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Guide · Nagano · Ski season 2026-27
Nagano skiing: Hakuba, Nozawa Onsen or Shiga Kogen?
Three big ski areas, all reachable from Tokyo by Shinkansen. They differ most in what happens after the lifts close. Here's how they compare, with this season's prices from each one's own site.
The comparison
| Hakuba Valley | Nozawa Onsen | Shiga Kogen | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | 10 separate resorts along one valley, with powder and long runs | One big mountain rising straight out of a hot spring village | 18 linked ski areas on a high plateau |
| Onsen | Six hot spring sources around the valley, but it's a ski valley, not an onsen town | 13 free public baths you walk between in the village | Hotels on the mountain with their own baths, and onsen towns below |
| Adult 1-day pass, 2026-27 | ¥11,100, all 10 resorts | ¥7,800, regular season | ¥9,500, all 18 areas (¥8,500 online) |
| Multi-resort passes | Epic Pass: 5 consecutive days | The resort's own tickets | Ikon Pass: 7 days. Ikon Base: 5 days |
| Rail hub | Nagano Station, then express bus | Iiyama Station, then bus | Nagano Station, then express bus |
| From Tokyo | From about 2 hours 50 minutes | About 2 hours | About 90 min to Nagano, then about 70 min by bus |
| Our guide | None yet: official site | Nozawa Onsen ski guide | None yet: official site |
Hakuba Valley
Ten resorts in Omachi, Hakuba and Otari share one all-mountain pass, among them Happo-One, Hakuba47, Goryu, Iwatake, Tsugaike and Cortina. Hakuba Valley promotes its powder snow and runs of up to 8 km. It's the pick if you want variety and a lot of mountain.
- All-mountain 1-day pass, 2026-27: adults ¥11,100, children aged 6 to 12 ¥6,400. Online sales are planned from around November.
- Epic Pass: Epic Pass holders get 5 consecutive days at all 10 resorts with no blackout dates.
- Getting there: Hakuba Valley says Shinkansen plus express bus takes as little as 2 hours 50 minutes from Tokyo.
- Onsen: Hakuba Valley says the area has six hot spring sources. The baths are spread around the valley, so you'll take a bath near your lodging rather than wander a bath street. Ask your lodging which one is closest.
Prices are on the Hakuba Valley day pass page, Epic access on the Epic Pass Hakuba page, and routes on the access page.
Nozawa Onsen
A working hot spring village at the foot of one big ski mountain. You walk from your room to the lifts, and after skiing you walk between 13 free public baths run by village families. If the onsen matters as much as the skiing, this is the one.
- 1-day pass, 2026-27 regular season: adults ¥7,800.
- Season: planned November 28, 2026 to May 5, 2027.
- Getting there: Hokuriku Shinkansen to Iiyama, then about 25 minutes by bus.
Our Nozawa Onsen ski guide has the full lift price table, all 13 baths and how to use them, where to stay and the fire festival.
Shiga Kogen
The largest of the three: 18 ski areas on one pass, high up in a national park. It's the pick if you want to ski a different area every day.
- All-mountain 1-day pass, 2026-27: adults ¥9,500 and children ¥4,000 at the ticket window. Online it's ¥8,500 and ¥3,500, and ¥7,500 for adults in the early season (December 5 to 18) and spring season (April 1 to May 5).
- Season: December 5, 2026 to May 5, 2027.
- Ikon Pass, 2026-27: 7 days on the Ikon Pass, 5 on the Ikon Base Pass, none on the Session Pass.
- Getting there: about 90 minutes by Hokuriku Shinkansen to Nagano, then the express bus from the east exit. Last winter the bus took about 70 minutes. The 2026-27 timetable is due around November.
- Onsen: several hotels on the mountain have their own hot spring baths. Below the plateau, Yudanaka Onsen has a bath at the station (adults ¥500), and Shibu Onsen's public bath costs ¥800. The Jigokudani snow monkeys, who bathe in a hot spring of their own, are nearby. Booking is required, and adults pay ¥1,000.
Prices are on the Shiga Kogen ticket page, Ikon access on the Ikon Pass Shiga Kogen page, and baths and the snow monkeys on the tourism association's nearby spots page.
Which one should I pick?
- Onsen first, skiing second: Nozawa Onsen.
- Most terrain on one ticket: Shiga Kogen, or Hakuba if you hold an Epic Pass.
- You hold an Ikon Pass: Shiga Kogen.
- Lowest regular-season day pass: Nozawa Onsen.
- Just a day trip from Tokyo: none of these. Try our skiing near Tokyo guide.
Facts checked October 26, 2026 on the Hakuba Valley, Shiga Kogen and Shiga Kogen tourism association sites, the Epic Pass and Ikon Pass sites, and our own Nozawa Onsen guide (checked October 24, 2026 on the resort's site). Prices, timetables and opening dates change, so confirm before you travel. We don't sell tickets or rooms; links go straight to the official sites.