Naeba Ski Resort Japan

Naeba Ski Resort in Japan is a purpose-built resort that was born during the Japanese bubble economy era. Whilst it may lack the historical and traditional charm that is apparent at a few Japanese ski villages, it has the advantage of having a convenient ski-in ski-out hotel. The Naeba Prince Hotel forms the centrepiece of the resort and acts as the main accommodation and hub for restaurants, facilities and activities. This is one juggernaut of a hotel! There is also a small town that grew around the ski area that almost turned into a ghost town for a while and is now reviving itself.

Pros and Cons of Naeba Japan

Pros

• Naeba has lots of terrain to choose from, some of which has decent pitch by Japanese standards.
• Naeba is connected with Kagura Ski Resort via a long gondola (albeit a slow connection) to form a big ski area by Japanese standards.
• It is quick and easy to get to Naeba from Tokyo.
• Naeba Ski Resort has some good sidecountry and there are guided powder tours, and as Naeba attracts a mostly beginner/family crowd, there isn’t much opposition for untracked powder in the off-piste or out-of-bounds areas.
• In addition to the convenient ski-in ski-out Prince Hotel, there is a town near the ski resort which gives Naeba some personality and additional evening dining options.

Cons

• Due to ease of access from Tokyo, it gets busy on weekends at the hotel and the ski area. Expect to line up for everything.
• The ski resort is a bit ugly and the town is not aesthetically pleasing with its peeling paint and high rise buildings, some of which sit vacant because the bubble era of skiing in Japan has passed.

Pro or Con Depending On Your Perspective

• The Naeba Prince Hotel at the base is very conveniently located and offers a resort experience with a raft of conveniences along with a lack of charm. Much of the hotel is very tired.
• Naeba Ski Resort has some decent lift infrastructure, yet it’s not that often that all the lifts are running.
• Compared to many of the Yuzawa ski resorts, the top elevation is much higher and the snow quality better despite its east facing aspect. The elevation is a blessing and a curse because the top is exposed, and it doesn’t take much for lifts to go on wind-hold which scrubs out the good lift-accessed terrain for powder hounds.
• Naeba is somewhat family friendly, although not to the same degree it was in years gone by. Children 12 and under ski for free and there are a few activities to keep the little nippers entertained. Small children can have lessons that progress from indoors to outdoors, whilst other ski and snowboard lessons in English are only in a private format for which you’ll pay a premium. Adults without kids may not enjoy staying at the Prince Hotel.

Mt. Naeba

Naeba is linked to the Kagura ski resort to form a large area referred to as Mount Naeba. Kagura ski resort is made up of three ski areas: Kagura; Tashiro; and Mitsumata. Naeba and Kagura are interconnected by the Naeba-Tashiro Gondola aka the Dragondola, which is an impressive engineering feat.

Naeba Ski and Snowboard Terrain

Naeba is a large ski area by Japanese standards, and it has 23 courses and 11 lifts. Naeba is best known for the groomers and other piste runs, with an even spread of terrain for beginners, intermediates and advanced riders. The Naeba ski resort also has a reasonable terrain park.

Historically Naeba had a very restrictive off-piste policy with all the tasty areas roped off and Big Brother scalding off-piste offenders over the loudspeaker. The ski patrollers have relaxed somewhat over the years, but you might still come across an old-schooler. The Naeba sidecountry is very good, although it relies on the upper lifts being open.

Naeba has a decent lift system which includes 2 gondolas (one doesn’t always operate) and 4 high speed quad chair lifts.

See the Naeba skiing and snowboarding page for more information on the terrain and lifts.

Naeba Snow

Naeba gets a respectable amount of snow. It is thought to be about 6 to 8 metres per season, however this is much less than neighbouring Kagura that steals a lot of the precipitation as storms roll in from the northwest. The slopes have a mostly east facing aspect, whilst the elevation (900 to 1,789 metres) is high relative to other Yuzawa ski areas.

Where is the Naeba Ski Resort?

Naeba is located about 23 km south of the town of Yuzawa in the Niigata Prefecture, 184km northwest of Tokyo.

The train ride from Tokyo to Echigo-Yuzawa on the Joetsu-Shinkansen takes only 70 to 90 minutes, and from the train station there are buses to Naeba that take about 30 to 50 minutes.

The different areas of Mt Naeba are interconnected via the slopes, and also via a local shuttle bus system.

If you want to stay in Naeba and get first lifts at Kagura on a powder day, you’ll want to have access to a car.

Naeba Accommodation

The Naeba Prince Hotel is located directly in front of the ski area so it offers the fabulous convenience of being ski-in ski-out. The hotel has a large variety of room configurations, many of which offer great views across the slopes. The facilities and services on offer have reduced over the years, yet the Prince Hotel still covers the essentials such as restaurants, equipment rental, a few shops, two onsen, activities centre, and game centre. You might not need to leave the hotel, except of course to go and rip up the slopes.

Other Naeba accommodation is located a little further away from the ski area in the Naeba town, and options include hotels and pensions. Some have been renovated, although many are dated and hail from the bubble era. Many prefer to stay in this area to enjoy the various options for evening dining and to avoid the feeling of being on a “cruise ship”. We’ve stayed at the Kinta Naeba and would happily stay there again.

You can search for and book Naeba accommodation here.

Facilities & Services

Some of the child friendly services and facilities have ceased operation, although Naeba is still quite family friendly. There are a regular fireworks and a few kids’ activities, and there are group or private ski lessons for 3 to 9 years old children, whilst Sherpa International School offers private lessons in English for adults and for children aged 3 and up for skiing, and ages 5 and up for snowboarding.