Is the Ikon Pass or the Epic Pass better for skiing in Japan?

The Ikon Pass covers more of Japan. For 2026/27 it gives seven days at each of ten Japanese mountains, and eight of them sit on Honshu, from Iwate in the north to Gunma, Nagano and Niigata. On Honshu the Epic Pass covers Hakuba Valley alone, with five back-to-back days across its ten resorts and the shuttle between them. A week based in Hakuba points to Epic, and Ikon makes more sense for a trip that moves between Myoko, Shiga Kogen, Minakami and Tohoku. Neither pass works at Nozawa Onsen or the Yuzawa resorts by Echigo-Yuzawa station.

We compared the two from our Ikon Pass and Epic Pass pages, which we checked against ikonpass.com, epicpass.com and each mountain's own pass page on 11 October 2026. The three Hokkaido mountains on these passes belong to our sister site, so we name them and link to Ride Hokkaido for the detail.

Which pass covers which mountain?

Mountain	Prefecture	Pass	Days on the full pass	Base or local option	Worth knowing
APPI	Iwate	Ikon	7	Base: 5	APPI hadn't published 2026/27 day prices by 11 Oct 2026
Zao Onsen	Yamagata	Ikon	7	Base: 5	Peak day ticket ¥9,000 (2026/27)
NEKOMA Mountain	Fukushima	Ikon	7	Base: 5	Day ticket ¥6,500 (2026/27)
Mt.T	Gunma	Ikon	7	Base: 5	Ikon holders skip the 9 Jan–28 Feb booking cap
Shiga Kogen	Nagano	Ikon	7	Base: 5	One Ikon day opens all 18 areas
Madarao	Nagano	Ikon	7	Base: 5	New to Ikon for 2026/27
Myoko Suginohara	Niigata	Ikon	7	Base: 5	Scans the Ikon card at the gate
Arai Mountain Resort	Niigata	Ikon	7	Base: 5	Five lifts serve the whole mountain
Niseko United	Hokkaido	Ikon	7	Base: 5; Session Pass: 2–4	Covered by Ride Hokkaido
Furano	Hokkaido	Ikon	7	Base: 5	Covered by Ride Hokkaido
Hakuba Valley, ten resorts	Nagano	Epic	5 in a row	Epic Local and Epic Australia also work	Covers the daytime shuttle; night riding is extra
Rusutsu	Hokkaido	Epic	5 in a row	Epic Local and Epic Australia also work	Covered by Ride Hokkaido

The day counts are the passes' own figures for 2026/27, counted at each mountain on its own. Ikon's Session Pass works only at Niseko United, so it gives no days at any of the eight Honshu mountains.

What does the Ikon Pass give you in Japan?

Seven days at each of the ten mountains on the full Ikon Pass, and five at each on the Ikon Base Pass. The full pass has no blackout dates. Ikon's 2026/27 Base Pass blackouts in the northern hemisphere fall on 26–30 December 2026, 16–17 January 2027 and 13–14 February 2027, and Ikon's Japan listing doesn't say whether those dates apply here. Ask the mountain before you plan Base days around New Year.

At Shiga Kogen a single Ikon day opens every lift and gondola across all 18 areas, so a day that starts at Sun Valley and ends at Okushiga Kogen uses one. Shiga Kogen and Myoko Suginohara scan the Ikon card straight at the lift gates with no reservation. If your card hasn't arrived before the trip, a ticket counter at either resort will issue a local ticket when you show your pass details and photo ID in person. Madarao asks for no reservation either.

Mt.T gives Ikon holders the biggest edge. From 9 January to 28 February 2027 it caps entry at 150 riders a day on a booked ¥14,000 Ultimate 1Day Pass, and Ikon holders need no booking. Shiga Kogen doesn't sell Ikon's discounted friends-and-family tickets, so anyone riding with you there buys the ¥9,500 window day or the ¥8,500 online day.

Ikon suits a rider planning two weeks or more across several mountains, or someone who already holds the pass at home. Hakuba Valley and Nozawa Onsen sit outside the Ikon list, so an Ikon trip to Nagano runs through Shiga Kogen and Madarao.

What does the Epic Pass give you in Japan?

Five consecutive days across all ten Hakuba Valley resorts, plus five consecutive days at Rusutsu in Hokkaido. At Hakuba you show your Epic Pass and photo ID at a ticket window and leave with a free Hakuba Valley 5-day ticket on an RFID card with no deposit. Staff accept the My Epic app's mobile pass as proof at the window, and the lift gates don't read it. At Jigatake you swap the card for a local ticket at the ticket centre first.

The five days start with your first lift ride or your first ride on the Hakuba Valley Shuttle Bus, whichever comes first, and they run on consecutive days from there. A storm day or a rest day still uses one. The ticket opens every resort in the valley, so a morning at Happo-one and an afternoon at Tsugaike count as one day. Night skiing and the night shuttle sit outside it. Hakuba lists no blackout dates for the Epic benefit in 2026/27.

Hakuba accepts the 2026-27 Epic Pass, Epic Local Pass, Lifetime Pass and Epic Adaptive Pass, and the 2026 Epic Australia Pass also works this winter. The Epic Day Pass and the Military Epic Pass get no days in Japan. Epic's discounts on lessons, rentals, food and lodging apply only at resorts Vail owns, and Hakuba is a partner, so none of them work there. Once the free ticket is used, Hakuba won't sell an Epic holder discounted lift tickets.

Epic suits a skier whose Japan trip is a week in Hakuba. Its drawback is that the five days run in a row, which leaves no room to sit out a storm, and the pass gives nothing anywhere else on Honshu.

What are the passes worth against local tickets?

Ikon sells in US dollars and publishes no yen price. On 11 October 2026 ikonpass.com listed the adult 2026/27 Ikon Pass at US$1,529, or US$1,834.80 for the refundable version you can cancel for any reason until 15 January 2027, and the Ikon Base Pass at US$1,099. At the European Central Bank's rates for 9 October 2026, US$1 bought ¥158.25. That puts the Ikon Pass at about ¥242,000 and the Base Pass at about ¥173,900, both computed by us.

Comparison (2026/27, adult)	Figure	Kind
Ikon Base Pass in yen	about ¥173,900	computed from US$1,099
Shiga Kogen window day	¥9,500	published
Days of ¥9,500 tickets the Base Pass replaces	about 18	computed
Zao Onsen or Madarao day	¥9,000	published
Days of ¥9,000 tickets the Base Pass replaces	about 19	computed
Hakuba Valley 5-day ticket at the window	¥53,400	published
Epic's Hakuba benefit in local tickets	¥53,400	computed (equals the 5-day ticket)

On a single Japan trip the Ikon Base Pass pays its way at around 18 or 19 ski days, before you count any days at home. The Epic benefit in Hakuba is worth the ¥53,400 that Hakuba Valley charges for its own 5-day ticket. We haven't recorded Epic's 2026/27 US-dollar price, so check epicpass.com for it. Riders without either pass buy local tickets, and our ski trip cost guide lays out what they cost.

Can you use both passes on one trip?

Yes, and the two cover different valleys. One pairing that works is an Ikon trip through Myoko and Shiga Kogen with a few days on a Hakuba Valley ticket bought locally, at ¥11,100 an adult day this winter. Riders who hold Epic for Hakuba can add Shiga Kogen's own all-mountain ticket, whose 2- to 10-day tickets work on any days in the season. Nozawa Onsen needs its own ticket on either plan, at ¥7,800 a day for 2026/27.

Ride Hokkaido's lift pass guide covers how Ikon, Epic and Mountain Collective work at Niseko United, Furano and Rusutsu, and what their day tickets cost.

Quick answers

Does the Ikon Pass work in Hakuba?

No. Hakuba Valley's ten resorts are on the Epic Pass for 2026/27. The Ikon Pass mountains in Nagano are Shiga Kogen and Madarao.

Which Japanese resorts are on the Ikon Pass for 2026/27?

The Ikon Pass covers APPI, Zao Onsen, NEKOMA Mountain, Mt.T, Shiga Kogen, Madarao, Myoko Suginohara and Arai Mountain Resort on Honshu, plus Niseko United and Furano in Hokkaido. The full pass gives seven days at each and the Base Pass five.

How many days does the Epic Pass give in Japan?

The Epic Pass gives five consecutive days in Hakuba Valley, valid at all ten resorts, and five consecutive days at Rusutsu in Hokkaido for 2026/27. Hakuba lists no blackout dates.

Does the Ikon Pass need a reservation at Mt.T?

No. Mt.T caps entry at 150 riders a day on a booked ¥14,000 pass from 9 January to 28 February 2027, and Ikon Pass holders are exempt from the booking.

Is Nozawa Onsen on the Ikon or Epic Pass?

No. Nozawa Onsen is on neither pass for 2026/27, and its adult day ticket costs ¥7,800.