Travel to Iizuna with ski insurance from Essential Travel

Located in northern Nagano, Iizuna is a fairly new and reasonably priced ski resort compared with some of the other inflated price resorts in the region. There are only a few runs here, but the resort doesn’t seem to get too crowded and you will also find a snowboard park with a half-pipe here, while night skiing is available all week and artificial snow makes up for any poor coverage.

The resort village of Iizuna sits at over 3,600 feet above sea level and comes with rental equipment booths offering skis, poles and boots for hire. A ski school, cafeteria and children’s facilities are also available. Reasonably priced accommodation comes in the form of pensions and traditional Japanese-style hotels, while the on-slope restaurant provides daytime après-ski.

Iizuna ski resort has seven runs, most of which are fairly long and wide, the longest being 1.5 miles. Groomed beginner slopes are located near the bottom of the mountain and the more challenging pistes, complete with moguls, are positioned near the top. The highest run is close to 5,000 feet and the vertical is a respectable 1,237 feet, with eight triple and quad chairlifts providing access to the slopes.

For more sliding options, you may like to try nearby Nozawa Onsen, which was Japan’s first ski resort, and which has been consistently voted the best in the country, with quality, snowboard-free slopes and ancient hot springs. Alternatively, snowboarders could have a look at Togari or Shiga Kogen, with its 21 resorts and massive ski area.

Iizuna ski resort has its ski season from mid-December to early April and the best snow conditions can be enjoyed in February; discounts are available for kids and rates are always cheaper in the week. Taking the bullet train along the Shinetsu line from Tokyo to Nagano, from where buses run to the resort, is the most convenient means of transport.

Skiing in Iizuna Resort

Situated in northern Nagano in central Honshu, northwest of Tokyo, Iizuna ski resort offers a good spread of runs suitable for all levels. Iizuna lies at quite a low altitude, but the season is kept relatively long with the advent of snow machines at the resort. Night skiing is a big feature in Iizuna, as is the terrain park with half-pipe.

The seven pistes at Iizuna ski resort are divided into 35 per cent suitable for beginners, 40 per cent for intermediates and 25 per cent for experts, with the longest of the slopes a healthy 1.5 miles. The terrain is a combination of groomed beginner slopes and tougher mogul runs, with a system of eight ski lifts providing slope access.

There is not much in the way of alternative winter activities at Iizuna ski resort, with most visitors coming here to ski or snowboard, yet hiking and ski touring are available. Wellness facilities are on offer at the more upmarket hotel establishments and après-ski can be found at the on-slope restaurant and the pension and hotel restaurants and bars.

There are some quality traditional Japanese hotels and pensions at Iizuna, some of which are named after popular European ski areas, and they come with restaurants, bars and spas. Facilities at the resort include a children’s area, ski school and equipment hire including skis, poles and boots for rent at reasonable rates per day.

February sees the most favourable snow conditions during the ski season, which runs from December to April, and weekday rates are the cheapest. The quickest and most practical travel option for getting to Iizuna is to take the bullet train direct to the town of Nagano from Tokyo. Bus services then run direct to the resort from here.

Transportation to Iizuna Resort

Located 150 miles northwest of Tokyo in northern Nagano prefecture, Iizuna ski resort is easily accessible from the capital, like the other resorts in this region of central Honshu. Driving here from Tokyo is straightforward and mostly by expressway, while making use of the bullet train to Nagano and then a bus to the resort is the most popular travel option.

The Joshinetsu expressway provides efficient access most of the way to Nagano from Tokyo; those coming from Tokyo’s Narita International Airport should first take route 16 ring road around Tokyo before joining the Joshinetsu expressway. Exit the Joshinetsu expressway at Shinshu-Nakano, from where route 18 goes to the resort. Iizuna ski resort is a 30-minute drive from Nagano.

By train from Tokyo-Narita International Airport, take the Narita Express to the main station in Tokyo, from where the Nagano-bound Shinkansen bullet train makes the trip in less than 1 hour, 30 minutes. Iizuna is a further one-hour drive by bus or you could take the JR Naoetsu line to Mure village from Nagano (20 minutes) and then a bus from Mure to Iizuna. Trains also run from Osaka to Nagano.

Tokyo-Narita International Airport is the main airport for entry into Japan and the closest and most convenient for getting to Iizuna ski resort. Road and rail access to Tokyo from the airport and beyond is good and flights are numerous. Osaka-Kansai International Airport also receives a fair amount of inbound traffic to Japan, but is situated farther away from Iizuna, meaning longer transfer times.

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