Niseko Hirafu, Tsugaike, GALA and Shiga Kogen plan to run until May 5, 2027. Gassan opens in April and runs into July. Closing dates, prices and tips.
Most Japanese ski resorts close between late March and early April, but the big, high ones keep going into May. For 2026-27, Niseko Grand Hirafu and Annupuri, Tsugaike, GALA Yuzawa and Shiga Kogen all plan to run until May 5, 2027, the last day of Golden Week. After that, Gassan in Yamagata, which only opens in April, runs into early July, and the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route gives backcountry skiers snow into June.
| Resort | Planned last day | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Niseko Grand Hirafu and Annupuri | May 5, 2027 | Hanazono closes April 11, Niseko Village April 4 |
| Tsugaike | May 5, 2027 | |
| GALA Yuzawa | May 5, 2027 | South area closed all season |
| Shiga Kogen | May 5, 2027 | Spring ticket from April 1 |
| Nozawa Onsen | Not announced | Closed May 6 in 2026 |
| Kagura | Not announced | Kagura and Mitsumata areas ran to May 17 in 2026 |
| Gassan | Not announced | 2026 season: April 10 to early July |
Sources: Niseko United, Uchi Japan, Shiga Kogen, Kagura, Weathernews, LIVE JAPAN. Closing dates are always snow permitting, and resorts often shrink to a few upper lifts in the last weeks. Smaller and lower resorts, especially on Honshu, usually finish in March.
Gassan is the main lift-served option. Its road is buried under snow all winter, so the ski area opens in April, usually on a Friday in early to mid April, and runs into early July on the Ubagatake, Ushikubi and Shimizu slopes. The lifts are a pair lift and T-bars, so it is a small ski area.
Tateyama has no lifts on the ski slopes. When the Alpine Route opens (April 15 in 2026), buses and cable cars carry visitors to Murodo at about 2,450 m, and experienced backcountry skiers hike and ski from there into June. The route's Snow Corridor walk ran from April 15 to June 25 in 2026 (Alpine Route). This is avalanche terrain; go with a guide unless you have the training and equipment.
In Nagano, Nozawa Onsen's spring skiing moves up to the Yamabiko area at 1,366 to 1,650 m, and Kagura in Niigata ran until May 17 last season.
Yes, lift tickets drop from late March:
| Resort | Spring adult day | Peak adult day |
|---|---|---|
| Niseko United all-mountain | ¥8,800 (from March 23) | ¥13,500 |
| Shiga Kogen all areas | ¥7,500 (April 1 to May 5) | ¥9,500 |
| Hakuba Happo-one | ¥6,400 (spring period) | ¥9,800 |
Sources: Niseko United, Shiga Kogen, Tabiris. Lodging in ski towns also tends to get cheaper after the March holidays, except over Golden Week (April 29 and May 3 to 5, 2027), when Japanese families fill the resorts still open (Cabinet Office). Full price lists are in our 2026-27 lift ticket guide.
Firm or icy first thing, soft corn snow by mid-morning, and slushy by early afternoon on sunny slopes. Ski early, follow the sun around the mountain (east faces first, west faces later) and stop when it gets heavy. Fresh snow still falls in April at high resorts, but it rarely stays light for long.
Terrain closes in stages, so check how many lifts and runs are running as well as the resort's open or closed status. Lower runs and base areas can turn to mud and grass. Many resorts also cut off-piste gates in spring.
For how spring compares with mid-winter, see our best month to ski in Japan guide, which also compares February and March.
Yes. Niseko Grand Hirafu, Annupuri, Tsugaike, GALA Yuzawa and Shiga Kogen plan to run until May 5, 2027, Kagura ran until May 17 last season, and Gassan is open from April to early July.
Gassan in Yamagata runs into early July. There is no lift-served skiing in Japan in August apart from indoor slopes.