> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.nipponstays.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # When Do Honshu Ski Resorts Open? 2026-27 Dates, Yeti to Hakuba - URL: https://www.nipponstays.com/when-do-honshu-ski-resorts-open/ - Published: 2026-10-16T01:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-16T01:00:01.000Z - Description: When do Honshu ski resorts open for 2026-27? Yeti and Karuizawa Prince open first on machine-made snow; Goryu, Kagura, Happo-one and Naeba follow. - Author: Hideaki Yasukawa - Tags: Japan, Area Guide, #2026-10-honshu-ski-opening-01 When do Honshu ski resorts open for 2026-27? A handful make their own snow and open in October or November, but only on one or two runs — the rest of the mountain, and most of the other resorts, follow in December. Yeti, on the slopes of Mt. Fuji, is first, with a confirmed October 23 opening, and Karuizawa Prince follows on October 31 (two courses of about 400m each). Hakuba Goryu opens its base area on a fixed date, November 21, after years of opening only once enough snow fell. If you want more than a run or two, aim for after December 19, when every resort below with a published 2026-27 date should be open. This guide covers Honshu only; for Hokkaido, see our [Hokkaido opening-dates guide](https://www.nipponstays.com/when-do-hokkaido-ski-resorts-open/). ## Opening day and a fully open mountain are two different dates A resort's published opening date answers one question only: can you ride a lift there at all. Karuizawa Prince's October 31 opening covers two courses of about 400m each (B1 Kurinoki and D1 Prince Gelande), plus the Snowman Park in the Ski Center area; all 14 courses are only targeted for early January 2027 — more than two months later. Hakuba Goryu is doing something similar for the first time. The resort's base (Toomi) area opens on a fixed date, November 21, using two newly installed snowmaking units that shave machine-made ice into snow, so they work even when the air is above freezing — the first machines of this type in Hakuba village, per the operator. The upper mountain still opens once snow allows; in past seasons Goryu opened from the summit area first, as soon as enough snow had fallen. Hakuba Happo-one's December 1 date carries its own hedge: the resort states it is planned "subject to weather conditions," so even a resort with a specific date on the calendar can move it. None of this is a reason to skip the early season. It is a reason to check what, specifically, is open before booking lift tickets or lodging around a single date. ## 2026-27 opening dates, resort by resort | Resort | Prefecture | 2026-27 opening | What opens first | 2025-26 opening | Season ends | | ------------------------------ | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------- | ------------------------- | ----------------------------- | | Karuizawa Prince | Nagano | Oct 31, 2026 (announced) | 2 courses (\~400m each) + Snowman Park | Nov 1, 2025 | Mar 31, 2027 | | Fujiyama Snow Resort Yeti | Shizuoka | Oct 23, 2026 (announced October 8) | — | Oct 24, 2025 | Mar 28, 2027 | | Hakuba Goryu | Nagano | Nov 21, 2026 (announced) | Base (Toomi) area | — | — | | Kagura – Mitsumata/Kagura area | Niigata | Nov 28, 2026 (announced) | — | — | May 16, 2027 | | Kagura – Tashiro area | Niigata | Dec 19, 2026 (announced) | — | — | May 5, 2027 | | Happo-one | Nagano | Dec 1, 2026 (planned, weather-dependent) | Usagidaira / Panorama Course (2025-26 pattern) | Dec 5, 2025 (pre-open) | May 5, 2027 (planned) | | Naeba | Niigata | Dec 18, 2026 (announced) | — | — | Apr 4, 2027 | | Zao Onsen | Yamagata | Dec 12, 2026 (planned) | — | — | through May 5, 2027 (planned) | | Gala Yuzawa | Niigata | Not announced (South Area closed for the season) | — | Dec 20, 2025 | May 6, 2026 (2025-26 season) | | Appi Kogen | Iwate | Not announced yet | — | Dec 5, 2025 | May 2, 2026 (2025-26 season) | | Hunter Mountain Shiobara | Tochigi | Not announced yet | — | Nov 29, 2025 (grand open) | — | ## October: Yeti and Karuizawa Prince make their own snow Two Honshu resorts build their own slope before the season's first real snowfall, for different reasons. Fujiyama Snow Resort Yeti, on the Shizuoka side of Mt. Fuji, opened October 24 last season and says that made it Japan's earliest outdoor ski resort for the 27th year running — a claim the operator makes about itself. For 2026-27, the operator announced on October 8 that it opens on Friday, October 23, and runs to March 28, 2027, weather and snow permitting ([operator's release](https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000002082.000001110.html?ref=nipponstays.com); [Yeti's own site](https://www.yeti-resort.com/?ref=nipponstays.com) shows the same date). The release does not say how much of the slope opens on day one. Karuizawa Prince, in Nagano, runs eight snowmaking machines around the clock from October 7 to be ready for a confirmed October 31 opening: two courses of about 400m each (B1 Kurinoki and D1 Prince Gelande), plus the Snowman Park in the Ski Center area, per the [operator's own release](https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000004021.000024668.html?ref=nipponstays.com). The operator calls it the earliest opening in Nagano Prefecture. It is also the easiest early-season trip from Tokyo: the resort is about a 10-minute walk (or a free shuttle bus) from the South Exit of Karuizawa Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, and an unreserved seat from Tokyo costs ¥5,600 one way — a ¥2,750 base fare plus a ¥2,850 unreserved limited-express ticket (fares checked October 2026). All 14 courses are only targeted for early January 2027, and the season runs through March 31, 2027. ## Late November: Goryu's fixed date and Kagura Hakuba Goryu used to open once enough snow had fallen, starting from the summit area, with no date set in advance — the operator describes "open when it snows" as the norm across Hakuba. For 2026-27, Goryu has broken from that pattern: per the [operator's press release](https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000044.000079579.html?ref=nipponstays.com), it will open November 21, 2026, starting with the base (Toomi) area, using two ice-based snowmaking units that the operator says are the first of their kind in Hakuba village. The upper mountain still depends on natural snowfall and opens separately once conditions allow. In Niigata, [Kagura's own season page](https://www.princehotels.co.jp/ski/kagura/winter/?ref=nipponstays.com) lists the Mitsumata and Kagura areas opening November 28, 2026, running through May 16, 2027\. The resort's third area, Tashiro, follows about three weeks later, on December 19, 2026, closing May 5, 2027 — a reminder that a single resort can carry two different opening dates depending on which lifts you need. Hunter Mountain Shiobara, in Tochigi, has not announced a 2026-27 date; last season it pre-opened November 22, 2025 and held its grand opening November 29, 2025, using 57 snowmaking machines across what the operator describes as Japan's longest snowmaking distance, 3km. ## December: when the big Hakuba, Niigata and Tohoku resorts start Hakuba Happo-one is planned to open December 1, 2026, running to May 5, 2027 — both dates explicitly "subject to weather conditions," per the [resort's own release](https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000022.000150565.html?ref=nipponstays.com). Last season it pre-opened December 5, 2025, from the Usagidaira area's Panorama Course at 1,400m. Zao Onsen, in Yamagata, is [planned for December 12, 2026](https://zaomountainresort.com/chrage/?ref=nipponstays.com), with the season running through May 5, 2027; Niigata's [Naeba is confirmed for December 18, 2026](https://www.princehotels.co.jp/ski/naeba/winter/?ref=nipponstays.com), closing April 4, 2027. Several other major names have not yet announced a 2026-27 opening date. Gala Yuzawa will run only its Central and North areas this season — the South Area is closed for 2026-27 — but the resort had not published an opening date as of this check; last season its slopes opened December 20, 2025, closing May 6, 2026\. Appi Kogen, in Iwate, had not announced a 2026-27 date as of this check; last season it opened December 5, 2025, combining natural snowfall with artificial snowmaking. ## What is still not announced in early October Several well-known Honshu resorts have not published a 2026-27 opening date at all as of this check: Nozawa Onsen, Shiga Kogen, Myoko Akakura Onsen, Lotte Arai Resort and Tsugaike Kogen. We could not find a 2026-27 opening date on their official sites as of October 1, 2026, so none of them are given a date here, past or planned — a resort that opened in late November one year can open two weeks later or earlier the next, depending on snowfall. Gala Yuzawa, Appi Kogen and Hunter Mountain Shiobara also belong in this "not yet announced" group, despite having confirmed 2025-26 dates in the table above. This page will be updated once each resort posts its own date; if you are booking around one of these, check the resort's own site directly rather than an aggregator. ## By the numbers: how many Honshu resorts have a date so far Of the six Honshu resorts in the table above with an announced or planned 2026-27 opening date, three open before December 1 (checked October 2026). That is a minority of the resorts covered in this guide — most of Honshu's bigger-name resorts, including Nozawa Onsen, Myoko Akakura Onsen, Lotte Arai Resort, Gala Yuzawa and Appi Kogen, had not posted a 2026-27 opening date at the time of this check. ## Where to stay once your dates are set This page only answers when the lifts turn, not where to base yourself for the season. Hakuba spans several linked ski areas, so our guides go deeper there: [where to stay in Hakuba](https://www.nipponstays.com/where-to-stay-in-hakuba/) covers the valley's separate bases, [how to get to Hakuba from Tokyo](https://www.nipponstays.com/how-to-get-to-hakuba-from-tokyo/) covers the transfer, and [Hakuba with kids](https://www.nipponstays.com/hakuba-with-kids-where-to-stay/) is the place to start if you're travelling as a family. For the other areas in this guide, see [where to stay in Nozawa Onsen](https://www.nipponstays.com/where-to-stay-in-nozawa-onsen/), [where to stay in Myoko Kogen](https://www.nipponstays.com/where-to-stay-in-myoko-kogen/), whether [Lotte Arai Resort is worth it](https://www.nipponstays.com/lotte-arai-resort-worth-it/), [where to stay at Appi Kogen](https://www.nipponstays.com/appi-kogen-where-to-stay/), [where to stay for Zao's snow monsters](https://www.nipponstays.com/zao-snow-monsters-where-to-stay/), and [Gala Yuzawa as a day trip or an overnight stay](https://www.nipponstays.com/gala-yuzawa-with-kids-day-trip-or-stay/). In Karuizawa, [Karuizawa Prince Hotel East](https://www.trip.com/hotels/karuizawa-hotel-detail-5337822/karuizawa-prince-hotel-east/?Allianceid=9711325&SID=327049682&trip%5Fsub1=when-do-honshu-ski-resorts-open&trip%5Fsub3=D19740541&ref=nipponstays.com) is a 10-min walk (or about 2 minutes by taxi) from Karuizawa Station's South Exit, with a free shuttle running roughly every 30 minutes between 8am and 9pm; Prince Hotels lists it among five of its own hotels it describes as within walking distance of the ski resort's lifts. Once your dates are set, check [lift-ticket prices across Japan for 2026-27](https://www.nipponstays.com/japan-ski-lift-ticket-prices-2026-27/), and if you're still deciding which month to go, see our [December versus February winter trip comparison](https://www.nipponstays.com/japan-december-vs-february-winter-trip/). ## Honshu ski season at a glance | When you travel | Where you can ski | How much is open | What to check before booking | | --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Late October | Yeti (October 23) and Karuizawa Prince (October 31), both confirmed | One or two runs, machine-made snow only | Both depend on cold nights for snowmaking — check the resort's own site the week before | | Mid-to-late November | Hakuba Goryu's base area; Kagura's Mitsumata/Kagura area | A handful of runs; summit and Tashiro not yet open | Whether the upper mountain has opened — that depends on snowfall, not the calendar | | Early-to-mid December | Happo-one, Zao Onsen, Naeba, Kagura's Tashiro area | More lifts online, but still building toward a full mountain | Happo-one's date is explicitly weather-dependent | | Late December onward | Every resort in this guide that has confirmed a date, plus whichever of Nozawa Onsen, Shiga Kogen, Myoko Akakura Onsen, Lotte Arai Resort and Tsugaike Kogen have announced by then | Most of the terrain at most resorts, snow permitting | Resorts still "not announced" here should have published a date by this point — check their own sites | ## Trip Essentials for Japan Things worth booking before you land, all in English: - **eSIM** — [Airalo's Japan eSIM](https://airalo.tpm.lv/2TWpibQS?ref=nipponstays.com): install it at home and data works as soon as you switch off airplane mode at Haneda, Narita, Kansai, or wherever you land. - **Tickets and day trips** — [Klook](https://klook.tpm.lv/8wzTeLyt?ref=nipponstays.com) covers the Japan Rail Pass, teamLab tickets, and shinkansen-linked day trips; booking ahead skips the ticket-window line. ## FAQ: Honshu ski season dates ### Which Honshu ski resort opens earliest? Fujiyama Snow Resort Yeti, near Mt. Fuji in Shizuoka, opened October 24 last season and says that made it Japan's earliest outdoor ski resort for the 27th consecutive year — a claim from the operator, not an independent ranking. For 2026-27 it opens on October 23, 2026, per the operator's October 8 release. Karuizawa Prince follows on October 31, 2026. ### Can you ski in Japan in November? Yes, but on a short list of Honshu resorts and a short list of runs. Karuizawa Prince (from October 31), Hakuba Goryu's base area (from November 21) and Kagura's Mitsumata/Kagura area (from November 28) are confirmed for 2026-27 November skiing. None of them opens the whole mountain on day one: Karuizawa starts with two courses and Goryu with its base area only. ### When is the whole mountain open at Honshu's ski resorts? Most resorts do not publish a full-mountain date at all. Karuizawa Prince targets all 14 courses by early January 2027; Hakuba Goryu's summit opens only once snow allows, with no fixed date; several of the biggest names here, including Nozawa Onsen and Myoko Akakura Onsen, had not even confirmed a 2026-27 opening date as of this check. ### When does the Honshu ski season end? Dates vary widely, and some resorts have not announced a 2026-27 close yet. Karuizawa Prince runs to March 31, 2027; Kagura's Mitsumata/Kagura area to May 16, 2027; Naeba to April 4, 2027; and Happo-one and Zao Onsen are both planned through May 5, 2027\. Treat all of these as planned rather than fixed — Happo-one says its dates may change with the weather, and Zao Onsen gives May 5 as the latest possible closing day.