GALA Yuzawa's slopes are scheduled to open on Saturday, December 19, with the season continuing through May 5, 2027. The ¥4,800 early-bird lift ticket is on sale until 11 p.m. Japan time on Monday, November 30. A one-day ticket at the counter costs ¥8,000.
GALA Yuzawa (ガーラ湯沢) has its own seasonal shinkansen station connected directly to the ski center, which makes a day trip from Tokyo practical. The 8:30 a.m. train from Tokyo gets you there at 9:49.
The gondola starts on December 12, but December 12–18 is gondola and sightseeing-lift only. You can't ski or snowboard that week, so if you're coming to ride, pick a date from December 19 on.
2026–27 Season Dates
Dates | What's open |
|---|---|
Dec 12 (Sat) – Dec 18 (Fri), 2026 | Sightseeing only: gondola and sightseeing lift |
Dec 19 (Sat), 2026 – May 5 (Wed, national holiday), 2027 | Slopes open (scheduled) |
The published dates are provisional, and the closing date may change. Last season (2025–26), skiing ended on April 17 because of limited snow, and only the gondola and sightseeing lift ran for the rest of spring.
If your trip falls in spring, check GALA's notices before you go.
The South Area is closed for the whole 2026–27 season, so only the Central and North areas will be open. More on the closed runs further down.
As of November 9, GALA still hasn't posted this season's gondola and lift hours.
Lift Tickets: Early Bird, Online, or at the Counter
The early-bird ticket is ¥4,800, which is ¥3,200 under the ¥8,000 counter price. It's on sale until 11 p.m. on November 30 through two online ticket sites, Webket and JRE MALL Ticket, and there's no cap on how many will be sold.
A cheaper "super early" ticket at ¥4,300 went on sale October 5, limited to 1,000, and it's already sold out.
The early-bird announcement on GALA's site links to both sales sites, but it doesn't mention blackout dates or a child price.
The page is in Japanese, and we couldn't confirm whether the sales sites accept overseas cards, so check that before you count on the early-bird ticket. GALA says Webket tickets work with its automatic ticket machines. Before paying, check the sales page for blackout dates and a child fare.
After November 30, buying online still beats the counter by ¥500:
Ticket | Counter (adult / child, elementary school) | Online (adult / child, elementary school) |
|---|---|---|
Gondola & lift, 1 day | ¥8,000 / ¥4,000 | ¥7,500 / ¥3,500 |
4-hour | ¥7,500 / ¥3,500 | ¥7,000 / ¥3,000 |
See GALA Yuzawa lift ticket options
With the one-day gondola and lift ticket, preschoolers ride free, up to two per adult. A third child pays the child rate.
Getting There from Tokyo: December vs. January
GALA advertises "as fast as 71 minutes" from Tokyo Station, but the two trains that do it, Tanigawa (たにがわ) 71 and 73, only start in January. The December trains in the table below take 79 to 91 minutes.
Main trains from Tokyo:
Train | Times | Runs on |
|---|---|---|
Tanigawa 401 | Tokyo 6:36 → GALA Yuzawa 8:07 | Dec 12 – Feb 28 |
Tanigawa 73 | Tokyo 6:44 → GALA Yuzawa 7:55 (71 min) | Jan 1, Jan 4 – Feb 28 |
Tanigawa 75 | Tokyo 7:00 → GALA Yuzawa 8:23 | Dec 19, 20, 26, 27, Dec 30 – Jan 3, plus selected days in Jan and Feb |
Tanigawa 81 | Tokyo 8:30 → GALA Yuzawa 9:49 | Dec 12, 13, Dec 19 – Feb 28 |
Main trains back:
Train | Times | Runs on |
|---|---|---|
Tanigawa 86 | GALA Yuzawa 17:04 → Tokyo 18:20 | Dec 12 – Feb 28 |
Tanigawa 92 | GALA Yuzawa 18:01 → Tokyo 19:24 | Dec 12 – Feb 28 |
Tanigawa 414 | GALA Yuzawa 19:11 → Tokyo 20:40 | Dec 12 – Feb 28 |
Tanigawa 198 | GALA Yuzawa 20:19 → Tokyo 21:40 | Jan 16, 30, Feb 13, 27 |
Arriving on the 401 at 8:07 a.m. and leaving on the 86 at 5:04 p.m. gives you about nine hours at GALA, though this season's lift hours aren't out yet.
If you're renting, gear is due back by 5:30 p.m., so the later 92 or 414 won't add much ski time. They do leave more time to eat and change before the ride home.
These times come from JR East's timetable as of November 9, 2026, which only goes through February 28. Trains from March on haven't been announced. Each train operates on different dates, so check the train for your travel date on JR East's Eki-net (えきねっと) before booking.
If you ride to Echigo-Yuzawa Station (越後湯沢駅) instead, a free shuttle bus gets you to GALA in about 10 minutes.
Early-Bird Ticket, Rail Pass, or Package
If you're using the JR TOKYO Wide Pass (¥16,000 for three days), the train is covered: JR East uses Tokyo to GALA Yuzawa as one of its sample routes for the pass.
In that case, all you need is a lift ticket, and the early-bird ticket is the cheapest adult lift ticket still on sale, provided it covers your date.
Without a pass, the other option is JR East's JR SKISKI shinkansen package to GALA Yuzawa for 2026–27, sold on its travel site (びゅうトラベル). Bookings are set to open around mid-November and prices aren't out yet. The page is in Japanese.
The package comes with or without a lift ticket, so pick the version with one if you're skipping the early-bird ticket.
If bookings open on schedule, you'll see package prices before the early-bird deadline. There's no cap on the number of early-bird tickets sold, so you don't need to buy one before package prices appear.
To compare, take the package price, subtract ¥4,800, and set that against the round-trip train fare for your date (Eki-net shows it). If the fare is cheaper, buy the early-bird ticket and book the train yourself. If not, go with the package.
If package prices still aren't posted by November 30, our pick is the early-bird ticket, as long as the sales page shows it's valid on your date.
The early-bird ticket is ¥2,700 under the ¥7,500 online day ticket, and because the package also comes without a lift ticket, you can still book that version later.
Note that the no-lift-ticket version isn't treated as a ski package: if the opening is delayed or the season ends early, the usual cancellation fees still apply.
For reference, last season's package (round-trip reserved seats plus a one-day lift ticket) ran ¥13,800 to ¥14,600 for an adult on a weekday, as of December 15, 2025. JR East raised fares in March 2026, so treat that as a rough guide.
Lift tickets included in the package aren't issued by station ticket machines. Show the QR code on your final itinerary at GALA's lift ticket counter to collect yours.
New to the shinkansen? Here's how reserved seats and luggage rules work: How to Ride the Shinkansen in Japan: A First-Timer's Guide for 2026 (Tickets, Luggage Rules & Etiquette)
Gear and Clothing Rentals at the Station
Kawabanga (カワバンガ), the ski center inside the station, rents everything from skis to jackets. A one-day ski or snowboard set costs ¥6,500 for junior high school students and older, or ¥4,000 for elementary school students and younger children.
A jacket-and-pants set is ¥5,500, or ¥3,000 for kids. Renting both gear and outerwear comes to ¥12,000 for an adult. Add the early-bird ticket and you're at ¥16,800 before train fare.
Goggles (¥1,800) and helmets (¥2,300) are also for rent. Gloves are for sale at ¥1,500. Bring your own base layers (top and bottom).
From December 19 to April 4, rentals start at 7:30 a.m. Online reservations open one month before the winter season starts, according to GALA's rental page.
For an extra ¥1,000 per person, you can have your rental set aside in a PICK UP BOX.
Book by noon two days before. The service is available from December 19 to March 31, with pickup from 7:30 a.m. to noon. Payment is card-only, and boxes are limited.
2026–27 Runs: Closures and Beginner Picks
With the South Area shut for 2026–27, four runs are closed: 2.6 Million Dollar (260万ダラー), Bronco, Eliza and Batman. The Wagonette (ワゴネット) pair lift and the Landau (ランドー) ropeway to Yuzawa Kogen (湯沢高原) are out too. To reach Yuzawa Kogen, take the shuttle bus instead.
The 16 runs listed by GALA include the four that are closed. The runs it recommends for beginners are Melody, Edelweiss, Swan and Roman Holiday, all in the Central and North areas that are open.
The longest is the 2,500 m Falcon, which runs from the North Area all the way down to the ski center.
Got more than a day? Hakuba and Niseko take longer to reach from Tokyo, and our guides cover opening dates and lift passes for both: Hakuba Valley 2026-27: Lift Pass Prices, Opening Dates, and Getting There from Tokyo and Niseko Ski 2026-27: Opens Nov 28, Lift Pass Prices, and Getting There.
This article was translated from the original Japanese with AI assistance and reviewed by our editorial team. The Japanese version is authoritative.
