Kagura Ski Resort
かぐらスキー場36°54′ N 138°47′ E1,225 m vertical30 runs5.7 km
Kagura suits powder hunters and spring riders who want the highest terrain and the longest season around Yuzawa, and its trade-off is a chain of ropeway, chairs and gondola from the Mitsumata car park before you reach the high bowl.
Photo フジサキケンジ · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 and others, credited in the gallery
- Beginner2.2 km
- Intermediate1.4 km
- Advanced2 km
OpenStreetMap maps 4 named runs and 5 lifts at Kagura, 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 Kaguraコース
| Avg | Faces | Map | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ファミリーコース | 1,088 m | 186 m | 15.6° | 9.7° | NE | ||
| ゴンドラライン | 708 m | 94 m | 16.8° | 7.3° | SW | ||
| 大会バーン | 1,158 m | 175 m | 16.8° | 11.5° | N | ||
| 下山コースNotes | 1,973 m | 255 m | 15.3° | 7° | E |
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
Kagura Main Trailかぐらメインゲレンデ
Prince calls this the most popular course at Kagura. It opens early and stays rideable into spring, and a bypass lets beginners down too.
Good for signature groomer, spring riding
Expert Trail in the Forest林間エキスパートコース
The highest course on the map winds through conifers and stays ungroomed, for experts only.
Good for ungroomed trees, powder
Technical Trailテクニカルコース
A steep run that the groomers skip. It holds deep snow in January and February and fills with mogul skiers in spring.
Good for moguls, deep snow
Giant Trailジャイアントコース
The snowcats stay off this changing slope, so it rides in its natural state and turns to ungroomed snow when it storms.
Good for natural terrain, powder after snowfall
Gondola Trailゴンドラコース
A long beginner route from the Kagura Gondola top back toward Mitsumata.
Good for long easy descent
Challenge Trailチャレンジバーン
The steep advanced slope of the Tashiro area.
Good for steep pitch
Tashiro Alyeska Trail田代アリエスカコース
A long beginner trail in the Tashiro area.
Good for easy cruising
Know the zones before you goエリア
Mitsumata areaみつまたエリア
zoneBeginner
The ropeway, a high-speed quad and two pairs serve the gentle Mitsumata slopes by the main car park.
Good for family slopes, the way in from Route 17
Kagura areaかぐらエリア
zoneAdvanced
The Kagura Gondola and four chairs serve the high bowl with the ungroomed advanced courses and the backcountry gate.
Good for powder, spring snow, trees
Tashiro area田代エリア
zoneBeginner
The Tashiro Ropeway climbs from its own car park to wide beginner and intermediate slopes, with the Dragondola running on to Naeba.
Good for cruising, link to Naeba
Kaguragamine gate神楽ヶ峰ゲート
gateExpert
An unstaffed gate at the top of the Kagura No.5 Romance lift. Riders file a climbing plan in the box, carry avalanche gear and keep out of the closed Kirinoto and Karigamine directions.
Good for guided touring
Beyond the ropes · Through gates
Kagura's backcountry gate toward Kaguragamine stands at the top of the Kagura No.5 Romance lift. Nobody staffs it, and every rider who goes through must first drop a climbing plan into the box there. Some directions are closed outright, and the rider pays for any rescue.
- Use only the Kaguragamine gate at the top of the Kagura No.5 Romance lift. Leaving anywhere else can cost you your lift ticket.
- Fill in a climbing plan and post it in the box at the gate. When the gate is open, plans are accepted only there; forms are also kept at the Mitsumata and Tashiro station offices, the Mitsumata patrol, the gondola top and the free rest house.
- Carry a beacon, shovel and probe, food and water, a backpack, GPS (a phone app is fine) and a helmet.
- The Kirinoto and Karigamine directions are closed to entry.
- Never cross the Kaguragamine ridge.
- Do not ride along stream beds, where snow holes trap riders.
- Rescues are charged to the rider. The resort carries no search duty for anyone outside the managed area.
5 lifts on the map
Know the liftsリフト
Season 2026/27
Buy the right ticket
- Adult day
- ¥8,500, about CAD 76 or USD 54 (October 2026 rates)
- 2 days
- ¥15,500, about CAD 139 or USD 98 (October 2026 rates)
Prince's 2026/27 table runs 28 November 2026 to 16 May 2027. A morning ticket (08:00–13:00) costs ¥6,700 and an afternoon ticket (from 11:45) ¥6,200. Seibu Prince Global Rewards members pay ¥8,000 for a day, and seniors and junior-high and high-school students pay ¥4,000. Children up to elementary-school age ride free with a ticket from the counter. The Mt. Naeba day ticket at ¥11,800, valid 18 December 2026 to 5 April 2027, adds Naeba and the Dragondola.
Get thereアクセス
From Tokyo Station
- Drive
- Kan-etsu Expressway to Yuzawa IC, then Route 17 south to Mitsumata or Tashiro.
- Bus
- Express bus from Echigo-Yuzawa via Kagura Mitsumata and Tashiro to Naeba in season. Local buses stop on Route 17 and do not enter the car parks.
- Train
- Joetsu Shinkansen to Echigo-Yuzawa, then the in-season express bus from the east exit to Kagura Mitsumata and Tashiro.
The nearest station is Echigo-Yuzawa. Joetsu Shinkansen; express bus from the east exit.
Mitsumata holds 1,200 cars and Tashiro 800, and both are free except on specified days. Prince's lift count of 17 takes in the Dragondola and the Kagura Gondola alongside the Mitsumata and Tashiro ropeways, which this page counts as gondolas.
Kagura spreads across three linked areas on the flank of Kaguragamine. Mitsumata sits by Route 17 and starts with a 121-person ropeway. Kagura is the high bowl at the centre, and Tashiro climbs from its own ropeway on the Naeba side. Prince counts 30 courses and 17 lifts across the whole resort, with 1,225 metres of vertical. The Dragondola links Tashiro with Naeba in the main winter.
The Kagura area is where to spend your day. The high bowl holds snow late, and Prince runs the Kagura and Mitsumata areas from late November to the middle of May. Expert Trail in the Forest drops from close to 1,800 metres through conifers and is left ungroomed. Technical and Giant stay off the groomer schedule, so they hold powder in January and turn to moguls in spring. The No.5 lift opens from 1 January.
The Kaguragamine gate gives Kagura a published way into the backcountry. Go with a guide or with the full kit Prince lists, and read the closures before you leave. The Wada Goya hut in the Kagura area takes overnight guests on winter weekends, holidays and in Golden Week from 19 December 2026 to 4 May 2027.
Worth knowing
- Mitsumata's car park holds 1,200 cars beside the ropeway. Tashiro's suits days when you want the Dragondola to Naeba.
- The Descending Trail back to Mitsumata is narrow and graded for experts. Take the ropeway down if you are unsure.
- Buy the Mt. Naeba ticket only on days the Dragondola runs, from 26 December 2026 to 22 March 2027.
- Early-season and final-period day tickets have come with a ¥1,000 voucher for food at the resort.
Quick answers about Kagura Ski Resortよくある質問
How big is Kagura?
Kagura has 30 runs and 17 lifts over 1,225 m of vertical, from 620 m at the base to 1,845 m at the top. OpenStreetMap maps 5.7 km of piste there.
How steep is Kagura?
The steepest mapped pitch at Kagura is about 18.3° over 60 m. We measure it from OpenStreetMap's run lines and the elevation model. Its advanced and expert runs add up to 2 km of the mapped total.
Can you ride off-piste at Kagura?
Kagura's backcountry gate toward Kaguragamine stands at the top of the Kagura No.5 Romance lift. Nobody staffs it, and every rider who goes through must first drop a climbing plan into the box there. Some directions are closed outright, and the rider pays for any rescue.
How much is a lift ticket at Kagura?
An adult day ticket at Kagura costs ¥8,500, about CAD 76 or USD 54 (October 2026 rates) in the 2026/27 main season.
How do you get to Kagura from Tokyo Station?
Kagura is kan-etsu Expressway to Yuzawa IC, then Route 17 south to Mitsumata or Tashiro by car from Tokyo Station. By bus: Express bus from Echigo-Yuzawa via Kagura Mitsumata and Tashiro to Naeba in season. Local buses stop on Route 17 and do not enter the car parks.
When is the season at Kagura?
Kagura usually opens 28 November 2026 (Kagura and Mitsumata areas) and closes 16 May 2027 (Kagura and Mitsumata areas).
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In the journal and guides
Read more about Kagura Ski Resort特集
Practical guide · 10 min read
How do backcountry gates and rescue costs work at Japan's ski resorts?
Japanese resorts let riders out only through designated gates once a climbing plan is filed, and every resort here that publishes a rescue rule bills the rider. Zao bans riding off its courses altogether.
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How much does a ski trip to Japan cost?
One adult sharing a room spends about ¥90,000 on a budget week in Yuzawa and from about ¥178,000 for a mid-range week in Hakuba, before flights and rental. A ryokan-hotel week in Myoko runs to about ¥286,000.
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When is the best time to ski in Japan?
Mid-January to the end of February brings the most snow on Honshu and in Tohoku. Book around New Year and the 2027 holiday weekends, or wait for March and April, when the days run long and spring prices kick in.