Yuzawa Nakazato
Yuzawa Nakazato Snow Resort is a ski area located close to the central area of Yuzawa Town, aka Snow Country, in the Niigata Prefecture. Yuzawa Nakazato is a relatively unknown ski area when compared to the ‘big name’ Yuzawa ski resorts such as Naeba, Maiko and the marketing juggernaut of Gala Yuzawa, so it has a more local charm to it. Just like Gala Yuzawa, Yuzawa Nakazato Snow Resort has a train station at the base of the ski area, although it’s a local train not a shinkansen. And don’t fear, all the blue train carriages at Nakazato are not the mode of transport. They’re just a nod to history and a spot for brown baggers to eat their lunch.
Pros and Cons of Yuzawa Nakazato
Pros
- Yuzawa Nakazato Ski Resort is very good for beginners and kids, and it’s mostly quiet (especially relative to Gala Yuzawa and its counterparts) so you can learn in peace.
- It’s easy to visit for a day trip from Tokyo or from Yuzawa considering there is a train station at the base.
- It has a nice locals’ vibe.
- When the snow is happening on weekdays, there isn’t too much rivalry to get the fresh lines in the trees.
Cons
- Nakazato is a small ski area with short vertical.
- The ski area doesn’t have much in the way of groomed intermediate runs.
Pro or Con Depending On Your Perspective
- Yuzawa Nakazato typically gets a good amount of snow, yet the quality may not hold for long.
Yuzawa Nakazato Ski and Snowboard Terrain
Yuzawa Nakazato Ski Resort is a small ski area that’s wide but short. It has a vertical of only 244 metres, from 458 to 702 metres elevation off the #1 lift, whilst the vertical is shorter off the other lifts. See the ski trail map below.
Nakazato has 2 magic carpets and 6 chair lifts, although a couple of the beginner lifts only operate on weekends and holidays. The #1 lift on lookers’ right is a reasonably paced quad chair that you’ll probably lap and lap. The other chairs are doubles where you can relax and put your feet up on the footrests during the slow ride.
Yuzawa Nakazato Snow Resort has 17 courses, and a good proportion of the terrain is for beginners, even if all the chair lifts aren’t running. The magic carpet area is for novices whilst “Smile” and “Joyful” are happily mellow and wide, so they’re perfect for the next step. The other green runs have a little more gradient for further progression. There are a couple of terrain parks for beginners that are popular with the kids.
There is only one intermediate run that runs a decent length, whilst two very short runs terminate in a beginner run.
The marketing person was stretching the truth the day they named some of the “expert” runs! The run “Extreme” hits a maximum pitch of 31 degrees and “Challenge” reaches a maximum of 32 degrees, whilst “Giant” is a short run.
Like a lot of Japanese ski areas, the only advanced terrain is off-piste. Nakazato has some designated “self-responsibility areas” off lifts 1 and 2, as well as prohibited areas which might make sense considering their aspect. Some of the kosher zones are labelled as FWT Qualifier on the trail map, which is very surprising because any terrain with pitch is short lived.
Nakazato Snow
Nakazato usually has a respectable snow base, although it probably doesn’t get quite as much snowfall as other Snow Country ski resorts that are higher and/or slightly closer to the prevailing NW snowstorms. It’s best to hit the powder when it’s fresh considering the elevation is not particularly high. Whilst the backside slopes off #1 have some northerly aspect, runs such as “Giant” and “Dynamic” have an unfavourable aspect for retaining snow quality.
Where is Yuzawa Nakazato?
Yuzawa Nakazato Snow Resort is one of the Yuzawa ski resorts in the Niigata Prefecture of Japan. It is 5.8km southeast of central Yuzawa and the Echigo Yuzawa train station. The ski area should not be confused with the tiny Nakazato Snow Wood which is next door.
The southern end of Yuzawa Nakazato has the Echigo Nazazato Train Station, and it’s an 8-minute trip on the local Joetsu line from the Echigo Yuzawa Station which receives bullet trains from Tokyo.
It’s also easy to drive to Yuzawa Nakazato, which is just 5km from the Yuzawa Interchange off the Kanetsu Expressway. The telephone number for GPS navigation is 025-787-3301 and parking is free on weekdays.
Accommodation
Yuzawa Nakazato is more likely to be a ski area to visit on a day trip from Tokyo or Yuzawa.
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If you did want to stay at Yuzawa Nakazato for a few days, you could stay at the Hotel Angel Grandia Echigo Nakazato which is ski-in ski-out to Nakazato Snow Woods, and just 250 metres from the Yuzawa Nakazato slopes.
Ski Resort Facilities
The JR Echigo Nakazato train station is connected via a passage to the Nakazato Ski Center, which houses some of the ski resort facilities such as equipment and clothing rentals, lockers, cafeteria, retail shop, and kids space. There is also another day lodge near the main car park. Yuzawa Nakazato has ski school including adaptive lessons, although for a lesson in English you’d be best placed with Snowcountry Instructors.
There are a few eateries spread across the wide base area, plus food trucks on weekends. You can use the blue train carriages to eat your take-away or picnic food or just sit and relax, although it would be warmer and more comfortable if you sat in the fancy rest area inside the day lodge, which has recliner chairs that overlook the slopes.