Where is Oze Iwakura?
The Oze Iwakura Ski Resort is located in the north east corner of
Gunma Prefecture, 187km northwest of Tokyo.
White World Oze Iwakura is 7km north of the little town of Katashina and 41km northeast of Minakami.
Driving to Oze Iwakura
Driving to Oze Iwakura is pretty easy, especially considering recent advances in GPS technology in Japan with the
rental cars. The telephone number for GPS navigation is 0278-58-7777.
It’s about a 40 minute drive from the Numata IC on the Kanetsu Expressway to Katashina and then onto the ski resort. The last 2km of road is steep but it appears to be heated and has safety barriers in situ.
Parking is free on weekdays and during spring, but otherwise there’s a charge. The parking area is extensive to cater for the hordes that descend on weekends. Regular shuttle buses head up from the car park to the gondola and you can ski back to the parking lot at the end of the day.
Train & Bus to Oze Iwakura
The alternative to driving is to catch a train to Jomo Kogen station (75 mins from Tokyo) and then a 90 minute bus to the ski resort. Or another option is to get a train to Numata Station and then the Oze Kikou bus takes 60 minutes.
Other Ski Resorts Nearby
Katashina Kogen (skiers only) with a top elevation of 1,270m is next door and below Oze Iwakura. Even though the base areas are only 1.2km apart by road and the ski areas are about 200m apart at one point, they are not inter-connected via the slopes. Sounds like a commercial stand-off there! For powder hounds this is no major loss because Katashina Kogen’s catch phrase “gentle to your heart” aptly sums up the gradient of the slopes.
Other Katashina ski resorts:
There is also a collection of ski resorts surrounding the town of Minakami such as
Tenjindaira and
Minakami Hodaigi whilst the other
Gunma ski resorts such as
Manza Onsen and
Kusatsu Onsen are much further afield.