Travel to Togari with ski insurance from Essential Travel

Located in the extreme north of the Nagano prefecture near the town of Iiyama, Togari ski resort is known for its great range of pistes suitable for all levels and its snowboard park with a half-pipe. Northwest of Tokyo, Togari is popular with university students on weekend skiing trips, meaning accommodation options here are plentiful.

Togari ski resort village has plenty of ski and snowboard facilities including a highly rated ski school, ski and snowboard rentals, good children’s facilities and a nursery as well as several shops and eateries. You will find scores of hotels, lodges, bed and breakfasts and pensions at the resort, meaning it is not usually difficult to find accommodation here.

Togari ski resort has 19 pistes, with wide nursery slopes at the bottom and some fun mogul runs farther up the mountain. The longest run is less than two miles and winds its way down the mountain from the top, where access is provided by a single chairlift. Togari has 16 chairlifts in total, with an uplift capacity of thousands of people per hour.

There are several other top ski resorts in the Northern Nagano region if you fancy a break from Togari’s slopes, with favourites including the likes of Iizuna, with its excellent facilities and uncrowded slopes; the flashy resort of Madarao and the upmarket and ever popular Nozawa Onsen, with its many hot springs and range of beginner and advanced slopes.

The ski season at Togari ski resort runs from mid-December to early April and cheaper prices can be had before Christmas and at the end of the season. The most convenient travel option is to take a high-speed bullet train from Tokyo to Togari and then take a taxi to the resort.

Skiing in Togari

Togari ski resort is a very popular weekend ski destination in the north of Nagano prefecture, easily reachable from Tokyo or Osaka. There is something here for everyone, with shallow learner slopes, intermediate moguls and a snowboard park. Accommodation options are good and Togari also boasts hot springs.

Although there is a snowboard park at Togari ski resort, it is predominantly a skier’s resort, with great learner slopes located near the base of the mountain and a long mogul run that descends from the top. The snowboard park comes with a half-pipe and 16 ski lifts supply the pistes.

Apart from skiing and snowboarding at Togari ski resort, you can also enjoy snowmobiling and trekking, while plentiful wellness facilities can be found at the resort’s top hotels. Hot springs also provide welcome relief from a day on the slopes, as do the many bars and restaurants.

The base village at Togari ski resort provides all the usual ski and snowboard services and facilities including a ski school and rental and repair stores. Children also have plenty of activities to keep them busy here and there is a nursery on-site. More than 100 lodges supply Togari with a rich bed base.

Togari ski resort has its best snow in February of the December to April season and offers cheaper rates on weekdays and during the months outside of January, February and March. Bullet trains run to Togari Station from Tokyo and Osaka, the most practical form of travel to the resort. Taxis run from Togari Station or you can walk.

Transportation to Togari

Togari ski resort is located about 175 miles northwest of Tokyo and is situated right in the north of Nagano prefecture. Options for getting from Tokyo include driving or taking a train and taxi combination; the latter is the easy option.

If you are travelling to Togari ski resort by car from Tokyo, you will need to take the Fujioka expressway west to Koshoku. Head north from here along the Nagano expressway before taking a right onto highway 117 for the town of Iiyama and Togari ski resort.

By train, the Nagano Shinkansen runs from Tokyo to Nagano Station on the Shinetsu line, from where services run on to Togari-Nozawa Onsen Station on the Iiyama line, a total journey time of four hours. Infrequent buses and taxis run from here to Togari ski resort, or alternatively, the resort is a 20-minute walk from the station.

The nearest and easiest airport to fly to is Tokyo’s Narita International Airport, which receives numerous flights from the world over. Express trains run from here to Tokyo and regional destinations, from where bullet trains run to Nagano and beyond.

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