Not open yet for 2026/27. We have not yet found an official opening date. The snowfall below is a model figure and does not mean the slopes are skiable.
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 →
This season so far (1 Nov to 9 Nov): 2 cm. The average for these dates is under 10 cm, so we do not give a percentage yet. The average is over twelve winters on the same weather model. Across Japan →
Updated: 10 Nov 2026, 12:15
| Date | Weather | Snow (cm) | Low / high (°C) | Wind (km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 10 Nov | Snow | 0 | −6 to −2 | 13 |
| Wed 11 Nov | Cloudy | 0 | −7 to 0 | 14 |
| Thu 12 Nov | Clear | 0 | −4 to 6 | 7 |
| Fri 13 Nov | Cloudy | 0 | 0 to 8 | 8 |
| Sat 14 Nov | Cloudy | 0 | 2 to 9 | 6 |
| Sun 15 Nov | Cloudy | 0 | 3 to 10 | 10 |
| Mon 16 Nov | Drizzle | 0 | −3 to 4 | 11 |
The five add up to the 100-point Powder Score: more fresh snow, more on the way and colder air all push it up. How we measure
In midwinter, rime-coated trees known as snow monsters form near the summit. The lift and skiing scenes of the film Take Me Out to the Snowland (Watashi wo Ski ni Tsurete Itte) were shot here. On the Shibutoge side, the border between Gunma and Nagano prefectures runs through the Shibutoge Hotel. Sources: yokoteyama2307.com, shigakogen-ski.or.jp (sources read 12 Oct 2026; reviewed by the editor)
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.
Only 28% of the vertical on the runs descends to the north or east. The most common direction is west (63%).
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.
Footage remains the copyright of each operator. JAPANSNOWLINE neither stores nor redistributes it.
Kusatsu and Manza webcams & snow report — all 5 ski areas →
More than we show here.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shiga Kogen Kumanoyu Ski Area | 1.4 km | 333 cmsame grid cell | 333 |
| Shiga Kogen Shibutoge Ski Area | 1.6 km | 333 cmsame grid cell | 333 |
| Manza Onsen | 4.1 km | 255 cm | 692 |
| YAMABOKU Wild Snow Park | 4.3 km | 255 cm | 692 |
| Shiga Kogen | 4.7 km | 255 cm | 692 |
Compare side by side with Shiga Kogen Kumanoyu Ski Area and Shiga Kogen Shibutoge Ski Area →
The most snow falls in January. March brings 66% of January’s snowfall. That is a gentler fall than the median for ski areas in Japan (52%). In amount, March brings 69 cm, more than the median of 46 cm.
Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 333 cm, and 6 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2015/16 with 214 cm; the biggest was 2016/17 with 434 cm (2.0 times as much).
Snowfall each winter (December–March total). The dashed line is the average; the numbers mark the leanest and the biggest winter.
7 hot spring sources with published analyses lie within 5 km of this ski area, nearest first (the hottest is 96.2 °C).
| Source | Distance | Temperature | pH | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 硯川 | 1.4 km | 68℃ hot | — | sulphur |
| 熊の湯 | 1.8 km | 46.2℃ hot | 6.4 neutral | — |
| 木戸池木戸池1号 | 3.1 km | 42.3℃ hot | 7.2 neutral | simple |
| 七味高山村 | 3.9 km | 96.2℃ hot | 8.3 mildly alkaline | — |
| 万座鈴湯 | 4.2 km | 95℃ hot | 2 acidic | iron, acidic |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Shibu-tōge渋峠 | Nature | 2.2 km |
| Shiga Highlands志賀高原 | Nature | 3.4 km |
| Mount Kusatsu-Shirane草津白根山 | Nature | 3.7 km |
| Manza Onsen万座温泉 | Hot spring town | 4.3 km |
| Jigokudani Monkey Park地獄谷野猿公苑 | Park | 7.8 km |
| Kusatsu Onsen草津温泉 | Hot spring town | 9.5 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.
Checked on the official site (12 Oct 2026) · Source. “Not checked” means we have not looked yet. Compare with other ski areas →
Contains advertising. Property names and Rakuten Travel’s booking pages are in Japanese.
16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 横手・山本荘 | ¥6,800 | 3.91／5 41 reviews | 0.5 km | JR 長野駅よりバスで90分 硯川バス停より車で5分/長野電鉄 湯田中駅よりバスで50分 硯川バス停より車で5分 |
| ニュー横手 | ¥8,250 | 5.00／5 17 reviews | 0.5 km | 長野電鉄「湯田中駅」から路線バスで約50分。陽坂バス停より徒歩約5分。 |
| ホテル大六 | ¥12,700 | — | 0.9 km | 湯田中駅よりバスで50分 |
| 志賀高原ロッヂ | ¥8,600 | 4.33／5 58 reviews | 1.6 km | 湯田中駅からバスで45分ほたる温泉下車徒歩5分。信州中野ICから車で約40分。 |
| 志賀高原 ホテル一望閣 | ¥6,800 | 3.68／5 283 reviews | 1.7 km | 上信越道信州中野ICより国道292号線にて45分。JR長野駅より急行バス80分又は長電特急電車50分&バス利用45分。 |
| ほたる温泉 ホテルハイツ | ¥7,425 | 3.91／5 46 reviews | 1.7 km | 上信越自動車道信州中野ICより約28Km約40分。JR長野駅より志賀高原行バスで70分 |
| Hotel & Onsen 2307 Shigakogen | ¥7,600 | 3.75／5 153 reviews | 1.7 km | 中野ICより車で45分。湯田中駅よりバスにて45分。硯川バス停下車1分徒歩。 |
| 志賀高原熊の湯・硯川温泉 にごり湯の宿硯川ホテル | ¥10,000 | 3.83／5 491 reviews | 1.7 km | 長野電鉄線 湯田中駅下車 バス40分/上信越自動車道信州中野IC 国道292号経由30分 |
| 志賀リバーサイドホテル | ¥11,000 | 3.17／5 40 reviews | 1.7 km | 湯田中駅から志賀高原行きバスで60分 |
| 志賀パレスホテル | ¥8,250 | 3.48／5 281 reviews | 1.8 km | 長野電鉄湯田中駅 / 湯田中より長電バスにて50分 |
| 熊の湯温泉 熊の湯ホテル | ¥13,600 | 4.15／5 252 reviews | 1.8 km | 私鉄長野電鉄湯田中駅下車 長電バス熊の湯硯川行 熊の湯下車0分/上信越自動車道信州中野IC下車R292号線経由約30km |
| ポイントホープやまゆう | ¥13,000 | — | 2.5 km | 長野電鉄湯田中駅 バス約50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)
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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