Snow report Shiga Kogen

Ski holidays in Shiga Kogen

Shiga Kogen Ski Resort is located in the village of Yamanouchi in the Nagano region on the main island of Japan (Honshu). The location of the resort is located in the Joshinetsu National Park, a beautiful area. The resort is easily accessible from Nagano City, which is located approximately 50km away. The shuttle bus service from Nagano takes about 1.5 hours. From Tokyo, an ultra-fast train to Nagano, which brings you here in 1.5 hours. The ski resort is known from the 1998 Winter Olympics, when the it hosted the Olympic giant slalom and snowboard events. The area is also known for its location near the Jigokudani Snow monkeys. This unique type of monkey lives in the snow and enjoys the hot springs (Onsen) in the area.

Slope information Shiga Kogen - Shiga Kogen

In size Shiga Kogen is by far the biggest ski resort in Japan. The ski area Shiga Kogen is actually 21 separate ski areas whicha are all interconnected. Of these, 19 allow both skiing and snowboarding. Yakebitaiyama (located near the village of Ichinose) is the absolute top resort in Shiga Kogen, with the finest facilities and most modern ski lifts. In total, the ski area boasts no less than 71 ski lifts (t-bar lifts, chairlifts and gondolas) that cover a total of 607 acres of skiing terrain (80 km runs).

Snowboarding Shiga Kogen

The area has two separate ski areas where snowboarders are not allowed, Kumanoyu and Okushigakogen. Thanks to the Olympic events in 1998, there are some good snowboarding slopes and snow parks. Yakebitaiyama for example has its own terrain park for snowboarders with a seperate ski lift.

Skischools Shiga Kogen

The ski school of Shiga Kogen (SAJ Shiga Kogen Ski School) offers both group and private lessons. Naturally, lessons are also given in English. The Shiga Kogen ski school has several branches, and if that were not enough, there are another 21 (!) Pro ski schools at the resort. Often, these ski schools have names such as 'Arlberg ski school' and 'austria ski school' making clear that they teach according to Austrian ski school methods.