Hakuba Valley

Hakuba Valley is a ski and mountain area in northwestern Nagano Prefecture, at the foot of the Northern Japan Alps. It takes in the towns of Otari in the north, Hakuba in the center and Omachi in the south, and it has 10 ski resorts on one lift pass.

The valley hosted events at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics and has drawn skiers from around the world ever since. Outside winter, it is a base for alpine hiking, mountain biking and lake sports.

Hakuba is one of two stops on a winter trip to Karuizawa and Hakuba, paired with the resort town of Karuizawa.

Hakuba Valley ski resorts

The 10 resorts on the Hakuba Valley pass are:

• Hakuba Cortina Snow Resort

• Hakuba Norikura Onsen Snow Resort

• Tsugaike Mountain Resort

• Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field

• Hakuba Happo-One

• Hakuba47 Mountain Resort

• ABLE Hakuba GORYU

• White Resort HAKUBA SANOSAKA

• Kashimayari Ski Resort Family Park

• Jigatake

Happo-One was the venue for the men's and women's downhill, super-G and combined events at the 1998 Olympics, and its courses are still in use today.

Hakuba Valley lift pass for 2026-27

The Hakuba Valley 1-day pass costs 11,100 yen for adults (13 and over) and 6,400 yen for children aged 6 to 12. Children under 6 ski free, or under 3 at Jigatake and Kashimayari. The pass works at all 10 resorts and can be used at more than one in the same day.

The free Hakuba Valley shuttle bus links the resorts and villages on days you ski. The pass does not cover night skiing or the night shuttle, and riding the bus without using a lift still uses a day of the pass. The 2026-27 day pass goes on sale around November; the Hakuba Valley pass prices page has the latest details. The Epic Pass also includes days in Hakuba Valley.

1998 Olympic venues in Hakuba

The Olympic ski jump stadium was completed in 1992 with a normal hill and a large hill. It hosted the 1998 ski jumping events, where the Japanese team won two gold medals.

Hakuba in summer

From late spring to fall the lifts carry hikers instead of skiers:

• Happo Pond (Happo-ike): about 90 minutes on foot from the top of the Happo Alpen Line. Strong hikers continue to Mount Karamatsu (2,600 meters) for a full day.

• Tsugaike Nature Park: a highland marsh at about 1,900 meters, reached by the Tsugaike Ropeway, with alpine flowers in summer.

• Hakuba Mountain Harbor: a viewing terrace at the top of Hakuba Iwatake, a short walk from the gondola.

• Lake Aoki: kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding south of Hakuba.

Iwatake also has mountain bike trails, and canyoning trips run on the rivers below.

How to get to Hakuba Valley

• From Tokyo: about 2 hours 50 minutes at the fastest, by Hokuriku Shinkansen to Nagano and an express bus to Hakuba.

• From Nagano Station: the express bus to central Hakuba takes about 70 minutes.

• From Kanazawa: about 2 hours 40 minutes by Hokuriku Shinkansen and the JR Oito Line.

• From Nagoya: about 3 hours 30 minutes by the limited express Shinano.

The snow monkeys at Jigokudani are a popular day trip from Hakuba, and a day tour to the snow monkeys from Nagano adds Zenko-ji Temple and a sake tasting.

For a longer winter trip that pairs Hakuba with Hokkaido powder, see the Nagano and Hokkaido ski itinerary.