NEWS & TOPICS

The following is a list of the top 20 ski resorts in Japan, ranked by total visitor numbers. Determining how to count groups of ski resorts offering a shared lift pass can be difficult, so this ranking is based on whether official promotional information primarily promotes joint lift passes with other resorts or each resort’s individual pass. Rankings may change if additional information becomes available. (*As of 7/28.)
　
1st Shiga Kogen (Nagano) – 1,138,000 visitors
No.2 Hakuba Goryu & Hakuba47 (Nagano) – 530,888 visitors
No.3 Takasu & Dynaland (Gifu) – 469,000 visitors　
No.4 Joetsu Kokusai (Niigata) – 452,000 visitors
No.5 Nozawa Onsen (Nagano) – 451,000 visitors
　
No.6 Tsugaike (Nagano) – 406,000 visitors
No.7 Hakuba Happo-One (Nagano) – 357,975 visitors
No.8 Naeba (Niigata) – 352,360 visitors
No.9 Zao Onsen (Yamagata) – 308,000 visitors
No.10 GALA Yuzawa (Niigata) – 300,150 visitors
　
No.11 Iwappara – 290,000 visitors, No.12 Appi Kogen – 289,273 visitors, No.13 Madarao Kogen & Tangram – 289,000 visitors, No.14 Karuizawa Prince Hotel – 269,000 visitors, No.15 Sapporo Kokusai – 265,000 visitors, No.15 Ishiuchi Maruyama – 265,000 visitors, No.17 Kagura – 256,080 visitors, No.18 Sugadaira Kogen – 253,000 visitors, No.19Nekoma Mountain – 252,317 visitors, No.20 Grand Snow Okuibuki – 238,676 visitors
　
*The combined visitor total for all 10 HAKUBAVALLEY ski resorts was 1,925,000, equivalent to 103% of the figure for the same period last year! (If counted as a single shared-lift-pass area, it would be the runaway No. 1!)
The combined visitor total for all 10 Hakuba Valley was 1,925,000, equivalent to 103% of the figure for the same period last year! (If counted as a single shared-lift-pass area, it would be the runaway No. 1!)
*YUZAWA SNOW LINK (= Ishiuchi Maruyama + GALA Yuzawa + Yuzawa Kogen) recorded 666,450 visitors, while Mt.Naeba (= Naeba + Kagura) recorded 608,440.
*Shiga Kogen and Sugadaira Kogen include some non-adjacent areas not connected by lifts, but both were counted as single resorts based on official announcements.
*Zao Onsen’s figure is an estimate. Official data from Yamagata Prefecture is expected around October.
*Data from several major resorts—including Niseko Grand Hirafu, Rusutsu, Sapporo Teine, and Oze Iwakura—has not yet been released.
*Last season’s top 20 list can be viewed here.