🇯🇵 Japan · Niigata

Yuzawa Nakazato Ski Resort

湯沢中里スキーリゾート
Off season Official site Lift tickets (official) Last season (2025/26) adult day ticket ¥6,400 regular price · this season's price not yet published (as of 15 Sept)

Yuzawa Nakazato Ski Resort is a ski area in Niigata, Japan, on slopes between roughly 450 and 801 m. Its mapped area is about 1.7 km across, with 11 marked runs and 10 lifts (about 6.4 km of piste in all).

Over the last twelve winters the ERA5 weather model gives it 712 cm of snowfall a season, 5th of the 397 ski areas we measure in Japan. It swings a lot from year to year: the biggest winter, 2021/22 (921 cm), brought more than twice as much as the leanest, 2015/16 (328 cm). January is usually the snowiest month, with about 249 cm. Weather models read low in the mountains: a Japan Meteorological Agency station 5.2 km away measured 810 cm a winter over the last three seasons, against 755 cm from the model. Snowfall days average −1.3 °C at mid-mountain, close to freezing, so the snow is often heavy, and its snow-quality score ranks 206th of 397 in Japan.

The nearest city of any size is Maebashi, about 61 km away. Below are links to 2 official live cameras.

Snow depth and the seven-day outlook appear here once snow starts to fall. Until then, the long-run record comes first.

Temperature
14.8℃
Max wind
7.2km/h
Elevation (est.)
450–801m
Across
1.7km

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.

Seasonal snowfall
712 cm
per season
Worst of 12 winters
328 cm
A typical winter: 712 cm. The best: 921 cm.
World rank
6
of 3,069 worldwide
Rank in country
5
of 397 in Japan
Elevation rank
259
Highest to lowest, of 397 in Japan. The centre point sits at 519 m, 247 m below the national median.
Quality rank
206
of 397 in Japan
Temp when snowing
-1.3°C
Japanese median: -3.5°C
Rain days
27%
Japanese median: 16%
Days over 5 cm
44%
Japanese median: 15%
Wind when snowing
17 km/h
Dryness 0.23
Frequency 1.00
Freedom from rain 0.35
Calm when snowing 0.98

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 areaDistanceSeasonal snowfallWorld rank
Nakazato Snow Wood Ski Area0.9 km712 cm6
Yuzawa Park Ski Resort1.5 km712 cm6
Iwappara3.7 km712 cm6
Kandatsu Kogen Ski Resort4.1 km618 cm36
NASPA Ski Garden4.6 km618 cm36

When it falls, and how winters differ

Month by month

Month by month, the most snow falls in January. March brings 41% of January’s snowfall. That is a steeper fall than the median for ski areas in Japan (52%): the snow here is concentrated early in the season. For skiing, though, the amount matters more than the share: March brings 102 cm, more than the median of 46 cm.

194cm
Dec
249cm
Jan
168cm
Feb
102cm
Mar
Average snowfall by month, last 12 winters

Winter by winter

Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 712 cm, and 6 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2015/16 with 328 cm; the biggest was 2021/22 with 921 cm (2.8 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.

328
921
14/1515/1616/1717/1818/1919/2020/2121/2222/2323/2424/2525/26

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.

Marked runs
11
Run length
6.4km
Lifts
10
Vertical
233m
Top 698 m · base 464 m

Run map

EasyIntermediate Lift
North is up. Runs are coloured by difficulty; black lines are lifts.
Run map

Drag to move around, and use + and − to zoom. On a phone, swipe to move and pinch to zoom in further.

The shape of the mountain

Longest run on the map1.3 km
Steepest pitch22°measured over at least 30 m
Average gradient of the runs9.2°

Which way the slopes face

North 18%
East 9%
South 5%
West 68%

Only 27% of the vertical on the runs descends to the north or east. More of the terrain faces the sun.

By difficulty

Easy 8
Intermediate 3

Lift types

  • Chairlift7
  • Magic carpet3

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.

See the snow in motion

Videos remain the copyright of whoever filmed them. JAPANSNOWLINE stores no video and plays everything through the standard YouTube player.

What was actually measured nearby

Total snowfall from December to March recorded at the 湯沢 weather station — 5.2 km from this ski area, 285 m below its mid-slope.

Three-season average810 cm
2023/24619 cm
2024/251080 cm
2025/26732 cm

The figure calculated on this page is 755 cm.

A weather station is not a ski slope. We picked one at a similar elevation, but it stands in a valley or a village. More snow falls on the mountain above it. We have not tried to guess how much more.

Source: Japan Meteorological Agency historical records

Hot springs nearby, as analysed

5 hot spring sources with published analyses lie within 5 km of this ski area, nearest first (the hottest is 61.5 °C).

SourceDistanceTemperaturepHTypeAnalysed
松川松川1.6 km25.8℃ lukewarm———
佐工不動産佐工不動産1.6 km35.2℃ warm8.8 alkalinealkaline simple—
岩原岩原2.1 km55.7℃ hot—simple—
神立高原ゴールデンスパ4 km43.1℃ hot8 mildly alkaline——
湯沢第3配湯所 混湯4.9 km61.5℃ hot8.3 mildly alkalinesimple—

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.

PlaceTypeDistance
Mount Tanigawa谷川岳Mountain10.6 km
Kiyotsu Gorge清津峡Nature11.1 km
Mount Makihata巻機山Mountain12.2 km
Tanigawadake Ropeway谷川岳ロープウェイNature12.7 km
Doai Station土合駅Landmark13.4 km
Yagisawa Dam矢木沢ダムNature17.9 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.

Official piste map ↗

Places to stay nearby

53 properties on Rakuten Travel lie within 3 km of this ski area, listed cheapest first.

Press it and Rakuten Travel shows what is free on those dates across the properties listed here. Picking a property below does the same for that one property.

PropertyFromRatingDistanceGetting there
ロッヂ 添路¥3,5004.23 83 reviews2.9 km越後湯沢駅から車で15分
エンゼルグランディア越後中里(越後湯沢)¥4,0704.30 4916 reviews1.0 km【車】関越自動車道越後湯沢ICより10分(5km)【新幹線】JR越後湯沢駅西口徒歩2分の案内所から無料送迎バスで約15分
ゆとりろ越後湯沢¥4,4003.96 50 reviews1.5 kmJR上越新幹線・上越線・信越本線「越後湯沢」駅より車で約10分/越後湯沢駅からの無料送迎あり※要予約
越後湯沢温泉 温泉民宿 浦子の湯 高野屋¥4,5004.43 221 reviews2.1 km上越新幹線 越後湯沢駅下車 タクシー8分、関越自動車道 湯沢IC→2km 5分
湯沢温泉(自家源泉) HOTELシャーレゆざわ銀水¥5,0004.14 339 reviews2.7 km関越道 湯沢ICから1.5km。JR越後湯沢から2.5km、送迎有り。
越後湯沢温泉 ホテル 湯沢湯沢でんき屋¥5,5004.75 389 reviews2.4 km湯沢I.Cから車で約5分 越後湯沢駅より無料送迎あり(8:30~18:00まで)到着後要電話
湯沢パークホテル¥7,3004.33 251 reviews1.6 km鉄道:上越新幹線越後湯沢駅東口よりタクシー又は送迎バスで約10分/車:関越自動車道湯沢ICより約3km・6分
湯沢 玉城屋¥9,9004.60 79 reviews0.7 km新幹線-越後湯沢駅より車8分 上越線-越後中里駅前 徒歩0分 車-湯沢ICより7分
ファミリーハウス しらゆき¥9,9004.82 134 reviews0.7 kmJR上越線越後中里駅1分。関越自動車道湯沢IC。越後湯沢駅西口「エンゼル案内所」中里スノーリゾート行の無料シャトルバス。
えびすや(えびすや旅館)¥9,9004.43 57 reviews1.8 kmJR上越新幹線 越後湯沢駅より無料送迎(約7分)/関越道 湯沢ICより約6分
ペンション さんらいず¥10,0004.55 47 reviews1.8 km上越新幹線 越後湯沢駅下車 送迎10分/湯沢ICより5km 車で約10分
旅館・食堂 ふるさと—4.75 94 reviews0.7 km湯沢IC~15分。越後中里駅ゲレンデ口徒歩3分。
Show the other 41
PropertyFromRatingDistanceGetting there
上越館 <新潟県>——0.7 km越後中里駅から徒歩10秒
ホワイト・イン・スズヤ—5.00 10 reviews0.7 kmJR上越線 越後中里駅から徒歩2分
にしのや——0.7 km上越線「越後中里駅」から徒歩5分&上越新幹線 「越後湯沢駅」から車で15分
HOTEL GOODDAY YUZAWA——0.7 km中里駅より徒歩約5分
丸喜屋旅館——0.8 km越後中里駅より徒歩5分、越後湯沢駅よりお車にて10分
上越ホテル——0.8 km越後湯沢駅から送迎バスで10分(要予約)
【越後湯沢のロフト付き客室】ヴィラ・パーサー——0.8 km越後中里駅から徒歩約8分、湯沢インターから車で約8分、越後湯沢駅から車で約10分
民宿 けいせつ——0.8 km越後湯沢駅より車で15分/中里駅より車で2分
私の家 中屋——0.9 km湯沢インターから車で5分、越後湯沢駅からは車で8分程 新感線:上越新幹線越後湯沢駅にて下車。送迎あり。
なかすみ旅館—5.00 95 reviews0.9 km湯沢ICから車で8分、越後中里駅から徒歩で7分。
こまくさ<新潟県>——0.9 km越後中里駅より徒歩にて5分
まるぜん旅館<南魚沼郡湯沢町>——0.9 km越後中里駅より徒歩2分/湯沢駅より10分
ペンション “菰”コモ——1.0 km東京より関越道で2時間半!湯沢インターより10分!越後湯沢駅より車で10分!GALA駅より無料シャトルバス有り(冬季間)
ウッディハウス ホスタ——1.0 km越後湯沢駅からお車で10分(送迎有・要予約)
ヴィラ・グリーングラス—5.00 8 reviews1.0 km中里駅からお車で3分/越後湯沢駅からお車で10分
ペンション パセリの森——1.2 km関越道 湯沢ICより10分/上越新幹線越後湯沢駅より送迎10分
越後湯沢で最初のペンション ゲストハウス・バンヌッフ——1.4 km湯沢I.Cから車で5分/上越新幹線『越後湯沢駅』から車で8分
ペンション NOAH(ノア)——1.5 km上越新幹線・上越線 越後湯沢駅/関越自動車道 湯沢ICより車で7分
ペンション たまはうす——1.6 km越後湯沢駅より車で10分 湯沢インターより車で7分(近道あります)越後湯沢駅よりタクシー利用時¥3000程度
高波ヒュッテ—4.83 13 reviews1.6 km上越新幹線 越後湯沢駅より送迎も有ります。
ファンタジェン イズミヤ——1.7 km越後湯沢駅/関越道・湯沢IC~6分
ロッヂ 雪ん子——1.8 km岩原スキー場前駅 歩いて 9分
ペンション ラフランス—4.81 131 reviews1.8 km上越新幹線 越後湯沢駅よりバスで5分/関越自動車道 湯沢ICより10分
林屋旅館<新潟県>——1.8 km越後湯沢駅下車*無料送迎有り、タクシーは約1000円
セーナ イン ふじや—4.33 27 reviews2.1 km関越道 湯沢ICより2km 5分、上越新幹線越後湯沢駅下車、タクシー10分、定期バス20分(添名下車 徒歩2分)
あらやしき館—4.63 71 reviews2.2 km上越新幹線 越後湯沢駅より車で10分/関越自動車道 湯沢ICより車で7分
車屋旅館<新潟県湯沢町>——2.3 km関越高速 湯沢ICよりお車にて5分。
ロッヂ ミホッペ ハーペ——2.4 kmJR越後湯沢駅よりお車で15分/関越自動車道・湯沢ICよりお車で10分
ロッヂ マウンテン——2.5 km越後湯沢駅から路線バスで約15分(送迎ご相談下さい)
エンゼルリゾート湯沢/民泊——2.5 km岩原スキー場前駅より徒歩にて約2分
ロッヂ 伯楽——2.7 km越後湯沢駅から15分、湯沢I.Cから10分。
岩原じょんのび温泉ホテル——2.8 km越後湯沢駅よりお車で約15分、関越自動車道湯沢ICより約10分
ヒルサイド イン ガーデンクレス——2.9 km上越新幹線越後湯沢駅から車で15分、関越道湯沢I.Cから10分。
シェラリゾート湯沢—4.27 256 reviews2.9 kmJR越後湯沢駅よりホテルバス(要予約)にて10分/関越自動車道湯沢ICより10分
ホテルアルファスター岩原—3.63 90 reviews3.0 km関越自動車道「湯沢IC」より約7分 / 越後湯沢駅からタクシー約10分 /(冬シーズン)岩原スキー場シャトルバス約15分
高原の宿ホテルアルパイン——3.0 km越後湯沢駅よりバスにて約10分 送迎については事前にご相談ください
COMEDOR AO.——3.0 kmお車:関越道湯沢ICより15分 電車:上越新幹線越後湯沢駅よりお車にて20分
ロッヂ キクノヤ——3.0 km越後湯沢駅からお車で15分
ゲストハウス Climb dining—4.43 50 reviews3.1 km越後湯沢駅よりお車にて約15分、岩原スキー場目の前
いわっぱらのゆ ロッヂ山びこ—4.25 27 reviews3.1 km関越自動車道湯沢ICより車で10分、JR越後湯沢駅より送迎バス
越後湯沢いわっぱら ペットと泊まれる宿 リゾートホテル花梨—4.00 15 reviews3.2 km車で、湯沢インターより7分、越後湯沢駅からも7分

Contains advertising · Property data by Rakuten Travel (Supported by Rakuten Developers)

Stay nearby

3 places within 12 km of the slopes. Most of them do not take online bookings — open the map for contact details.

1 Hostel 1 Hotel 1 Guest house

Nearest: 0.7 km

Nearest first

Accommodation data: OpenStreetMap

More places to look

Guides covering Niigata

Related resort · Snow & Mountain Resort News

Updated: 8 Oct 2026, 00:52

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