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冬
Ski season
WinterDec–Mar
Now at the resorts · 12 December peak season opens
Lotte Arai's peak season runs 12 December 2026 to 21 March 2027; a spring season follows, with dates not yet posted.
春 夏 秋 冬
Checked 4 Nov 20268 min read
Season 2026-27
Peak 12 Dec to 21 Mar; spring dates not posted
Vertical
About 951 m (2017 figure)
Courses
14 on the resort's page; 23 by other counts
Adult day ticket
¥7,777 Economy · ¥12,777 First Class
Night skiing
A night ticket is listed; no dates posted
Nearest Shinkansen
Jōetsu-Myōkō, about 2h from Tokyo
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Find a hire car ↗ Rail passes

Peak season shown; the spring season follows (last season ran to 10 May) but its 2026-27 dates were not posted on 4 November 2026.

In brief

Lotte Arai Resort (ロッテアライリゾート) runs its 2026-27 peak season from 12 December 2026 to 21 March 2027, with an Economy day ticket at ¥7,777 and a First Class ticket with priority boarding at ¥12,777. The station is Jōetsu-Myōkō, about 2h from Tokyo on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, then the resort's guest shuttle, a taxi or a hire car (about 16 minutes).

Why Lotte Arai

Lotte Arai sits on the western side of the Myōkō snow belt in Niigata and is built around one large hotel at the foot of the lifts, so you can ski out of the door. It is a powder and tree-skiing hill: the resort's course list runs from groomed pistes to a freeriding zone, and its lifts include the Arai Gondola, the Zendana lift and the Kogenashi lift. Tickets come in Economy and First Class, and First Class buys an earlier start and a separate boarding gate.

The other Myōkō hills, Akakura, Ikenotaira and Suginohara, are about 20 minutes away by road and are covered in our Myōkō ski guide; the Myōkō guide has the onsen and the food. Below: how to get here by train or car, every lift ticket price, the mountain, and where to stay.

Getting there

By train or by car

Both start at Jōetsu-Myōkō, the Hokuriku Shinkansen stop between Iiyama and Itoigawa.

No car needed
電

By train

Tokyo to Jōetsu-Myōkō · about 2h · ¥9,660

Hokuriku Shinkansen to Jōetsu-Myōkō: Tokyo about 2h (¥9,660 reserved). Every Hakutaka stops there, but most Kagayaki trains skip it, so check the timetable. Nagano, Toyama and Kanazawa are on the same line.

Then the resort's free shuttle for hotel guests, from the station's west exit, about 30 minutes. It needs a reservation, and the cut-off is reported as 7:00 on the day by one source and 17:00 the day before by another, so book the seat with your room and confirm the time with the resort (+81-255-75-1100). Without a room, take a taxi. The local Echigo Tokimeki line stops at Nihongi and Arai on its way to Myōkō-Kōgen, but the resort is on the hill above Arai, several kilometres from both stops.

Passes: the Hokuriku Arch Pass (¥35,000, 7 days) and the JR East Pass (¥35,000, 5 days) both cover the Shinkansen to Jōetsu-Myōkō, and the JR East Pass also covers the Echigo Tokimeki line from Naoetsu to Arai. Neither covers the shuttle or a taxi. A return from Tokyo is ¥19,320 reserved, so a pass pays only if you add other trips.

See the Arch Pass ↗See the JR East Pass ↗Compare rail passes
車

By car

Jōetsu-Myōkō Station · about 14 km · 16 min

Collect the car at Jōetsu-Myōkō Station, where the hire companies have offices, or in Takada. On the map the resort is about 14 km and 16 minutes from the station and about 19 km (20 minutes) from Takada, with no traffic or snow. A third-party page puts the drive from Arai Smart IC on the Jōshin-etsu Expressway at about 10 minutes.

Ask for winter tyres when you book; some companies fit them as standard from mid December and others charge extra. In snow, allow well over the map time.

Parking: a third-party page reports about 1,500 spaces, free; confirm with the resort before you drive. Licence rules are in our car-hire notes, and By car has the road-trip routes.

Find a hire car ↗
Lift tickets

Lift ticket prices 2026-27 (雪票)

Peak season, in yen.

TicketAdult 16–4950+Child 7–15
Economy, PM (from 11:00)¥6,800¥6,300¥5,000
Economy, 1 day¥7,777¥7,300¥5,555
Economy, 2 days¥15,000¥14,000¥10,000
Economy, 3 days¥22,000¥20,500¥14,500
Economy, 4 days¥29,000¥27,000¥19,000
Economy, 5 days¥36,000¥33,500¥23,500
Economy, 20 hours¥30,000¥28,000¥20,000
Economy, 40 hours¥52,000¥48,000¥37,000
First Class, 1 day¥12,777¥12,300¥8,555
First Class, 2 days¥25,000¥24,000¥16,000
First Class, 3 days¥37,000¥35,500¥23,500
First Class, 4 days¥49,000¥47,000¥31,000
First Class, 5 days¥61,000¥58,500¥38,500
First Class, 20 hours¥50,000¥48,000¥33,000
First Class, 40 hours¥94,000¥90,000¥63,000

Prices are from the resort's 2026-27 Economy and First Class pages, read on 4 November 2026, for the peak season 12 December 2026 to 21 March 2027: adults 16 to 49, 50 and over (show ID), children 7 to 15. Children 6 and under ride free but collect a free ticket at the Ticket Center with the child present. Economy tickets start at 8:30. First Class starts at 8:00 and gives priority boarding through a separate gate on the Arai Gondola, Zendana lift and Kogenashi lift; tickets are limited per day and sales begin once the season starts. An Economy ticket can be upgraded for ¥5,000 a day (19 and over) or ¥3,000 (7 to 18); a multi-day ticket is upgraded for all its days. Refunds are not given for personal reasons. Ticket Center: +81-255-75-1177.

Buy ahead (雪票): the resort has a Lift Tickets Online page and a promotion code field, and states no advance discount on its ticket pages. Third-party sites such as WAmazing also sell Lotte Arai tickets, priced in dollars with early-bird rates; compare with the yen prices above before you pay. The resort also lists a Night Ski Ticket and a spring-season price list, with no dates or prices posted on 4 November 2026.

On the mountain

Terrain, lessons, the base

What the resort and other sources say. Some figures differ between them and are marked.

01

Powder and tree skiingパウダー

Arai Gondola, Zendana and Kogenashi lifts · peak season from 12 Dec 2026

The resort's slope page lists 14 courses and a freeriding zone; third-party sites count 23 courses and 8 lifts, with a longest run of 5,200 m and a split of about 25% beginner, 40% intermediate and 35% advanced, mostly ungroomed. Vertical is given as about 951 m, a 2017 figure from the resort's reopening. The resort does not publish top and base altitudes on the pages read.

A sightseeing gondola also runs, and a third-party site reports a kids' snow-play garden at the top, open into spring.

Vertical
about 951 m
Longest run
5,200 m (third party)
Day ticket
¥7,777
02

The hotel at the baseロッテアライリゾート

Ski-in, ski-out · 1966 Ryōzenji, Myōkō · main line +81-255-75-1100

The resort is one large hotel with the lifts at its door. Its own pages list two rental shops, SALOMON STATION and SALOMON STATION+, and Hoshizora Onsen under wellness. Rental prices in yen are not published on the pages read, and third-party sites sell ski or board sets with a lift ticket.

Rental
SALOMON STATION
Bath
Hoshizora Onsen
03

Lessons and kidsスクール

Two schools listed by the resort · JSKI for Chinese

The resort lists Snow School Inter Alpen and Myoko Snowsports; book through the resort. Chinese: JSKI (jcosa.net), a Chinese-language teaching service, lists Lotte Arai (樂天新井) among its venues and takes sign-ups through a form; its entry gives no dates or prices, so confirm the resort and the date when you book.

Kids: under 7s ride free, and the snow-play garden suits those who are not skiing. Families who want gentler terrain can also look at Ikenotaira in our Myōkō ski guide.

Under 7
lift ticket free
Chinese lessons
JSKI form
Where to stay

Hotels at Lotte Arai, Jōetsu-Myōkō, Takada and Myōkō Kōgen

Thirteen stays across five bases. Check rates shows tonight's price for your dates.

At the resort

Arai · ski-in, ski-out

Lotte Arai Resort

ロッテアライリゾート · Myōkō

The base and the only stay on the mountain: a 5-star resort hotel with 8.6 on Agoda from 1,255 reviews, at the foot of the lifts.

Check rates ↗

Arai town

Jōetsu-Myōkō Station, the cheap Shinkansen base

Station · hotel

APA Hotel Jōetsu-Myōkō Ekimae

上越妙高駅前 · Jōetsu

Beside the Shinkansen station: 8.9 on Agoda from 593 reviews, about 16 minutes by car from the slopes.

Check rates ↗
Station · business hotel

Toyoko Inn Jōetsumyōkō-eki Nishiguchi

東横INN上越妙高駅西口 · Jōetsu

At the station's west exit: 8.3 on Agoda from 1,130 reviews, the most reviewed station hotel.

Check rates ↗

Takada, the castle town

Takada · city hotel

Art Hotel Jōetsu

アートホテル上越 · Takada, Jōetsu

The most reviewed stay near the station: 8.0 on Agoda from 1,880 reviews, in Takada, about 20 minutes by car from the resort.

Check rates ↗

Myōkō Kōgen, about 20 minutes away

Ikenotaira · lodge

Park Lodge Sekine

池の平温泉 パークロッヂ関根 · Ikenotaira Onsen

A lodge at Ikenotaira Onsen, scored 9.4 on Agoda from 29 reviews.

Check rates ↗

How to choose: the resort hotel is the only ski-in, ski-out stay and the simplest for a first morning on the lifts. Jōetsu-Myōkō Station and Takada are the cheaper, flexible bases for a train trip, 16 to 20 minutes by car or taxi from the slopes. Myōkō Kōgen (Akakura and Ikenotaira) suits anyone who wants an onsen village and a second hill; see Myōkō hotels for more.

Eat and après

After the lifts

The resort lists seven restaurants of its own, so a night on the mountain does not need a car. Off the hill, Myōkō Kōgen has the onsen villages.

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    Dinner at the resort. The resort's dining page lists The PLATE, Japanese Restaurant Asahi, Shabu-shabu Yashiro, Sushi Yoshi, Steak House BECO, the Gondola-restaurant Village and SKY RESTAURANT ZEN. Opening hours and winter days are on the resort's own site.
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    A bath after the lifts. Hoshizora Onsen is the resort's own bath. For village baths, Myōkō's onsen include Akakura and Ikenotaira, about 20 minutes away by road.
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    Local food and sake. The Myōkō food and sake guide covers what to eat in the valley.
FAQ

Lotte Arai questions, answered

How much is a Lotte Arai lift ticket in 2026-27?

In the peak season (12 December 2026 to 21 March 2027) an Economy one-day ticket is ¥7,777 for ages 16 to 49, ¥7,300 for 50 and over and ¥5,555 for children 7 to 15. A PM ticket from 11:00 is ¥6,800, two days cost ¥15,000 and three days ¥22,000. A First Class one-day ticket, with priority boarding, is ¥12,777. Children 6 and under ride free but collect a free ticket at the Ticket Center.

Can I buy a Lotte Arai lift ticket (雪票) before I arrive?

The resort has a Lift Tickets Online page and a promotion code field, but its ticket pages state no advance discount. Third-party sites such as WAmazing also sell Lotte Arai tickets in dollars, sometimes with early-bird prices, so compare with the resort's yen price before paying. Tickets have no refund for personal reasons; a same-day refund is possible only if every lift and gondola is closed all day for weather.

What is First Class at Lotte Arai?

First Class tickets give priority boarding through a separate gate on the Arai Gondola, Zendana lift and Kogenashi lift, and let you ride from 8:00 instead of 8:30. They are sold in limited numbers per day, from ¥12,777 for one day. An Economy ticket can be upgraded for ¥5,000 a day (ages 19 and over) or ¥3,000 (7 to 18) in the peak season.

How do I get from Tokyo to Lotte Arai?

Take the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Jōetsu-Myōkō: about 2h, ¥9,660 reserved. From the station the resort runs a free shuttle for its guests from the west exit; it needs a reservation, so book it with your room and confirm the cut-off with the resort. Otherwise take a taxi or hire a car: the resort is about 14 km, 16 minutes by road from the station with no traffic. The Hokuriku Arch Pass and the JR East Pass cover the Shinkansen but not the shuttle or a taxi.

Can I drive to Lotte Arai?

Yes. From Jōetsu-Myōkō Station it is about 14 km and 16 minutes with no traffic, and from Takada about 19 km and 20 minutes. Allow more in snow and ask the hire company for winter tyres. Parking is reported as about 1,500 spaces, free, on a third-party page, so check with the resort.

When does Lotte Arai open, and when is the best time to go?

The peak season runs from Saturday 12 December 2026 to Sunday 21 March 2027. A spring season follows, but its dates were not posted on 4 November 2026; last season ran to 10 May 2026. It is a powder and tree-skiing hill, so January and February are the safest months for deep snow.

Are there ski lessons in Chinese or English at Lotte Arai?

The resort lists two schools, Snow School Inter Alpen and Myoko Snowsports. JSKI (jcosa.net), a Chinese-language teaching service, lists Lotte Arai (樂天新井) among its venues with a sign-up form, but gives no dates or prices, so confirm the resort and date when you book.

Lotte Arai or Akakura Onsen?

Choose Lotte Arai for a ski-in, ski-out hotel, powder and tree runs, and Akakura Onsen for a village of ryokan and onsen with cheaper lift tickets close to the Myōkō Kōgen stops. They are about 20 minutes apart by road, so the two can share a trip. See our Myōkō ski guide for Akakura, Ikenotaira and Suginohara.

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