Honshu ski resorts beyond Hakuba: Myoko, Shiga Kogen, Madarao, Appi, Hakkoda, Kagura and Naeba

Five Honshu resorts beyond Hakuba have confirmed 2026-27 day tickets, at $55 to $63 (¥8,500 to ¥9,800); Kagura’s is one guide’s figure. That is less than a Hakuba Valley pass day at $72 (¥11,100) and more than Nozawa Onsen at $50 (¥7,800). The Ikon page lists Madarao, Appi, Lotte Arai, Suginohara and Shiga Kogen, with one hedge on Shiga Kogen. Kagura, Naeba and Hakkoda are on no pass.

Dollar figures convert at ¥155 to US$1, rounded. You pay in yen, so check the rate.

How do the seven compare?

Day tickets run $55 to $63 (¥8,500 to ¥9,800) where a 2026-27 price exists; Lotte Arai and Appi have none confirmed.

Vertical and Tokyo times are database figures, not resort ones. Ikon days are for the full pass; Base gets 5.

Myoko: Suginohara and Lotte Arai

Suginohara’s adult day is $58 (¥9,000), or $53 (¥8,200) for Seibu Prince Club members, from 19 Dec 2026 to 28 Mar 2027, 8:30 to 16:00. Myoko gets 13 to 15 m of snow a year according to one guide. Last season opened on 13 Dec at $52 (¥8,000), so older guides show an earlier start and a lower price.

• Pass: the Ikon page lists Lotte Arai and Suginohara at 7 days, Base 5. One guide says Suginohara joined in 2025-26.
• Lotte Arai: a database describes steep terrain and permitted free-ride zones. The 2026-27 price is unconfirmed; last season’s economy peak ticket was $48 (¥7,500) and first-class $81 (¥12,500).
• Akakura: in 2024-25 an Akakura Kanko adult day ticket cost $45 (¥7,000) at peak, and the 2025-26 season ran to the end of March. The 2026-27 prices are unclear right now: check the resort page before you go.
• Getting there: Lotte Arai is the Shinkansen to Joetsu-Myoko plus a free 20-minute shuttle, about 2 h 11 and $64 (¥9,860). Suginohara adds a local train and a bus, about 3 h 23 and $74 (¥11,410).

Shiga Kogen: one ticket, 18 areas

One key ticket covers 18 ski areas and 45 lifts and gondolas: $61 (¥9,500) for an adult day, or $55 (¥8,500) online per a price roundup. The season runs 5 Dec 2026 to 5 May 2027. Multi-day tickets need not be consecutive: 2 days $120 (¥18,500), 5 days $295 (¥45,500), 10 days $585 (¥90,500). Five days cost about 31% less than five Niseko peak days at $425 (¥65,500).

The terrain is high. One area, Yokoteyama-Shibutoge, runs from a 1,705 m base to a 2,307 m summit.

• Pass: Shiga Kogen is listed on Ikon per the Ikon page, with days shared across the 18 areas per a guide. Confirm individual areas before you spend a pass day.
• Getting there: Shinkansen to Nagano (85 minutes) plus an express bus to Ichinose (91 minutes), about 2 h 55 and $73 (¥11,250). Via Yudanaka it is about 3 h 7 and $65 (¥10,110) to Yokoteyama.
• Unconfirmed: night skiing, whole-system vertical and run kilometres.
• Off-snow: Jigokudani Snow Monkey Park is on the Yudanaka side, open 9:00 to 16:00 in winter, with a trail of about 2 km and 30 minutes. Online tickets have been on sale since 6 Aug 2026, and the on-site adult fee rises from $5 (¥800) to $6 (¥1,000) on 1 Dec 2026. Yudanaka and Shibu Onsen town are adjacent; their bath prices and tattoo rules are unconfirmed. See Snow monkeys at Jigokudani.

Madarao: new on Ikon

The Mountain Pass covers Madarao and Tangram, 8:30 to 16:30, without night skiing: $58 (¥9,000) for 1 day, $110 (¥17,000) for 2 and $155 (¥24,000) for 3. Night skiing is a separate $23 (¥3,500) from 16:30. A database describes birch and beech tree runs, with no official count.

• Pass: new on Ikon for 2026-27, 7 days, Base 5, no Session.
• Getting there: Shinkansen to Iiyama (about 105 minutes), the same stop as Nozawa Onsen, then a 25-minute Nagaden bus. Total about 2 h 10 and $59 (¥9,160).
• Off-snow: Nozawa Onsen shares the Iiyama stop and has 13 village baths that are free to use.

Appi: Ikon in Iwate

Appi, in Iwate, is on the Ikon page at 7 days, Base 5, no Session. The 2026-27 prices and season dates are unclear right now: check the resort page before you go. Last known, 2025-26: the Blue ticket was $61 (¥9,500) at the window, $58 (¥9,000) online and $29 (¥4,500) in the early and spring periods, and the season ran from early December to late March by most sources.

• Getting there: Shinkansen to Morioka, the Hanawa Line and a resort shuttle, about 3 h 25 and $105 (¥15,960). From Hanamaki Airport, a bus to Morioka plus the shuttle takes about 1 h 55 and $23 (¥3,500).

Hakkoda: a ropeway with snow monsters

Hakkoda is a ropeway with ski courses. It runs 9:00 to 15:40 from mid-November to February, a ride of about 10 minutes every 15 to 20 minutes. Adult one-way is $9 (¥1,400) and return is $14 (¥2,200), per the ropeway’s FAQ. An older fare table shows $10 (¥1,550) and $16 (¥2,500), and a third-party post shows $13 (¥2,000) return, so confirm at the ticket window. A snow season pass, 1 Dec to 5 May, is $470 (¥72,500).

A database lists 5 courses, 666 m of vertical (658 to 1,324 m), a longest run of 5 km and a steepest pitch of 30 degrees. The winter ice trees are tied to the ropeway. For a snow monster stop with a bigger ski area, see Zao.

Safety The official page says the ropeway is suspended at winds of 25 m/s and above. It closes in early November for maintenance.

• Getting there: about 60 minutes by bus from Aomori Station, per one third-party post, or about 30 minutes by car from Aomori Chuo interchange. Tokyo travel time is not sourced.
• Unconfirmed: peak timing for the snow monsters, and a rules page for guided tours, which one source mentions.
• Soak: Sukayu Onsen is the named soak, with the Hiba sen-nin-buro, a mixed bath. Its day-use fee and hours changed by a 2026 notice whose amounts are unreadable, so no price, hours or tattoo rule is given. Check the Sukayu notices page first.

Before you book The 25 m/s wind limit is a reason to book the flexible day.

Kagura and Naeba: two hours from Tokyo

Kagura and Naeba sit on the same Yuzawa belt, about 2 h 10 from Tokyo on the Naeba route, and link by the Dragondola gondola. Kagura’s adult day is $55 (¥8,500) and 2 days are $100 (¥15,500), on one guide’s figures. Its Mitsumata area runs 28 Nov 2026 to 16 May 2027, with no night skiing. Naeba’s adult day is $63 (¥9,800), or $58 (¥9,000) for club members, from 18 Dec 2026 to 4 Apr 2027. The combined Mt.Naeba ticket is $76 (¥11,800).

Naeba’s 8-hour ticket at $54 (¥8,300) and 4-hour ticket at $41 (¥6,300) cover neither the Dragondola nor Kagura. The Dragondola return is $26 (¥4,000), 26 Dec to 22 Mar. One guide lists Kagura with 17 lifts and runs split 37% beginner, 44% intermediate and 19% advanced.

• Pass: neither appears on the Ikon or Epic lists.
• Getting there: Joetsu Shinkansen to Echigo-Yuzawa (78 minutes) plus an express bus (50 minutes) reaches Naeba in about 2 h 10 for $48 (¥7,490).

Is the 2026-27 snow looking good?

The 2026-27 outlook leans warm, weaker than Hokkaido’s. The Japan Meteorological Agency’s September outlook (unconfirmed figures) gives Honshu’s Sea of Japan side a 50% chance of below-normal snowfall (the wording is ambiguous), and a snow-forecast site rates Honshu below average to average. The reports do not map each resort to an outlook zone.

What do the rules say about leaving the piste?

No gate or backcountry rules are confirmed for any of the seven, apart from one database’s description of Lotte Arai’s free-ride zones, which the resort has not confirmed. A missing rule is not permission. Read Backcountry & safety before you leave the groomed runs.

Where next?

Weigh these against Hakuba for steeper terrain and Nozawa Onsen for a village with baths. Check Passes & prices, Tokyo to ski resorts and Best ski resorts in Japan. North of here: Hokkaido ski resorts beyond Niseko. Back to Japow.

Full single-resort guides: Myoko Kogen and Shiga Kogen.