HAKUBA VALLEY All Ski Resorts Closed

Tsugaike Kogen as well as Hakuba Goryu ＆ Hakuba47 closed for the season on 5/5 (Wed., holiday) while Hakuba Happo-One finished things off on 5/9 (Sun.). This means that all ski resorts across the valley have ended their operations for the 2020-21 winter season.

Snow Depth Ranking (5/9, Final Update)

These are the top-8 ski resorts nationwide, ranked according to their snow depth as of 5/9 (Sun.). The snow resorts scheduled to remain operational beyond 5/10 (Mon.) are: Kaguara (until 5/23)、Lotte Arai (until 5/16)、Shiga Kogen（Kumanoyu until 5/16、Yokoteyama・Shibutoge until 6/6).

No. 1（↑） Sapporo Kokusai（Hokkaido） ◎150cm
No. 2（↑） Lotte Arai（Niigata） △130cm
No. 3（↑） Kagura（Niigata） △120cm

No. 4（↑） Okutadami Maruyama（Niigata） ◎110cm
No. 5（↑） Hakuba Happo-One（Nagano） △100cm
No. 6（↑） Shiga Kogen（Nagano） △80cm
No. 7（↑） Marunuma Kogen（Gunma） △55cm
No. 8（↑） Nozawa Onsen（Nagano） △50cm

* Amongst snow fields with one or no lifts, Nakayamatoge reports 65cm (until 5/9), Gassan is reporting 750cm (until July)、and Teteyama 705cm (until June).

Hakuba Cortina・English Garden

Hakuba Cortina’s English Garden is set to open up for the season on 5/23 (Sun.). The 5,750 sq.m. garden, designed by English garden designer Mark Chapman, features around 18,000 flowering plants comprised of roughly 900 species.

Hakuba Cortina・English Garden
[Season]　5/23 (Sun.) ～ 10/11/2021 (Mon., holiday)
[Closed On]　Tuesdays and Thursdays　※Open daily from 7/22 ～ 8/31
[Hours]　9:00 ～ 16:00
[Admission]　Adults・Children JPY500、Preschool age children FREE

Kita (Northern) Alps Mountain Huts Overnight Rate Increase

15 of the 22 Northern Alps mountains huts that opened for the season during the Golden Week Holiday period have announced that their overnight rates have been raised for the season due mostly to the effects on business from the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic.

[Northern Alps mountain huts that have announced rate increases]
Hakuba-sanso、Enzan-so、Nakabusa Onsen Lodge、Jonen-goya、Chogatake-hyutte、Yarisawa Lodge、Yokoo-sanso、Tokusawa-en、Yarigatake-sanso、Kitahotaka-koya、Hotakadake-sanso、Karasawa-goya、Karasawa-hyutte、Dakesawa-goya、Nishi-Itoya Mountain Lodge

＊For more information on each lodge’s capacity, availability and rates please contact the hut directly.
＊Additional huts not listed here may also be increasing rates for the upcoming season..

Snow Depth Ranking（5/3）

These are the top-15 ski resorts nationwide, ranked according to their snow depth as of 5/3 (Mon., holiday). Furano was forced to close for the season on 4/30 (Fri.) due to a mechanical issue with the ropeway.

No. 1（→） Niseko Grand Hirafu（Hokkaido） ◎320cm

No. 2（→） Tengendai Kogen（Yamataga） ○260cm

No. 3（↑） Sapporo Kokusai（Hokkaido） ◎210cm

No. 4（↑）Sapporo Teine（Hokkaido） △200cm

No. 5（↓） Lotte Arai（Niigata） △195cm

No. 6（↑） Kiroro（Hokkaido） △190cm

No. 7（↑） Niseko Annupuri Kokusai（Hokkaido） ◎180cm

No. 8（↓） Geto Kogen（Iwate） △178cm

No. 9（↓）Okutadami Maruyama（Niigata） ◎170cm

No. 9（↑）Kagura（Niigata） ○170cm

No. 11 Hakuba Happo-One △110cm, No. 11 Shiga Kogen △110cm, No. 13 Hakkoda △100cm, No. 14 Hakuba Goryu & Hakuba47 △95cm, No. 14 Tsugaike Kogen △95cm

* This list excludes local resorts with one, or no lifts. Gassan is open and currently reporting 850cm.

Golden Week Special ‘Weekend Marche’

The popular ‘Weekend Marche’ events that were held last year on the grounds of the Snow Peak LAND STATION HAKUBA will kick off again this year beginning with a special Golden Week edition open daily between May. 1 (Sat.).–May. 5 (Wed., holiday). The first day will be held in conjuction with the「GREEN HAKUBA2021 Opening」event. In addition to the market offering a variety of fresh produce and other products, workshops and even a mini-concert by Mr.Moi is planned.

Snow Peak LAND STATION HAKUBA Golden Week Special ‘Weekend Marche’
[Dates] May. 1 (Sat.)–May. 5, 2021 (Wed., holiday)
[Times] 10:00 a.m.–2:00.p.m（※Mini-concert 0:30p.m.–）
[Location] Snow Peak LAND STATION HAKUBA・Event Area

*The other Weekend Marche events outside of the Golden Week period are scheduled for Jun. 5（Sat.) & Jun. 6 (Sun.), Jul. 22 (Wed., holiday)–Jul. 25 (Sun.) and weekly during the weekend from Jul. 31 (Sat.)–mid-November.

'Shinshu no Yado'　Prefectural Travel Support Discount Vouchers

Beginning on 5/12 (Wed.) Nagano Prefecture will be offering a ‘Shinshu no Yado Travel Support Subsidy’ for prefectural residents in the form of advance purchase vouchers. JPY5,000 yen worth of these premium advance discount travel vouchers can be bought for JPY2,000 and used by Nagano residents towards their overnight accommodation. In addition, those taking advantage of this offer will also receive a separate sightseeing voucher worth JPY2,000 that can be used for activities, food and drinks, transportation and more.

‘Shinshu no Yado’ Prefectural Travel Support Discount Vouchers
[Purchase Period]　5/12（Wed.）～ 5/31/2021（Mon.）
[Validity Period]　6/1/2021（Tue.）check-in ～ 1/1/2022 check-out
[Available Locations]　Registered travel companies and lodges throughout the prefecture
[Price]　1 voucher JPY2,000（JPY5,000 value）（*1）
[Eligible Purchasers]　Residents of Nagano Prefecture
[Usage]　Up to 2 vouchers may be used at a single time by a single person for each night of lodging booked at a rate of JPY5,000 yen or more. （*2）

*1　Limited to 200 vouchers per business
*2　Can only be used at accommodations or with travel companies registered with the campagin.

Prefectural Road 322 'Hakuba-dake Route' Winter Traffic Restrictions Lifted

Winter traffic restrictions have been lifted for Prefectural Road 322’s ‘Hakuba-dake Route’ (Futamata ~ Sarukura) as of 10:00 a.m. on 4/27 (Tue.). With the re-opening of this route, winter restrictions have now been lifted for all roads throughout the Hakuba Valley.

*This year the ceremony/festival to mark the official opening of the mountaineering routes for the Hakuba range has been canceled in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID.

Ski Resorts Open During Golden Week

We’ve compiled a list of ski resorts across Japan where it will be possible to ski during the Golden Week holiday period.（※The date listed in parentheses is the resort’s scheduled closing date.）

[Hokkaido・Tohoku]
Furano（5/5）、Daisetsuzan Kurodake（5/5）、Sapporo Kokusai（5/9）、Sapporo Teine（5/5）、Kiroro（5/5）、Niseko Grand Hirafu（5/5）、Niseko Annupuri Kokusai（5/5）、Nakayamatoge（5/9）、Hakkoda（5/5）、Appi Kogen（5/5）、Geto Kogen（5/5）、Akita Hachimantai（early May）、Yamagata Zao Onsen（5/5）、Tengendai（5/5）、Gassan（4/10 ～ July ）

[Niigata・Gunma]
Kagura（5/23）、GALA Yuzawa（5/5）、Okutadami Maruyama（5/9）、Charmant Hiuchi（5/5）、Lotte Arai（5/16）、Tambara（5/5）、Marunuma Kogen（5/9）、Tanigawadake Tenjindaira（5/5）、Palcall Tsumagoi（5/5）

[Nagano・Gifu & Westward]
Shiga Kogen（early June）、Nozawa Onsen（5/9）、Ryuoo（5/5）、Tsugaike Kogen（5/5）、Hakuba Happo-One（5/9）、Hakuba47（5/5）、Hakuba Goryu（5/5）、Tateyama（4/15～）、Kaida Kogen Mia（5/5）

※This list will be updated as necessary.

Snownavi Golden Week Holiday Closure Information

We’d like to sincerely thank you for your continued patronage of Snownavi. Please be informed that we will be closed during the Golden Week holiday period, and will be shortening our business hours to 8 a.m. 〜 3 p.m. effective as of today and continuing until June 30th, in accordance with efforts to curb the spread of COVID.

[Golden Week Holiday Closure Period]  4/29 (Thurs.) 〜 5/6/2021 (Wed.)

We apologize for the inconvenience, and thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Snow Depth Ranking（4/26）

These are the top-15 ski resorts nationwide, ranked according to their snow depth as being reported on 4/26 (Mon.). Yesterday saw the season end for all ski resorts in Fukushima Prefecture, as well as the closing of Takasu; which had been the only remaining resort open in the Gifu Prefecture and Westward area.

No. 1（→） Niseko Hirafu（Hokkaido） ◎345cm
No. 3（↑） Tengendai Kogen（Yamagata） ○270cm
No. 3（↓） Lotte Arai（Niigata） △238cm

No. 4（→） Geto Kogen（Iwate） ◎210cm
No. 4（→） Okutadami Maruyama（Niigata） ◎210cm
No. 4（↑） Sapporo Kokusai（Hokkaido） ◎210cm
No. 7（↓） Niseko Annupuri Kokusai（Hokkaido） ◎200cm
No. 7（↓） Kiroro（Hokkaido） △200cm
No. 9（↓） Sapporo Teine（Hokkaido） △190cm（※Open on Sat., Sun. & holidays）
No. 10（↓） Kagura（Niigata） ○170cm）

No. 11 Charmant Hiuchi ◎150cm, No. 12 Shiga Kogen ○140cm, No. 13 Hakkoda ◎130cm, No. 13 Furano △130cm, No. 15 Tsugaike Kogen △126cm

＊This list excludes local resorts with one, or no lifts. Gassan is open and currently reporting 950cm.

IwatakeSummer Season Opening Celebration Event

Hakuba Iwatake Mountain Resort will re-open for business on Apr. 29 (Thurs., holiday). During the Golden Week period several events will be held including a ‘Sakura Matsuri’, the 1^st Annual ‘Crank-In 2021’ mountain bike event, Iwatake Lantern Night, early morning yoga and more.

Green Season・Opening Celebration Event Week
[Period]　Apr. 29 (Thu.)－May. 5, 2021 (Wed.)

Sakura Matsuri … Apr. 29 (Thu.) 2:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m., Maruyama Miyuki band performance・free sake tasting・food stalls, HMH・Shinden Kominkan (public hall)
1^st Annual Crank-In 2021 … Apr. 29 (Thu.) 2:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., next to the gondola base station
Iwatake WANWAN Lunch Trekking … May. 1 (Sat.)–May. 4 (Tue.) 11:00a.m.–1:00 p.m., summit area（*Advance reservations required, maximum of 10 groups per day）
Iwatake Lantern Night … May. 2 (Sun.) 5:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m., HMH (Limited to first 50 people)
Hakuba Iwatake Morning Yoga … maty. 4 (Tue.)・May. 5 (Wed.) 7:00  a.m.–8:30 a.m., HMH

* HMH = HAKUBA MOUNTAIN HARBOR