Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort will open on Saturday, 31 October 2026 for the 2026-2027 winter season. The season is planned to run until Wednesday, 31 March 2027. Karuizawa is the second Honshu resort in our guide to confirm its dates, after Madarao Kogen, and it is the earliest opening date announced so far.
Karuizawa can open this early because it makes its own snow. The resort uses snow machines on its main courses, so the opening date does not depend on the first natural snowfall. This makes it one of the most reliable choices for a ski day in late October or November.
One thing to know if you travel early in the season: in past years, only two short courses were open at the start, and the full resort opened in stages through December. If you want all courses, the safer window is from late December onwards. The resort has not yet published the course schedule for this season.
For families, the resort has only published the season dates so far. In past seasons, elementary school children and younger rode the lifts free all season, and there was a kids and beginner area near the base. We will update this article when the resort publishes details for 2026-2027.
Karuizawa sits in the Karuizawa area, about 1 hour 5 minutes from Tokyo Station by Hokuriku Shinkansen. The ski resort is a 10-15 minute walk from Karuizawa Station, with a large outlet mall next to it. This is why it works well as a one-day trip from a Tokyo stay, even for families with young children.
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?
Source: Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort official website. Translated and summarised by Japow Guides.
