This year, my winter goal was to try skiing for the first time EVER. Skiing and snowboarding enthusiasts say Japan has some of the best dry powder in the world, and so I set a goal to give it a try. On a Saturday in February, I went on a skiing day trip to Gala Yuzawa from Tokyo and I lived to tell the story. If you’re in a similar boat, let me help you plan your Gala Yuzawa day trip from Tokyo, especially as a first timer.

Why Gala Yuzawa Japan?

When I initially set out to go skiing, I had visions of spending a weekend at a ski resort in Hakuba or Hokkaido or other places. However, I wasn’t quite aware of just how popular these resorts are with visitors, especially those from outside Japan. So, with limited options, my colleague suggested that I try out a ski resort in close proximity to Tokyo and she suggested this specific resort for a number of reasons:

• It can be reached by Shinkansen within 75 minutes from Tokyo
• They have a ski school, with English speaking instructors (much needed for newbies like me)
• The resort is directly connected to the train station, how convenient!
  

Needless to say, I was sold! Gala Yuzawa Japan is an excellent day trip from Tokyo during the winter months and it can be enjoyed by both skiers/snowboarders and non-skiers alike. Gala Yuzawa resort is one of the most popular skiing and snowboarding resorts in Japan and this is due to its location. Gala Yuzawa resort is located in Niigata prefecture and the area is known for great dry powder and heavy snowfall. 

While Tokyo gets very little snow every winter, Gala Yuzawa seemed a whole world away! What a treat for snow lovers (and wannabes like me)!

Getting To Gala Yuzawa From Tokyo

Gala Yuzawa is 166 km from Tokyo. By road, it is a 2 hour 45 minute drive. However, by bullet train you’re hitting the slopes in 75 minutes. To get to Gala Yuzawa from Tokyo: 

1. Purchase your Joetsu Shinkansen Tanigawa service tickets for the ride  directly to Gala Yuzawa from Tokyo Station
2. Operated by : JR East 
3. Trains operate 12 times daily
4. Buy tickets directly on the JR East website or at Tokyo Station

Pro Tip: During peak season, if you have to go on a weekend, book a reserved seat in advance or you’ll find yourself standing on a crammed train for the entire 75-minute train ride. Worse, unless you leave on an early train, you might not even get to board the train with an unreserved ticket until much later in the day as they get packed! I arrived at 6:15am to catch the 6:44am departure from Tokyo station. With 30 minutes to spare, I decided to get in line for a hot drink! Big Mistake! By the time I got to the platform, all unreserved seating was snapped up. I got on the train though, but I had to stand the whole ride.

If you can go on a weekday, the train and the resort will have much less traffic.

Gala Yuzawa Season and Opening Hours

The season is typically from December to early April (with spring season in May). 

• Trail: 8:00 – 16:30
• Last Gondola Lift: 16:00 

Booking Ski School Lesson & Snow Gear Rental 

As an absolute newbie to all things skiing, I needed to take lessons. I contacted the snow school in advance to inquire about slots for an English lesson. Unfortunately, It was a bit tough to book as a solo traveler, however, I asked that the school contact me if a group lesson opened up and I could sign up and that’s exactly what happened. I received an email from them on a Wednesday and was stumbling through the slopes on Saturday. 

The ski school offers lessons for both children and adults in English, Thai, Mandarin, and Cantonese. The school contacted information is here. Group lessons cost 12,000 yen per head and I paid in advance via a link provided by the school. However it is important to note that private lessons are also available. Once my lesson was booked, the next task was paying for gear rental in advance. As a novice, I own no ski gear and decided to rent. Good thing is, everything is available at the resort. I decided to book the gear rental in advance and that was the best thing to do. I signed up to rent the following items, and since I paid online in advance, I skipped the line and went to pick up my items on arrival

• Ski 3-piece set (skis, boots, and poles)
• Ski -wear (Jacket and pants)
• Goggles
• Helmet 

While I didn’t need a snowboard or sleds, they were available for rent. Avid skiers brought their own stuff and it was cool looking at all the cute skiing and snowboarding gear.

Pro- Tip: Book rentals in advance online (you skip lines), and if you need lessons, send an email to the school in advance.

What To Wear/Pack

Thanks to Youtube videos, I figured out everything that I needed to pack/wear. I learned that layering is important in order to stay warm and comfortable. I figured I’d rather be warm and have to remove layers than not be dressed warmly enough. 

• A knitted hat
• A neck warmer (ordered on Amazon prime at the last minute)
• Thick socks (also ordered on Amazon prime)
• Thermal wear (top and bottom)
• Long sleeve sweater
• Waterproof jacket
• Pants and then I wore my rented snow pants over them
• Gloves (waterproof to an extent)

I also packed a red lipstick to look cute under all the garb, a braided wig (haha not required but your girl wanted to slay and keep a warm head), and a protein bar that would fit in my pocket, just in case I got hungry on the slopes. 

Pro-Tip: Pack warm clothes and dress in layers, it’s better to pack too much and remove layers than to be cold in the mountains.

What To Do Upon Arrival at Gala Yuzawa Resort

The train pulled into the Yuzawa station and I followed the crowd, we were all there for the same reason after all. I found the check-in counter for the ski school right next to the train station exit, and did all the check-in procedures. I arrived 1.5 hours before class (I’m NEVER this early for leisurely activities so this tells you how out of my element I was). 

Next, I was pointed in the direction of another counter to purchase my ticket. the day. As a student, I purchased a day pass. Then off I went to pick up my pre-reserved gear, and then I was shown the spot to book a locker and then the changing rooms. I was quite impressed at how organized the whole set up is for picking up rentals or even for those that chose to rent on the day. 

Good thing I arrived early as it certainly took me a while to get suited up by myself for the first time. I could not figure out the boots for the life of me so I went to get help at the gear desk and they were so helpful!

Fully dressed at last, I looked in the mirror and I looked like the real deal, like I knew what I was doing. I added the red lipstick for good measure, took a few selfies, and off I went. If you’re going for cute, bring your own skiing wear as the rented stuff is NOT cute but it does the job!

Canyon Ski School at Yuzawa Snow Report

I had a bit of time to spare even after being the slowest person to get dressed, and taking 5656 photos in my ski gear so I went back to the ski school front desk to wait another half hour for class to start. Let me tell you, walking in ski boots is a whole workout on its own! Those things are heavy! 

Our instructor arrived and her name is Mercedes and she’s from Argentina. I was very glad to see we only had a class of 3, which meant that we’d each get pretty decent attention from the instructor. It was myself, and a couple from Thailand and we were all first time skiers. 

She gave us a quick introductory talk, made sure we had our gear on correctly, and made me get a helmet. I hadn’t rented one initially as I didn’t know it was mandatory, and I didn’t think it was cute. Well, safety first and thankfully the lines weren’t long. The hardest part though was walking all the way back and forth in those heavy boots!

Next, we got on the cable car to take up to the slopes. I could not believe I was doing it and in all honesty, I was equal parts excited and nervous! We started off just learning to put on and take off the skis. And then moved on into learning how to position ourselves appropriately while skiing. We learned the PIZZA, and learned how to turn. We started learning in flat areas, and then stepped up to small slopes of course. It was a hilarious mess and I was very much a beginner. Mercedes was patient, a real trooper, and a great teacher!

Before we knew it, the 3 hour ski school was over and we had the rest of the day to keep practicing on our own and enjoy the resort. 

Pro-Tip: I didn’t do this, but I’d recommend that you think about the whole day and consider what you’d want to do even after your skiing lessons. 

Lunch Time & People Watching At Cheers Rest House

After a few hours of skiing, you’d be ready to refuel, or at least take a break before continuing to enjoy the resort’s facilities. Cheers Rest House is the main food court with the most seating and a decent number of food and drink options. So take off your skis, leave them outside (like hundreds of others), and go right in! You can pay for lunch with cash, card, or even your IC/Suica card.

Pro-Tip: It gets busy at lunch time to plan your timing in advance, and have someone in your group save seats. I didn’t think about this and only went to look for a seat after queuing for food, I probably had to walk around for 10-15 minutes before I could find a place to sit. When you’re hungry and exhausted, that can feel like a long time. 

Other Facilities/Activities at Gala Yuzawa Resort

Beyond snowboarding and skiing, there are so many other things to do at the resort for non-skiers. On my next visit, I would plan to take skiing lessons on the first half of the day, and then enjoy other activities after lunch. Aside from watching skiers and snowboarders, you can:

• Enjoy panoramic views of the mountains from the Bell of Love observation
• Enjoy the snow enjoyment park, which is simply dedicated to snow play. Kids and adults would love it!
• Go down the sledding course! Sled gear rental is available on-site
• Go on a snowmobile sled tour and also go snow tubing!
• Ride the Barouche chairlift up the mountain. Lines can get long so consider riding as soon as you can especially if you’re not skiing

Make A Stop In  Echigo – For Sake Lovers

Niigata is the microbrewery sake capital of Japan. One thing I didn’t get to do is check out the sake vending machines at Yuzawa.  At Echigo, Yuzawa, you can try over 100 different types of Niigata-made sake and then buy bottles of any one you like. The machines span an entire wall!  At Ponshukan sake museum, you can do a sake tasting tour here, and taste 100% locally sourced Niigata sake.  https://ponshukan.com/en/yuzawa/ .

My Experience

As a solo first time skier, there seemed to be quite a bit to do in order to ski and it can be quite overwhelming, so I’m really glad I left Tokyo early and arrived at the resort with ample time. I needed it. 

There were 3 students and one instructor, and I thought it was perfect. We were all first time skiers so we definitely needed all the instructions. Our instructor was patient and taught us the very basics like how to put on and take off the skis, how to move with them, our stances for skiing versus stopping (Pizza), how to get off the gondola,  and so on. 

Of course I fell a good number of times, as expected! One time though, I totally lost control going fast down a slope and totally wiped out a lady in another ski lesson. We got so tangled up between our limbs and skis, we needed help getting on our feet. I felt so terrible! I’m just glad that nothing was broken on all sides!

It was such a lovely day to be outside and I even got to take off one layer of clothing as it got too warm. The sun was out, the snow was dry, and it was a wonderful experience. Our 3 hour lesson was a great start but it came to an end so quickly! 

I would love to go back and spend more time enjoying other activities at the resort, beyond skiing! Stay tuned for an update to this blog post next winter season :). I recommend this day trip for your winter travel to Japan. Planning a Trip to Japan, I’ve got you!

• Here is what I wish I knew before traveling to Japan to enhance your experience, and
• 19 things to do before your trip to Japan

Total Cost Of My Day Trip To Gala Yuzawa From Tokyo

• Group Ski Lesson: 12,000
• Rental slothing and skis: 13,500
• Helmet: 1,500
• Locker rental: 700 yen
• Gondola Ticket: 3,000 
• Shinkansen train to Gala Yuzawa: 6,600 (unreserved seating)
• Shinkansen train to Tokyo Station: 12,900 (Gran class)
• Souvenirs (I can’t remember)

PS: All prices are in Japanese Yen as of February 2025

Returning to Tokyo In Gran Class

After standing the whole way on my way to the resort, I was very glad to have booked a Gran class ticket on the return. This was also my first time sitting in this class. It was not crowded at all, the seats were guaranteed, and plush! While there was no food or beverage service on this route, I thoroughly enjoyed this ride, and only took 45,457 photos of my first fancy train class seat ever! 

 Most importantly, it was wonderful to be able to sit the entire ride after a long (okay, short) day on the slopes. I was surprised that no one came to check our tickets and the seats are more comfortable than a business class plane seat in my opinion. Highly recommend, even if it is a one time splurge!

Overall Impressions from a Day Trip Skiing in Gala Yuzawa Japan 

I love how accessible the ski resort is! It makes a memorable day trip to Gala Yuzawa from Tokyo. I’m so proud of myself for trying something new, doing it solo, and for coming back with my bones intact! In all honesty, my shins were sore for weeks (yes!!!) afterwards from my use of those muscles for the first time in my life!

But here I am, in my late 30s learning something new out for the world to see. I fell many times and even crashed into other people. I didn’t do it alone and I had an instructor/guide. I also got right back up each time I fell. 

I love how this is a reminder that you can still learn new things, you are not alone, and you can get back up even if you stumble a time or two (or ten).

Here’s to more adventures to keep us young in spirit, in body, and at heart. Happy travels.