Madarao Kogen will open on Saturday, 12 December 2026 for the 2026-2027 winter season. The season is planned to run until Sunday, 28 March 2027. Madarao is the first Honshu resort in our guide to confirm its dates for next season.
The bigger news for families is a new snow play area in front of Madarao Kogen Hotel. The resort is adding a 100-metre moving belt, a larger sledding slope, and more beginner-only courses. The old kids area becomes part of this new zone. A kamakura (snow hut) restaurant area and food trucks will sit next to it. The aim is a place where parents who do not ski, and children who are just starting, can still enjoy the day.
Lifts run from 8:30 to 16:30. Night skiing is planned from 16:30 to 21:00 on 26 December to 2 January, and on 9 and 10 January. Madarao uses natural snow only, so the opening date can move if the first snow comes late.
One point to check if you travel in the first week: the lift connection to Tangram next door is closed from 12 to 18 December, and again from 23 to 28 March. Outside those dates the two resorts share one pass. Tangram has not announced its own 2026-2027 dates yet.
Madarao also runs a free lift day for children. On the third Sunday of each month, from December to March, elementary school children and younger ride the lifts free. You will need a free voucher from the resort website, which the resort will publish later.
Madarao sits in the Myoko area, about 2 hours 15 minutes from Tokyo: shinkansen to Iiyama Station, then a local bus. Most resorts near Tokyo announce their dates between September and November. We track every confirmed 2026-2027 date, and explain how season timing works, in one place: When Do Honshu Ski Resorts Open?
Planning your trip? See the full Japan ski trip planning timeline.
Source: Madarao Kogen Ski Resort official announcement. Translated and summarised by Japow Guides.
