guests” above, shows prices and rooms for your dates.
Contains advertising. Property names and Rakuten Travel’s booking pages are in Japanese. · Property data by Rakuten Travel (Supported by Rakuten Developers)
7 places within 12 km of the slopes, as mapped on OpenStreetMap, many of them small inns and pensions. Many are not on booking sites — open the name for the website or the map.
Nearest: 0.3 km
Accommodation data: OpenStreetMap
Other booking sites: Booking.com ↗ · Agoda ↗ · Rakuten Travelad ↗
“ad” marks links that pay us a commission if you book. Links without it are not affiliated.
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