Skiing near Tokyo: five resorts, and an onsen for each

At a glance

Prices are adult 1-day tickets at the ticket window, taken from each resort's official 2026-27 price page. Children's prices are in each section below.

GALA Yuzawa

Who it's for: anyone who wants the easiest possible day trip. The Shinkansen station is part of the resort, so you walk out of the ticket gate and onto the snow. The resort says the fastest train from Tokyo Station takes 71 minutes. Check that your train runs to GALA Yuzawa Station when you book.

• Season: slopes open December 19, 2026 to May 5, 2027. From December 12 to 18 only the gondola and sightseeing lifts run, with no skiing.
• Terrain: 16 courses.
• Lift ticket (gondola and lifts): adults ¥8,000, or ¥7,500 online. Elementary school children ¥4,000, or ¥3,500 online. Up to two preschool children ski free with each adult.
• English: the resort names Canyons Snow Sports School for lessons in English, Thai and Chinese. Rentals are on site.

Prices and dates are on the resort's hours and prices page (in Japanese) and its lessons page in English.

Onsen pairing: GALA lists a hot spring among its own facilities. For a proper local soak, Echigo-Yuzawa, the onsen town below the resort, has five public baths: Iwa no Yu, Komako no Yu, Kaido no Yu, Shukuba no Yu and Yama no Yu. Adults pay ¥500 or ¥600, children ¥250. Most open 10:00 to 21:00, and each closes one day a week, so check the Yuzawa tourism hot spring page before you go. Their tattoo rules aren't stated, so ask at the door.

Fujiyama Snow Resort Yeti

Who it's for: beginners and families who want Mt Fuji in the background. Yeti is on Fuji's southern slope with four slopes, and the resort rates half its terrain as beginner. It runs until 22:00, so you can ski after a morning of sightseeing.

• Season: the opening date for 2026-27 isn't announced yet. Closing is planned for March 28, 2027.
• Lift ticket (1 day, valid until 22:00): adults ¥4,300 on weekdays and ¥5,300 on weekends and holidays. Children aged 3 to elementary school ¥3,300 and ¥4,300. December 28 to January 3 counts as weekend.
• Night ticket (from 17:00): adults ¥2,900 Monday to Thursday, ¥3,200 Friday to Sunday and holidays.
• English: the resort has English pages and links to an English school booking form. Rentals are on site.

Getting there: there's no train to the resort. Fujikyu buses run from JR Gotemba Station (¥1,570, about an hour), Mishima and Susono stations, and a direct bus runs from Shinjuku. Times and fares are on Yeti's access page. Prices are on the resort's hours and prices page (in Japanese).

Onsen pairing: Gotemba is a gateway to Hakone. The Hakone tourism association says the bus from Gotemba Station to Sengokuhara takes about 20 minutes, so a Yeti day fits well with a night in Hakone. Our Hakone onsen list shows the tattoo rule, private baths and day-visit options for 60 onsen, and our tattoo-friendly onsen guide picks out the ones that say yes.

Fujiten Snow Resort

Who it's for: a cheaper Fuji day out from the Lake Kawaguchi side. Fujiten sits on Fuji's northern slope above the lakes and has night skiing on winter weekends.

• Season: mid-December 2026 to early April 2027. Lifts run 9:00 to 16:30.
• Lift ticket (1 day, at the counter): adults ¥5,800 on weekdays and ¥6,800 on weekends and holidays. Juniors aged 4 to elementary school ¥4,000 and ¥5,500. The resort sells tickets online too.
• Night skiing: weekends and holidays from December 26 to March 7, 16:00 to 21:00. A night ticket is ¥3,000, or ¥1,000 extra on top of a 1-day ticket.

Getting there: take the Chuo Line to Otsuki and the Fujikyu Line to Kawaguchiko Station. From there the resort says a taxi takes about 20 minutes and costs ¥4,000 to ¥5,000, and a paid shuttle runs in season. Prices are on Fujiten's hours and prices page (in Japanese), and transport questions are answered in its FAQ.

In summer Fujiten turns into a mountain bike park. See our Fujiten listing.

Onsen pairing: Fuji Yurari in Narusawa is 11 minutes from Fujiten by car and runs a free bus from Kawaguchiko Station. It's open 10:00 to 21:00 on weekdays and until 22:00 on weekends. It does not allow tattoos. If that rules it out, look at the Mt Fuji area places on our Stay page.

Naeba

Who it's for: a weekend, not a day. Naeba is bigger than the other resorts here, and the Dragondola links it to Kagura, so you can fill two days.

• Season: December 18, 2026 to April 4, 2027.
• Terrain: 24 courses and 12 lifts, including two gondolas and the Dragondola.
• Lift ticket (1 day): Naeba only, adults ¥9,800. The Mt. Naeba ticket, which adds Kagura, is ¥11,800, and elementary school children get it free with a special ticket from the ticket window.
• Dragondola: planned to run December 26, 2026 to March 22, 2027. The resort still lists it as closed today, so check before you plan a Kagura day around it.

Getting there: the resort says it's about 2 hours from Tokyo: Shinkansen to Echigo-Yuzawa, then a bus. Prices are on the resort's lift ticket page (in Japanese), and the trail map and access are on its English page.

Onsen pairing: you change in Echigo-Yuzawa on the way, so stop at one of the town's five public baths listed under GALA Yuzawa above.

Karuizawa Prince Snow Resort

Who it's for: the shortest trip by time. The resort is close to Karuizawa Station, about an hour from Tokyo by Shinkansen, and its season starts earliest of the five, on October 31. It's gentle terrain: 14 trails, 8 of them rated beginner.

• Season: October 31, 2026 to March 31, 2027.
• Lift ticket (1 day, adults, at the counter): ¥8,000 until December 18 and again from March 23. ¥10,000 in the regular season. ¥12,000 on busy dates and ¥13,000 on the busiest, such as December 29 to January 3 and February 11 to 14. Online is ¥500 cheaper.
• Children: elementary school age and under ski free at the counter. Buying online costs a ¥100 fee.

The date tiers are on the resort's lift ticket page (in Japanese). Trails and access are on its English page.

Onsen pairing: Tombo-no-yu at Hoshino Onsen is open to day visitors from 10:00 to 22:00. Tattoos are fine only if you can cover them with its cover stickers, sold at the front desk. Its price changes by season, so check its page.

Which one should I pick?

• Easiest day trip: GALA Yuzawa. Train to the slopes, no bus.
• Fuji views and first-timers: Yeti. Small, gentle and cheap.
• Budget Fuji day with night skiing: Fujiten, or Yeti on a weekday.
• A weekend with more terrain: Naeba, with Kagura over the Dragondola.
• Closest by time: Karuizawa, about an hour by Shinkansen.

Want a longer trip with deeper snow? Our Nagano skiing comparison puts Hakuba, Nozawa Onsen and Shiga Kogen side by side, and our Nozawa Onsen guide covers the village with 13 free hot spring baths.

Plan your day

• Leave early: the first Shinkansen gets you on the snow by mid-morning at GALA or Karuizawa.
• Go on a weekday if you can: Yeti and Fujiten are ¥1,000 cheaper, and the slopes are quieter.
• Check opening first: every opening date depends on snow, so look at the resort's site the day before.
• Pack for the bath: a small towel, and a cover for any tattoo if the onsen asks for one.