Hotaka Olympia Ski Area Closed

Hotaka Olympia was a ski area on the middle slopes of Mount Hotaka in Katashina, Gunma, opened in 1964 and named after that year's Tokyo Olympics. It had seven lifts and around nine courses between about 1,050 m and 1,359 m, including slopes of up to 35 degrees and a 2 km run, and billed itself as the powder ski area closest to central Tokyo. Its terrain connected with neighbouring Oguna Hotaka near the top, though the two never shared a ticket. After years of losses and falling visitor numbers it stopped operating in 2001, and its parent company went bankrupt in 2002. The lifts are gone, and solar panels now cover the old base area.