Our top 20 ski resorts with the highest vertical drop in Japan
Looking for the ski resort in Japan with the highest vertical drop? Here are our top 20, from Kagura's 1,225m down to Ishiuchi Maruyama's 664m. Compare each resort's drop and longest run, see where the ten biggest sit on the map, open the full guide to any of them and start planning your trip.
Kagura
1,225m of vertical up to a 1,845m summit, with a season that usually lasts around six months. Linked with Naeba next door, so you can ski two of the biggest drops on this list.
Read the Kagura guide
Suginohara
Famous for its vertical: 1,124m from the summit gondola station to the base, on a run of about 8.5km that is one of the longest in Japan.
Read the Suginohara guide
Nozawa Onsen
A famous onsen village with 13 free public bathhouses, at the foot of 1,085m of vertical up to a 1,650m summit.
Read the Nozawa Onsen guide
Ryuoo Ski Park
A ropeway that carries 166 people takes you most of the way up the mountain, which has 1,080m of vertical and north-facing tree runs. The longest run is 6km.
Read the Ryuoo Ski Park guide
Hakuba Happo-One
Home of the 1998 Winter Olympics downhill, with 1,071m of vertical up to a 1,831m summit and an 8km longest run.
Read the Hakuba Happo-One guide
Photo: Lotte Arai Resort, official siteLotte Arai
A five-star hotel sits below 951m of vertical, one of the bigger drops in the Myoko mountains, served by five lifts including a gondola.
Read the Lotte Arai guide
Hakuba Goryu
926m of vertical, one of the biggest drops in Japan. A gondola and a short chair take you to the top.
Read the Hakuba Goryu guide
Tsugaike Kogen
904m of vertical up to a summit of around 1,700m, with a longest run of 4.9km. The 4.1km Eve Gondola is one of the longest in Japan, and the wide runs suit beginners and families.
Read the Tsugaike Kogen guide
Naeba
889m of vertical up to a 1,789m summit, with a longest run of 4km. Linked with Kagura next door, so you can ski two of the biggest drops on this list.
Read the Naeba guide
Zao Onsen
881m of vertical and a 9 to 10km longest run, among the longest in Japan, with frost-covered snow monster trees reached by ropeway.
Read the Zao Onsen guide
Furano Ski Area
839m of vertical, with 23 runs across two linked zones and some of Hokkaido's driest inland snow.
Read the Furano Ski Area guide
Gala Yuzawa
823m of vertical, with the Shinkansen from Tokyo Station taking about 75 minutes, so it makes a good day trip from Tokyo.
Read the Gala Yuzawa guide
Joetsu Kokusai
A large single ski area with 22 courses across four zones and 817m of vertical up to a 1,017m summit. The steepest pitch is 38 degrees.
Read the Joetsu Kokusai guideAkakura Kanko
760m of vertical up to a 1,500m summit, with a longest run of about 4.5km. The resort is built around one of Japan's first European-style ski hotels.
Read the Akakura Kanko guide
Fujimi Panorama
730m of vertical up to a 1,780m summit, with a 3km longest run from the summit station. It is about two hours from Shinjuku, so it works well as a day trip from Tokyo.
Read the Fujimi Panorama guide
Shizukuishi
Around 717m of vertical from summit to base, plus cat skiing on the former women's Super-G course from the 1993 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships.
Read the Shizukuishi guide
Amihari Onsen
710m of vertical in a compact ski area near Morioka with easy tree skiing, no queues and cheap tickets.
Read the Amihari Onsen guide
Appi Kogen
708m of vertical and 45km of piste, plus cat-accessed tree runs on Mt Nishimori.
Read the Appi Kogen guide
Sapporo Teine
683m of vertical up to a 1,023m summit, with a 5.4km longest run on the Rainbow Course, all within Sapporo city limits.
Read the Sapporo Teine guide
Ishiuchi Maruyama
664m of vertical up to a 920m summit, with groomed runs made for fast carving and nine floodlit runs for night skiing.
Read the Ishiuchi Maruyama guide