We are more and more impressed with Shiga each time we visit. Considering Feb 2024 was largely a shocker with respect to the weather, it really emphasised the major strength of the high elevation. The breadth of the ski area and its many aspects also shone through on this trip.

We arrived in time for a fantastic storm cycle and on one day a blizzard arrived with lots of wind that closed down many of the Nagano ski areas. Shiga managed to operate some lifts, and being guided and transported around by Japan Powder Culture Tours was a bonus so that the guides could drive us to the lifts that were open and find suitable terrain.

On a subsequent day, the guides took us to fresh line after fresh line of powder in the trees, and it’s great that Shiga has a variety of tree types and spacings (see video).

Rather than staying up on the mountain, we stayed down in the town of Yudanaka at the Omodaka Hotel. We prefer staying at Yudanaka for its many restaurants and bars and the onsen, and it provided flexibility to be driven to any of the Shiga ski areas or other ski resorts in the region.

It’s been snowing at Shiga a lot in March too and it’s been difficult to watch the many storms dump on Shiga, from the agonising comfort of the desk at home.
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Shiga Kogen rocks! It’s so large and has so many personalities and nooks and crannies in which to play. On this visit the tide was much higher than we’d seen it previously so we could see the full potential of the off-piste and sidecountry, and we got to see it without fresh snow for a few days and then with a good dump of fresh snow. We got loads of fresh lines, and whilst there are a few more gaijin playing in the northern areas, there were still plenty of fresh tracks to go around. Riding off-piste seemed to more tolerated compared to previous visits, although there were still a few areas where conservatism ruled.

Not a whole lot else had changed at Shiga and it was probably less impacted by Covid compared to some other big Japanese ski resorts that rely heavily on international tourism. The middle wing of the Prince Hotel was closed this year, and a few more lifts were retired which didn’t really impact much on the serviceability of the resort.

Rather than staying up on the mountain, we stayed down in the town of Yudanaka, which we enjoyed for its vibrancy, many onsen and restaurants.

You can see our thoughts on the pros and cons on the Shiga Kogen overview page and also see the Honshu ski resort ratings to see how we rated Shiga overall, and Okushiga Kogen, Yakebitaiyama, Kumanoyu and Yokoteyama.
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Spent a few days at Shiga Kogan early March 2023. Great area it reminded me a kind of a European set up like Andorra where you drive up the windy road passing little villages/resorts as you go.
I stayed at Prince West Wing hotel at Yakebityama which was ideal to access the slopes there as well as Okushiga, which was my pick for the best area, as well as Ichinose.
Crowd was minimal and would love to get back there with some fresh snow.
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Just returned home from a week exploring Shiga kogen 31st jan - 7th feb 2020.
It was my 4th time to Japan, i have ridden Hakuba, Nozawa and Niseko previously, including two weeks in Hakuba on this trip before catching the direct bus from Hakuba to Shiga which took about 90 minutes. I stayed in Ichinose village which seemed quite central to the area. Snow was sub par this season although after arriving in Shiga from Hakuba it was noticeably colder due to the higher elevation meaning the snow was in better condition and there was better coverage.
Resorts are linked by chairlift or the free shuttle buses. All accessed on one ski pass, I think i rode on 4-5 resorts in a single day with some resorts seeming to only be named differently with 2-3 lifts although they could be combined as one resort. Terrain is typical of japan with nothing overly steep or challenging for strong intermediate/ advanced riders. Beginners have ample mellow slopes to learn on at each of the resorts. Japanese ski schools are out in force on the beginner slopes although as soon as you get higher up the resort they disperse due to the size of the area. Finding off piste/tree runs was a bit of a task until i meet a local rider at 'lift up' coffee near Hoppo gondola (best coffee i've had in japan btw) who showed me some small stashes. Never saw ski patrol, let alone was bothered by them for ducking ropes or riding under chairlifts.
Alot of potential tree riding areas are not accessible due to tight placement of trees and bush. area would benefit if glading was undertaken to make more of the terrain accessible( but its japan so i wouldn't hold your breath.)
Ichinose village has no nightlife. if you want apres, go to Hakuba. This place is better suited for groups or family's that can self entertain in the evenings. Village has a convenience store and a small number of restaurants. I was told, due to Shiga Kogen being in national park, no stand alone bars are permitted and they must be inside hotels. Take plenty of cash as some stores/restaurants wont accept cards and there is no ATM in Ichinose village.
Shiga kogen has a smaller amount of westerner visitors then anywhere else i have boarded in japan. I'm glad i visited although its one of the places i don't think id rush back to. Good for 3-4 days as part of a wider trip to other areas of japan.
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On a year where the Nagano area has unusually low snow levels we are glad we had a week here. The height meant the snow was enough (think Perisher at its best ) for lots of fun. Fantastic resort for intermediates with plenty of runs for beginners and those searching for more.Good connections ( some minor poling needed). Absolutely no lift queues. Nightlife as mentioned elsewhere really non existent with a few small restaurants. Nepalese Curry house is good as is the restaurant at hotel Dairoku which is quite traditional. This resort is brilliant if you are motivated to ski long days but not bothered by night life.
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Shiga Kogen is one of my favorite resorts in Japan. Lots of different terrain. The crumpet shop at the top of Yokoteyama is a must.
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We had a week in Shiga Kogen towards the end of February in 2018. It turned out to be a good choice, because the weather was warm and the snow at the other fields around Nagano, which are lower, was suffering.
This is a huge resort by Japanese standards and it is possible to traverse all of it using the lifts. To be honest there were a few parts we checked out once and never returned to, but there was still a lot of terrain to play in.
Despite being a large and well known resort in Japan this place is not really very crowded. And there are very few people looking for powder. There were some very easy stashes to find and many of them were only ever skied by us the whole week. Off piste skiing is allowed at some parts of the resort, but for the rest we were discrete. No one hassled us.
Despite a few steep pistes (by Japan standards) and a reasonable amount of vertical, most of the off piste runs are a bit short to be truly satisfying. Some of the places that looked promising had trees that were just too tight. The lack of competition definitely balanced that for us.
There are no real villages around Shiga, just lots of hotels. A huge quantity. Quite a few are shut down. There are a few good restaurants and bars, but there isn’t the depth and range of apres ski that some other resorts offer.
I didn’t get the chance to tour around Shiga, but there are a lot of possibilities. I’d like to check it out some time!
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We visited Shiga Kogen in January 2018, after skiing a week in Nozawa Onsen. The contrast between the two was very sharp - Nozawa was far more better in any ways.
First the snow. Maybe it just happened that in Nozawa the temperature was always below zero, and was snowing literally every day. In Shiga it was sometimes above zero, raining, and it made the slopes pretty icy and crap. After a day of snowing it got better but the huge amount of beginner classes planed the slopes icy again pretty quickly.
The higher slopes had better quality snow. Backcountry skiing is not really possible.
Accomodation: we stayed at the Prince Hotel, which is very 80's style. Food options are limited to the hotel restaurant which is over priced. You are stuck in the hotel, and there are no other options. Nobody speaks english.
Go Nozawa Onsen, the slopes are much better, snow better, accomodation is better, backcountry skiing is better and ofcourse you can burn yourself to death in a public onsen.
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Shiga Kogen has some fabulous strong points. Firstly it’s great for intermediate riders who want a good range of cruisers to cruise on. Unlike most other Japanese ski resorts that are very small, it offers lots of long groomed runs that head between the villages. Snow quality is also usually a huge pro.

Shiga Kogen hasn’t been over-run with westerners, possibly because it’s overlooked for its reputation for having no nightlife and a ban on off-piste skiing. Well there is a little bit of nightlife but keep your expectations low, and whilst off-piste skiing is not officially permitted at many of the ski areas, it is possible with discretion. And you won’t have much competition for the fresh powder.

Shiga Kogen is rather Japanese. Some of the hotels have staff that speak English, but there are lots of areas where only Japanese is spoken. Many parts of Shiga Kogen are sooo old fashioned in many ways. You notice lots of silly rules or opening times of establishments that are quite laughable! It’s easy to see why some parts of Shiga Kogen are going out of business.

See our Shiga Kogen overview page for more on our thoughts on the pros and cons. Also see our Japan ski resort ratings to see how we compare Shiga Kogen to other resorts.
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I have skied all the main resorts on both Hokkaido and Honshu over the past six years plus many of the smaller resorts that don't get mention. Shiga Kogen in my opinion ticks all the boxes.

Resorts without westerners, powder runs even if it has not snowed for 4 or 5 days, great lift infrustructure, lifts that go to over 2000 metres so when others are getting rained on the POW is still in abundance and true cultural experiences that will leave you with an authentic Japanese ski vacation. If you are a beginner or expert you will not be disappointed with this area.
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