Kanayasan Ski Area
Official name 金谷山スキー場
Niigata · 57–132 m · 3 runs · 1 lift
- 2025-26 season: Jan 24 – Mar 8 (planned)
- Summit: Today clear 6–15°C / Tomorrow clear 4–17°C
Kanayasan, just south of Takada in Joetsu, is known as the birthplace of skiing in Japan: in 1911 Major Theodor von Lerch of Austria-Hungary gave the country's first ski instruction on this slope. A statue of Lerch, a memorial stone and the Japan Ski Memorial Museum with early equipment stand at the site, and the Lerch Festival is held every February. The compact hill has one single chairlift serving three runs from easy to a 27-degree steep, a sledding area and views over the Takada plain. Because it is so low, the season can be short in years with little snow.
Kanayasan Ski Area weather at the top (132 m, hourly, 14 days)
Sunrise today 06:13, sunset 16:49
| Tue, 11/3 | Wed, 11/4 | Thu, 11/5 | Fri, 11/6 | Sat, 11/7 | Sun, 11/8 | Mon, 11/9 | Tue, 11/10 | Wed, 11/11 | Thu, 11/12 | Fri, 11/13 | Sat, 11/14 | Sun, 11/15 | Mon, 11/16 | Tue, 11/17 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Japan time | 15 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 21 | 3 | 9 | 15 | 21 | 3 | 9 | 15 | 21 | 3 | 9 | 15 | 21 | 3 | 9 | 15 | 21 | 3 | 9 | 15 | 21 | 3 | 9 | 15 | 21 | 3 | 9 | 15 | 21 | 3 | 9 | 15 | |
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| Temperature | °C | 15° | 12° | 10° | 7° | 6° | 6° | 5° | 4° | 6° | 14° | 16° | 17° | 17° | 13° | 12° | 13° | 13° | 13° | 14° | 16° | 18° | 15° | 14° | 14° | 14° | 15° | 18° | 20° | 17° | 14° | 11° | 10° | 9° | 8° | 8° | 10° | 10° | 8° | 8° | 9° | 9° | 8° | 11° | 13° | 12° | 10° | 8° | 8° | 8° | 7° | 10° | 11° | 8° | 5° | 10° | 16° | 11° | 7° | 10° | 11° | 7° | 6° | 11° | 12° | 5° | 10° | 10° | 12° | 10° | 6° | 11° | 13° | 5° | 5° | 13° | 16° | 10° | 12° | 14° | 12° | 9° | 8° | 9° | 11° |
| Precipitation | mm | 4.8 | 5 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 2.7 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 7 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 4.4 | 14 | 0.6 | 4.3 | 2.1 | 7 | 15 | 1.1 | 0.1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New snow | cm | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Snow depth | cm | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wind | m/s | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Wind gusts | m/s | 7 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 18 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 20 | 24 | 19 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 17 | 19 | 10 | 5 | 5 |
| Wind dir. | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | ↓ | |
Kanayasan Ski Area lift tickets and prices
2025-26 prices
Discounts
- Every Saturday, elementary and junior high students living in Joetsu City ride lifts free with the "Joetsu City Children's Day Passport"
- Lifts free during the Lerch Festival (2/7-8)
- 3rd Sunday "Kids' Ski Day": elementary students ride lifts free
Show all (4)
- Children under elementary age cannot use the lifts
Opening hours
- Lifts
- 9:00–16:30
- Night skiing
- no night skiing
Getting to Kanayasan Ski Area and parking
- Car
- Joetsu-Takada IC, Joshin-etsu Expressway, 5 min
- Parking
- 78 spaces · Winter: 78 spaces, free (not available during the Lerch Festival, when a free shuttle bus runs)
Train
- Takada Station Echigo Tokimeki Railway Myoko Haneuma Line → 30 min on foot or 10 min by car; or Kubiki Bus to Yodel Kanaya-mae, then 10 min on foot
Kanayasan Ski Area runs and lifts
Lifts
Runs
Rental, lessons and facilities
- Kids area