Joetsu Kokusai Ski Resort
上越国際スキー場37°02′ N 138°48′ E713 m vertical4 runs23.1 kmNight riding
Joetsu Kokusai suits families who want a big hotel on the slopes and night riding every evening, and its trade-off for park riders is that the halfpipe and snow park are gone from 2026/27.
Photo Najirane-n · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 and others, credited in the gallery
- Beginner7.8 km
- Intermediate14 km
- Advanced1.3 km
Figures the resort does not publish are measured from the map data.
OpenStreetMap maps 4 named runs and 19 lifts at Joetsu Kokusai, and the guide measures each one against the elevation model.
Open the 3D map ↓Fly the mountain in 3D立体地図
Ride every run at Joetsu Kokusaiコース
| Avg | Faces | Map | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 林間コース | 2,162 m | 318 m | 15.5° | 5.7° | E | ||
| Hotel-Front Ski Slopeホテル前ゲレンデNight | 125 m | 19 m | 12.4° | 8.8° | NW | ||
| Osawa Course大沢ゲレンデ | 921 m | 187 m | 19.6° | 11.2° | S | ||
| 長峰ゲレンデNight | 752 m | 92 m | 16.8° | 9.8° | SE |
Lengths, vertical, pitch and aspect are measured from OpenStreetMap run lines and the elevation model. Steepest is the hardest 60 m pitch. Read them as a guide and follow the signs on the hill.
More named runs from the trail map
Obetto Champion Course大別当チャンピオンコース
The resort's hardest course, half of it ungroomed. It opens on weekends only.
Good for steepest at Joetsu Kokusai, natural bumps
Panorama Family Rinkan Courseパノラマファミリー林間コース
A long forest route that lets beginners ride from the summit area to the Annex day centre.
Good for long beginner run, views
Osawa Giant Course大沢ジャイアントコース
An SAJ-sanctioned giant slalom course, open on weekends only.
Good for giant slalom
Mina Gelande No.1 Course美奈ゲレンデ 第1コース
A rolling course from the Panorama zone toward the hotel for intermediate and advanced riders.
Good for rolling terrain
Nagamine Gelande No.1 Course長峰ゲレンデ 第1コース
The wide main slope in front of the hotel, with a view at night.
Good for main slope, night riding
Know the zones before you goエリア
Mothers zoneマザーズゾーン
zoneBeginner
The resort's beginner and family zone around Hotel Green Plaza Joetsu, with a kids' snow area and sledding.
Good for first turns, kids
Touma当間
zoneIntermediate
The farthest slopes, on the Tokamachi side, open only over New Year, on weekends and on holidays from 29 December 2026 to 7 March 2027 (planned).
Good for quiet weekends
19 lifts on the map
Know the liftsリフト
Season 2026/27
Buy the right ticket
- Adult day
- ¥5,800, about CAD 52 or USD 37 (October 2026 rates)
- Night
- ¥1,500, about CAD 13 or USD 9.50 (October 2026 rates)
The resort renamed lift tickets entry tickets in 2024. For 2026/27 the day-plus ticket costs ¥5,800 for adults and ¥3,800 for juniors aged 3 to elementary school. Early-bird prices are ¥3,600 to 31 October and ¥3,900 from 1 November to 5 December, with an eight-day set at ¥28,000 or ¥30,400. Day tickets also cover Iwappara, one day at a time.
Get thereアクセス
From Tokyo Station
- Drive
- Kan-etsu Expressway to Shiozawa-Ishiuchi IC, then about 6 km (7 minutes).
- Bus
- Hotel bus between Joetsukokusai-Skijomae station and Hotel Green Plaza Joetsu
- Train
- Joetsu Shinkansen to Echigo-Yuzawa, then the JR Joetsu Line to Joetsukokusai-Skijomae at the foot of the slopes. Hotel guests can book a shuttle from Echigo-Yuzawa.
The nearest station is Joetsukokusai-Skijomae. JR Joetsu Line; the station sits at the foot of the slopes and a hotel bus meets the trains.
Parking cost ¥1,000 per car in 2025/26.
Joetsu Kokusai spreads over the Minami-Uonuma side of the valley, and Hotel Green Plaza Joetsu stands at its centre. The hotel turns 45 in December 2026 and opens a new Mothers wing. The resort maps its slopes in zones, from the Mothers zone for families out to the Touma slopes on the Tokamachi side. The resort calls itself Jokoku for short. It has its own station on the JR Joetsu Line, and the station sits right at the bottom of the slopes.
Beginners can follow the Panorama Family Rinkan course through the forest from the top of the Panorama zone to the Annex day centre. The resort puts that route at six kilometres. Obetto Champion is the steepest run. The resort leaves half of it ungroomed, so natural bumps form and powder riders line up first thing after a snowfall. It opens on weekends only. The Osawa Giant course carries an SAJ-sanctioned giant slalom line.
Night riding runs every evening of the main season until 21:00. The Touma slopes open only over New Year, on weekends and on holidays. The halfpipe and snow park have closed from 2026/27, so park riders should look elsewhere.
Worth knowing
- Joetsu Kokusai and Iwappara accept each other's day tickets, one resort per day.
- The Touma lifts and car park run only over New Year, weekends and holidays.
- Buy the eight-day early-bird set before 5 December if you ride often.
Quick answers about Joetsu Kokusai Ski Resortよくある質問
How big is Joetsu Kokusai?
Joetsu Kokusai has 4 runs and 19 lifts over 713 m of vertical, from 216 m at the base to 929 m at the top. OpenStreetMap maps 23.1 km of piste there.
How steep is Joetsu Kokusai?
The steepest mapped pitch at Joetsu Kokusai is about 29.9° over 60 m. We measure it from OpenStreetMap's run lines and the elevation model. Its advanced and expert runs add up to 1.3 km of the mapped total.
How much is a lift ticket at Joetsu Kokusai?
An adult day ticket at Joetsu Kokusai costs ¥5,800, about CAD 52 or USD 37 (October 2026 rates) in the 2026/27 main season.
Does Joetsu Kokusai have night riding?
Yes. Joetsu Kokusai runs night lifts 17:00–21:00. Night riding runs every day from 19 December 2026 to 22 March 2027 (planned).
How do you get to Joetsu Kokusai from Tokyo Station?
Joetsu Kokusai is kan-etsu Expressway to Shiozawa-Ishiuchi IC, then about 6 km (7 minutes) by car from Tokyo Station. By bus: Hotel bus between Joetsukokusai-Skijomae station and Hotel Green Plaza Joetsu.
When is the season at Joetsu Kokusai?
Joetsu Kokusai usually opens 12 December 2026 (planned) and closes 4 April 2027 (planned).
Within 25 km
Places to stay nearby宿
Within 30 km
Hot springs nearby温泉
Within 35 km
Towns and neighbourhoods nearby町
Within 80 km
