Best Ski Resorts Near Tokyo for Weekend Powder Trips
Powder missions you can do in 48 hours
Tokyo makes the ultimate powder launchpad. With high-speed trains, efficient buses, and rental cars that actually start in sub-zero, you can wake up in the city and be stacking turns before most people hit their second coffee. The trick is picking mountains that deliver when the storm line drifts south.
This guide is built for quick strikes — leave after work, ride hard for two days, slide back into the city with tired legs and a grin. We’ve prioritised resorts with reliable snowfall, real vertical, and logistics that don’t eat your weekend. Plenty of these hills also have night skiing so you can pad the clock.
There’s something here for every style of rider. Want steep and wild terrain when the window opens? Go big. Want mileage and corduroy with friends who are warming to powder? Go wide. Pack smart, watch the radar, and let the bullet train do the heavy lifting.
At a glance
For fast city-to-snow missions, go GALA Yuzawa (Shinkansen to gondola), Kagura (high, cold snow) or Kandatsu (long hours). Chasing storms and preserved snow quality points you to Kagura, Mt. T when the wind allows, and high-elevation Shiga Kogen. If you want mileage and night sessions, pick Ishiuchi Maruyama, Joetsu Kokusai, or Kandatsu; for walkable village vibes choose Nozawa Onsen or Naeba. Gunma with a bit more bite is White World Oze Iwakura and Mt. T; mixed-ability crews are best served by Joetsu Kokusai, Naeba, or Shiga Kogen.
OnsenTrain-to-liftsFreeride / Trees (guided)Storm MagnetBackcountry (guided)High, snowy, and made for weekend strike missions
Kagura is the powder rider’s Yuzawa ace — high elevation, good exposure, and a lift system that gets you into quality snow quickly. The Mitsumata and Tashiro zones give you long, leg-burning cruisers between storms; on refills, you’ll find playful pitches and designated zones that hold soft turns well beyond first bell. It skis bigger than it looks thanks to clever traverses and sneaky fall-line shots. Base in Echigo-Yuzawa for easy trains, plentiful rentals, and budget eats, then bus or drive to first lifts. When the tap is on, few “near Tokyo” options keep snow this cold, this long. It’s the reliable pick when your crew wants to bet the weekend on powder.
1225mVertical drop
18Total lifts
Night skiing
OnsenFreeride / Trees (guided)Storm MagnetRemoteBackcountry (guided)Steep, deep, and worth the weather window
Rebranded as Mt. T, this mountain is the connoisseur’s choice — a fast gondola into big-mountain feel when the rope drops and the wind behaves. Expect proper pitches, rollovers that demand attention, and storm days that stack quickly. It’s not a park-and-cruise family hill; it’s an advanced rider’s playground where terrain takes the headline. The Minakami base area keeps costs in check with simple pensions and easy food options, and there are onsens everywhere to unkink the legs. Watch wind forecasts, pick your moment, and you’ll score lines that feel a world away from the city clock.
750mVertical drop
4Total lifts
0Night skiing
OnsenTrain-to-liftsTerrain parkVillage hang-outsShinkansen to gondola — the purest Tokyo powder hack
Nowhere distils the Tokyo-to-turns pipeline like GALA. Step off the Shinkansen in your boots, collect rentals in-station if you need them, and ride the gondola straight to snow. The upper bowls are perfect for confidence-building powder turns, while groomers run wide and consistent for mileage. When storms hit, you can chase wind-drift and side pockets all morning, then link across to neighbouring areas if inter-resort connections are running. It’s the ultimate “I only have one day” mountain — or a strong anchor day in a Yuzawa double-header with Kandatsu, Ishiuchi, or Kagura.
800mVertical drop
11Total lifts
0Night skiing