Dec–MarA gondola and night skiing 40 minutes by car from Kanazawa: a low, friendly hill in the Nanto hills for beginners, families and an evening session.
IOX-Arosa (イオックスアローザ) is a ski area in the hills of Nanto, Toyama, about 40 minutes by car from Kanazawa. It has a gondola, 7 courses with a longest run of 3,000 m, a summit restaurant and night skiing. The 2025-26 adult day ticket was ¥5,000. Last season ran from 3 January to 8 March 2026, so expect early January to early March in 2027. There is no ski bus: come by car, or by rail to Fukumitsu and a short taxi.
This is the hill I would send a Kanazawa visitor to for a ski day that does not need a long transfer. The resort has a gondola, a summit restaurant with cheese fondue and an evening session under the lights. The slopes are low (the top is 770 m), so the season is shorter and depends on snowfall, but the terrain is friendly: 40% of it is beginner and 50% intermediate.
The catch is that there is no ski bus, and there is no big hotel at the base. Most people drive out from Kanazawa and sleep there, which is why most of the stays below are in Kanazawa, with a handful of inns in Nanto and Tonami and a few hotels at Takaoka and Shin-Takaoka. Below: how to get there, the 2025-26 lift ticket list, the mountain and where to stay.
The Shinkansen gets you to Kanazawa or Shin-Takaoka; the last stretch is by road.
Collect the car at Kanazawa Station, 2h 26m from Tokyo on the Hokuriku Shinkansen. The resort gives about 40 minutes by road via Route 304 through Fukumitsu; it is about 40 minutes from Shin-Takaoka too, and about 50 minutes from Toyama IC. From the Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway, Fukumitsu Smart IC is about 15 minutes away.
Winter tyres are needed. Ask for them when you book the hire car. Parking is free, with about 1,500 spaces. Licence rules are in our car-hire notes.
Find a hire car ↗The resort's own route is rail to Fukumitsu (福光) and then a taxi of about 15 minutes. From Toyama Station that is the Ainokaze Toyama Railway to Takaoka, then the JR Jōhana Line to Fukumitsu. From Kanazawa there is the Kaetsunō Bus on its Nanto to Kanazawa line to Fukumitsu. No ski shuttle bus runs to the slopes, so this works for a small group that does not mind a taxi.
Passes: the Hokuriku Arch Pass (¥35,000, 7 days) and the JR Pass cover the Shinkansen to Kanazawa or Shin-Takaoka. The Kaetsunō bus, the Ainokaze Toyama Railway and taxis are not covered; see rail passes for what the pass reaches on local lines.
See the Arch Pass ↗See the JR Pass ↗Compare rail passes2025-26 prices in yen; 2026-27 prices are not yet posted.
| Ticket | Adult | Child | Senior |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 day | ¥5,000 | ¥2,500 | ¥4,000 |
| 4 hours | ¥4,000 | ¥2,000 | ¥3,500 |
| Night ticket | ¥4,000 | ¥2,000 | ¥3,500 |
| Single ride | ¥500 | ¥300 | ¥500 |
| Gondola, single ride | ¥1,500 | ¥800 | ¥1,500 |
| Season pass (includes night) | ¥47,000 | ¥25,000 | ¥43,000 |
Day skiing runs from 8:00 to 16:30. A family ticket exists, and children up to junior high school pay the child rate. The resort has an early-bird lift ticket sale for 2026-27, with exchange from 1 November 2026 at the office by the gondola station. Prices can change in season.
| Rental, per day (2025-26) | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|
| Ski set | ¥4,800 | ¥3,600 |
| Snowboard set | ¥4,800 | ¥3,600 |
| Wear | ¥4,000 | ¥3,200 |
There is a ski school and a snowboard school, a kids' area with sledding, and kids' wear rental from 100 cm.
A low hill with gentle terrain, built around the gondola.
A gondola climbs from the base to the summit at 770 m, where the Weisshorn (ワイスホルン) restaurant serves European dishes, wine and a cheese fondue. Five pair lifts serve the runs, and the longest course is 3,000 m. The exchange centre at the base has a free rest area, toilets and a changing space.
The family side has Ichotti Land, an indoor play area, the gentle Chibikko slope and the Heidi course for families. There is a ski school and a snowboard school, sledding, and kids' wear rental from 100 cm. Children up to junior high school pay the child ticket rate.
Night skiing ran from 17:30 to 21:00 last season; the resort posts which days it runs. The night ticket was ¥4,000 for adults and ¥2,000 for children on the 2025-26 list, and the season pass includes night skiing. It makes an easy after-work or after-sightseeing session from Kanazawa.
Snow is thinner here than at the high resorts: the top is 770 m and last season opened on 3 January.
Fourteen stays: five in Nanto and Tonami, six in Kanazawa and three at Takaoka. Check rates shows tonight's price for your dates.
How to choose: the resort lists lodging on the premises (contact the resort directly on 0763-55-1326). Beyond that, the choice is between a small inn in the hills or the plain, a drive from the slopes, or a base in Kanazawa, 40 minutes away, where there are far more rooms, the Shinkansen and the best food. If you land at Shin-Takaoka, the hotels at the station or in Takaoka are the shortest drive.
Inns in Nanto and Tonami
A small four-star lakeside hotel with 17 rooms in the Nanto hills. Scored 8.6 on Agoda from 43 reviews.
Check rates ↗A four-star onsen ryokan in the Shō River valley, for a ski day that ends with a hot-spring bath and a Japanese dinner. Scored 8.9 on Agoda from 37 reviews.
Check rates ↗A hostel-style guesthouse in the same hills as Sakuragaike. Scored 8.8 on Agoda from 57 reviews.
Check rates ↗A two-star town hotel in Fukuno, in the Nanto plain, for an easy night before the slopes. Scored 7.8 on Agoda from 82 reviews.
Check rates ↗A four-star resort hotel with 249 rooms and a spa, for families who want facilities. Scored 7.9 on Agoda from 221 reviews.
Check rates ↗Stay in Kanazawa and drive out
A 30-floor tower opposite the East Exit, linked to the station by an underground passage, so you never walk in the snow with your skis. Scored 9.2 on Agoda from 3,294 reviews.
Check rates ↗A modern hotel by the West Exit, an easy walk from the station. Scored 9.2 on Agoda from 3,796 reviews.
Check rates ↗Directly opposite the West Exit, with a rooftop terrace bar and a good breakfast, for a smarter base. Scored 9.3 on Agoda from 783 reviews.
Check rates ↗A hotel with its own natural hot-spring bath, which suits a cold day on snow. Scored 9.1 on Agoda from 6,904 reviews.
Check rates ↗Another Kanazawa hotel with a natural hot-spring bath. Scored 8.9 on Agoda from 6,760 reviews.
Check rates ↗A ryokan night in a quiet valley outside the city: hot-spring baths and a kaiseki dinner, for a ski trip that ends with a proper onsen evening. Scored 9.1 on Agoda from 109 reviews.
Check rates ↗Shin-Takaoka and Takaoka
A budget business hotel at the Shinkansen station, the practical choice if you arrive on the Hokuriku Shinkansen and collect a hire car. Scored 8.6 on Agoda from 849 reviews.
Check rates ↗A business hotel in front of Takaoka Station. Scored 8.5 on Agoda from 613 reviews.
Check rates ↗A city hotel in Takaoka, a step up from the business hotels. Scored 8.3 on Agoda from 285 reviews.
Check rates ↗all hotels in Kanazawa · all hotels in Takaoka · Kanazawa hotel guide · Getting to Kanazawa
Eat on the mountain, then spend the evening in Kanazawa or Nanto.
On the 2025-26 price list an adult day ticket was ¥5,000 (child ¥2,500, senior ¥4,000), a 4-hour ticket ¥4,000 and a night ticket ¥4,000. A single ride was ¥500 and a single gondola ride ¥1,500. 2026-27 prices are not yet posted, so treat these as last season's figures.
The resort posts its own dates. Based on last season, which ran from 3 January to 8 March 2026, expect an opening in early January and a close in early March 2027. It is a low hill (top 770 m), so the start depends on snowfall. Day skiing is from 8:00 to 16:30.
About 40 minutes by car. The resort's own figure from Kanazawa is 40 minutes via Route 304 through Fukumitsu, and Fukumitsu Smart IC on the Tokai-Hokuriku Expressway is about 15 minutes from the slopes. From Shin-Takaoka it is about 40 minutes by road.
Yes, but slowly. There is no ski bus. The resort's own route is rail to Fukumitsu (from Toyama: the Ainokaze Toyama Railway to Takaoka, then the JR Jōhana Line), then a taxi of about 15 minutes. From Kanazawa the Kaetsunō Bus Nanto to Kanazawa line also reaches Fukumitsu. A hire car from Kanazawa is easier.
Yes. Last season night skiing ran from 17:30 to 21:00, and the resort posts which days it runs. A night ticket was ¥4,000 for adults and ¥2,000 for children on the 2025-26 list.
Yes. The 7 courses are 40% beginner, 50% intermediate and 10% advanced. There is a ski school and a snowboard school, a kids' area with the Ichotti Land indoor play space, the gentle Chibikko slope and the Heidi course for families, plus sledding and nappy-changing facilities.
Only the Shinkansen. The Hokuriku Arch Pass and the JR Pass cover the Shinkansen to Kanazawa or Shin-Takaoka. The Kaetsunō bus, the Ainokaze Toyama Railway and taxis are not covered, so a hire car is the usual choice for the last stretch.
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