Shirakaba Kogen Kokusai Ski is a ski area in Nagano, Japan, on slopes between roughly 1,555 and 1,842 m. Its mapped area is about 1.6 km across, with 13 marked runs and 4 lifts (about 11 km of piste in all).
Over the last twelve winters the ERA5 weather model gives it 140 cm of snowfall a season, 333rd of the 397 ski areas we measure in Japan. Its winters are fairly steady; even the leanest, 2015/16 (95 cm), reached 68% of the average. March is usually the snowiest month, with about 50 cm. Snowfall days average −4.5 °C at mid-mountain, and its snow-quality score ranks 241st of 397 in Japan.
Below is a link to its official live camera.
Snow depth and the seven-day outlook appear here once snow starts to fall. Until then, the long-run record comes first.
Elevation range is estimated by sampling points across the ski area.
How much snow it gets
Measured by us across 3,069 ski areas by one identical method. These are not the resort’s own published figures.
The tick marks the median across every Japanese ski area we measure. All four bars run the same way — longer is better.
The quality score deliberately excludes how much snow falls — it uses temperature, frequency, rain and wind. Snowing a lot and snowing well are different things.
Compared with what is nearby
Within 50 km straight line. Measured the same way, so the ranks compare directly. Ski areas a few kilometres apart share a weather grid cell and can return the same figure.
| Ski area | Distance | Seasonal snowfall | World rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shirakaba 2 in 1 | 4.0 km | 133 cm | 1909 |
| Shirakabako Royal Hill | 5.0 km | 133 cm | 1909 |
| Pilatus Tateshina Snow Resort | 6.6 km | 143 cm | 1761 |
| Tateshina Tokyu Ski Area | 6.7 km | 136 cm | 1860 |
| Kurumayama Kogen SKYPARK | 7.1 km | 133 cm | 1909 |
When it falls, and how winters differ
Month by month
Month by month, the most snow falls in March. March brings as much as January, or more. In amount, March brings 50 cm, about the same as the median of 46 cm.
Winter by winter
Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 140 cm, and 7 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2015/16 with 95 cm; the biggest was 2023/24 with 186 cm (2.0 times as much). For 63% of the 397 ski areas in Japan, the leanest winter was the same 2015/16: bad winters tend to hit a whole region at once.
Snowfall each winter (December–March total). The dashed line is the average; the numbers mark the leanest and the biggest winter.
Runs and lifts
Counted from the runs and lifts drawn on OpenStreetMap, within the boundary of the ski area. These are not the resort’s own published figures.
Run map
The shape of the mountain
Which way the slopes face
Only 25% of the vertical on the runs descends to the north or east. More of the terrain faces the sun.
By difficulty
Lift types
- Chairlift2
- Gondola1
- Magic carpet1
See past trail maps on Skimap.org ↗
Source: OpenSkiMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL 1.0). How finely ski areas are drawn varies by region, so treat the counts as indicative. Vertical is the difference between the highest and lowest points of the mapped runs and lifts.
Live Cameras
This ski area does not put a camera on its own slopes. The nearest live view is the road below.
Road conditions decide whether you can get there at all. Check before you leave.
Footage remains the copyright of each operator. JAPANSNOWLINE neither stores nor redistributes it.
Shirakaba and Kurumayama webcams & snow report — all 10 ski areas →
Hot springs nearby, as analysed
1 hot spring sources with published analyses lie within 5 km of this ski area, nearest first (the hottest is 61.6 °C).
| Source | Distance | Temperature | pH | Type | Analysed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 白樺湖ビーナス温泉 | 4.5 km | 61.6℃ hot | 6.6 neutral | chloride, sulphate | 1992 |
These are analyses of hot spring sources, not a list of baths you can visit. They date from 1910 to 2005, many from decades ago, so today’s temperature and chemistry may differ. Names are as recorded in Japanese. Temperature and pH bands follow Japan’s standard for analysing hot springs.
Source: processed from the hot spring analysis data in the Geothermal Information Database (GRES-DB), Geological Survey of Japan, AIST
Worth seeing nearby
Places within 20 km of this ski area, for a day off the slopes or an evening. Chosen from those most read about on Wikipedia, favouring places with an English Wikipedia article, and listed nearest first.
| Place | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Megami女神湖 | Nature | 1.4 km |
| Mount Tateshina蓼科山 | Mountain | 3 km |
| Mount Kitayoko北横岳 | Mountain | 5.8 km |
| Mount Kirigamine霧ヶ峰 | Mountain | 10.5 km |
| Southern Yatsugatake Volcanic Group八ヶ岳 | Nature | 19.2 km |
| Lake Suwa諏訪湖 | Nature | 19.5 km |
Based on the Japanese Wikipedia lists of sights in each prefecture, as compiled in travel-log-data (CC BY-SA 4.0). English names from Wikidata (CC0). The content of this section is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Map
Where it sits relative to nearby resorts. For a piste map, see the official site.
Places to stay nearby
31 properties on Rakuten Travel lie within 3 km of this ski area, listed cheapest first.
| Property | From | Rating | Distance | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ｐｉｃｎｉｃｂａｓｅ＆Ｈｏｓｔｅｌ | ¥3,250 | 4.67 8 reviews | 1.0 km | 茅野駅よりお車にて約45分 |
| 蓼科メドウズ・スポーツドミトリー | ¥3,500 | 4.78 58 reviews | 0.9 km | 中央道諏訪インターまたは上信越道佐久インター 白樺湖方面へお車で50分 |
| 立科白樺高原ユースホステル | ¥4,620 | 4.17 19 reviews | 1.0 km | 中央道諏訪ICより４０分／中央線 茅野駅よりバスにて６０分（乗換あり）／長野新幹線 佐久平駅よりバス６０分 |
| わんわんパラダイス 蓼科（旧：蓼科わんわんパラダイス コテージ） | ¥5,320 | 3.91 497 reviews | 1.4 km | 中央自動車道諏訪ICより白樺湖経由の女神湖方面45分。チェックインのお手続きは蓼科レイクリゾートにて承ります。 |
| Ｂ＆Ｂｓｏｒａ | ¥6,000 | 3.86 31 reviews | 0.8 km | 茅野駅よりお車にて約４５分 |
| 民宿すずらん荘 | ¥6,050 | 4.67 52 reviews | 1.0 km | ＪＲ茅野駅・佐久平駅より約６０分／中央自動車道諏訪ＩＣより３２ｋｍ／上信越道佐久ＩＣより３４ｋｍ |
| ペンション すもーくちーふ | ¥6,300 | 4.83 64 reviews | 1.8 km | 茅野駅からバスで50分、諏訪・佐久Ｉ．Ｃから４０分。 |
| カントリーイン・ザ・コロニアルハウス | ¥6,500 | 5.00 22 reviews | 3.9 km | 中央道 諏訪ＩＣよりビーナスライン経由、上信越道 佐久ＩＣより白樺湖方面 各４０分。 |
| ペンション ラクゥーン | ¥6,800 | 4.33 27 reviews | 1.8 km | ＪＲ・茅野駅／長野新幹線・佐久平駅／中央道・諏訪ＩＣよりそれぞれ４０分／上信越道・佐久ＩＣより５０分 |
| 白樺高原ホテル | ¥6,930 | 4.01 799 reviews | 0.7 km | 中央自動車道「諏訪IC」から６０分 中央線「茅野駅」からバスで６０分（予約制の無料送迎バスで４５分） |
| 蓼科レイクリゾート（旧：ＡＭＢＩＥＮＴ蓼科ホテル） | ¥7,010 | 4.08 2457 reviews | 1.4 km | 中央道：諏訪南ICまたは諏訪IC 上信越道：佐久ICまたは東部湯の丸IC各ICより約50分 電車＞茅野または佐久平駅より |
| Ｏｎｅ’ｓ ｈｏｍｅ ぼぶてーる | ¥7,150 | 4.40 46 reviews | 1.0 km | 中央道諏訪IC・上信越道佐久南ICより45分 ＪＲ茅野駅下車バス45分 |
Show the other 19
| Property | From | Rating | Distance | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ペンション ミルフィーユ＜長野県北佐久郡＞ | ¥8,000 | 4.50 38 reviews | 0.9 km | 中央道諏訪ＩＣ 白樺湖方面／上信越道佐久ＩＣ 白樺湖方面／ＪＲ中央線茅野駅 |
| Ｂ＆Ｂペンション じゅあん | ¥8,250 | 5.00 22 reviews | 0.9 km | ＪＲ中央線茅野駅よりバスにて６５分／中央道諏訪ＩＣより約４０分／上信越道佐久ＩＣより約４０分 |
| ペンション おやまのえんどう | ¥8,900 | 4.57 345 reviews | 1.8 km | 中央道諏訪ICより車で約40分、JR中央本線 茅野駅よりバスで約45分、北陸新幹線・小海線 佐久平駅よりバスで約60分 |
| ラ・フォンテーヌ・アルジャンテ | ¥9,500 | 4.80 231 reviews | 1.6 km | ＪＲ 茅野駅より白樺湖行きバスで「東白樺湖」下車 （東白樺湖バス停より送迎あり・要連絡） |
| ｅｓｏｌａ（エソラ） | ¥11,800 | 5.00 189 reviews | 0.9 km | 【中央道】諏訪ICから約40分【上信越道】佐久ICから約50分【高速バス】新宿～蓼科牧場バス停より徒歩 |
| Ａｎｎｉｅ Ｈｉｌｌｓ アニーヒルズ | ¥12,000 | 5.00 229 reviews | 1.0 km | お車で 中央道諏訪IC、諏訪南ICより約40分。上信越道佐久IC、小諸ICより約45分。 |
| Ｔａｂｉｓｔ ホテル コロシアム・イン・蓼科 | ¥14,400 | 4.61 93 reviews | 0.9 km | 【上信越自動車道】佐久ICより約50分【中部横断自動車道】佐久南ICより約45分【中央自動車道】諏訪南ICより約45分 |
| 四季の森ホテル | ¥15,400 | 4.00 168 reviews | 0.8 km | 中央自動車道諏訪インター 南諏訪インター下車40分・関越自動車道藤岡ＪＣＴより上信越自動車道に入り佐久インター下車40分 |
| ブルーベルコテージ | ¥16,170 | 5.00 72 reviews | 0.8 km | 高速／諏訪・諏訪南・佐久・佐久南各IC４５～５０分 JR／佐久平・茅野車４５分 バス／たてしなスマイル交通女神湖停歩２分 |
| アルペン シャトー | ¥16,300 | 5.00 39 reviews | 0.6 km | 佐久平駅よりお車にて約４５分、東白樺湖バス停より車で約10分 |
| オテル・ド・ミロワール | ¥19,500 | 4.94 215 reviews | 0.8 km | 上信越自動車・佐久IC、又は中央自動車道・諏訪ICより約40分。JR中央本線・茅野駅よりバス利用 |
| ロッヂ・グランシャルモ | — | — | 0.7 km | 上信越道佐久南ICから50分 中央道諏訪南ICから50分 |
| 蓼科荘 | — | 4.50 112 reviews | 0.8 km | ＪＲ中央線・茅野駅よりお車で約30・40分／中央道・諏訪ＩＣ～大門街道経由４０分／上信越道・佐久ＩＣ～白樺湖方面５０分 |
| 白樺高原 ペンション る・ぐらん | — | 5.00 31 reviews | 0.8 km | ＪＲ中央本線 茅野駅／ＪＲ長野新幹線 佐久平駅／上信越道 佐久ＩＣ（約４０分）／中央道 諏訪ＩＣ（約４０分） |
| Ｗｉｎｄｓ ウインズ | — | 5.00 21 reviews | 0.8 km | 中央道諏訪ＩＣ、上信越道佐久ＩＣより４０分。 |
| ペンション 舞留優夢（ぶるうむ） | — | — | 0.9 km | 車なら中央道諏訪ＩＣor上信越道佐久ＩＣから約40ｋｍ。電車は中央本線茅野駅or長野新幹線佐久平下車でバス。 |
| 女神湖ゲストハウス「森の木びと」 | — | — | 1.0 km | 北陸新幹線 佐久平駅よりお車にて約４０分 |
| ペンション ティータイム＜長野県＞ | — | — | 1.0 km | 茅野駅、佐久平駅から女神湖までバスで70分、バス停から徒歩3分。佐久・諏訪Ｉ．Ｃから車５０分。白樺湖から車9分 |
| ペンション ワイルドフラワー | — | 5.00 9 reviews | 1.0 km | 中央道諏訪IC45分／上信越道佐久IC45分／新宿発高速バス利用、「蓼科牧場」より徒歩3分 |
Contains advertising · Property data by Rakuten Travel (Supported by Rakuten Developers)
Stay nearby
4 places within 12 km of the slopes. Most of them do not take online bookings — open the map for contact details.
Nearest: 0.9 km
Nearest first
- Colosseum Inn Hotel 0.9 km
- ペンション ラクーン Hotel 1.8 km
- かすがの森 Hotel 9.2 km
- もちづき荘 Hotel 9.3 km
Accommodation data: OpenStreetMap
More places to look
Guides covering Nagano
- A Historic El Niño Is Forecast. Here Is What the Last Big One Did to Japan's Snow. NOAA gives a very strong El Niño better than a 90% chance this winter. We measured every Japanese ski area across the last 12 winters: El Niño winters ran 88% of normal, and the strongest of the twelve left Japan at 63%. But Hakuba held 92% of its average that winter while Niseko fell to 57%.
- Which Famous Ski Resorts Actually Get the Most Snow? 24 Names, Measured Niseko is 526th in the world for snowfall. Zermatt is 554th, Jackson Hole 924th, Aspen 1,201st. Measured identically across 3,069 ski areas, the names everyone books and the places it actually snows turn out to be two different lists.
- How Japan's Early-Bird Lift Tickets Work: At Hakuba Happo-One, Eight of the Nine Need a Japanese ID Card Hakuba Happo-One opened early-bird sales at 10:00 on 1 October. A day costs ¥6,400 against ¥9,800 at the window, 35% off. But every ticket on the list except one needs a My Number Card and a Japanese phone app. A visitor from abroad can buy exactly one of them, at 15% off.
Updated: 8 Oct 2026, 00:52