Charmant Hiuchi is located to the east of Itoigawa city and to the north west of the Myoko region of Niigata Prefecture (and north east of Hakuba in Nagano), quite close to Japan Sea coastline. Access is only from the north. The area gets a lot of snowfall and the resort often enjoys a long season into May.
Charmant Hiuchi may not be the easiest place to get to but it has been popular for it's various 'off-piste' ungroomed course areas (65% of the total courses), snow quantity and snow quality. There are three types of areas at the resort - Powder Area, Off Piste and On Piste. Be sure to register and sign if you intend to go out of bounds.
Niigata Prefecture is located in the central region of Honshu to the north of Tokyo and has a 250km long coastline facing the Sea of Japan. Convenient transportation links make Niigata very easy to get to from Tokyo and other surrounding regions. There are over 50 ski and snowboard resorts in Niigata Prefecture, ranging from small one-lift hills to some of the most well-known and popular ski resorts in Japan. While they are dotted around the mountains of the prefecture, most are concentrated in the southern regions - in particular the Yuzawa town and Minamiuonuma city area in the Chuetsu region and Myoko city in the Joetsu region.
Ski and snowboard lessons are available at Charmant Hiuchi.
Equipment Rental
Ski Rental:
Available
Snowboard Rental:
Available
Ski and snowboard equipment rental is available. Wear, telemark skis and snowscoots are also available to rent.
Children's facilities
There is a sledding area is available for children near the base of the resort.
There is also a special Kids Room in the base building.
Park information
Charmant is known for ungroomed powder snow, with 65% of courses remaining ungroomed.
The Snow Park - usually open from March - is close to the base of the quad lift.
Charmant Hiuchi Season & Opening Times
Typical season is from Mid December until Early May
October
November
December
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
Daytime
Weekends and holidays
Normally open from 8:30am until 4:15pm
Weekdays
Normally open from 8:30am until 4:15pm
'Nighta' (night skiing)
Weekends and holidays
No
Weekdays
No
Opening information
Charmant Hiuchi is normally open from 8:30am until 4:15pm.
From March the lifts open 15 minutes longer.
There is no night skiing at this area.
Charmant Hiuchi Lift Ticket Charges
Adults
Child
3 years to Junior High School age
Senior
55 years & over
1 Day
4,100 yen
3,050 yen
3,100 yen
Morning (8:30am-12:30pm)
3,100 yen
2,100 yen
2,100 yen
Afternoon (12pm-closing)
3,100 yen
2,100 yen
2,100 yen
2 Days
6,600 yen
5,000 yen
1 quad lift ride
500 yen
300 yen
1 pair lift ride
300 yen
300 yen
Season Ticket (all)
38,000 yen
18,000 yen
27,000 yen
Season Ticket (weekday)
17,000 yen
2020-2021 Season lift tickets
A ticket for one adult and two children is 4,200 yen.
Season ticket holders can get a discount on rental, use the park and get a discount on ski goods in the shop... as well as some discounts on tickets at other nearby ski areas.
Getting to Charmant Hiuchi
By public transport
Train
30.7km from Itoigawa Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen line
16.3km from Nou Station on the Nihonkai Hisui line
30.7km from Itoigawa Station on the Oito Line
Information
Charmant Hiuchi is just under 31km from Itoigawa Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen line, the Oito line and Nihonkai Hisui line.
Nou Station is the closest station on the Nihonkai Hisui line, just over 16km from the ski hill.
There is a free shuttle bus to Charmant Hiuchi from the South Exit of Itoigawa Station. This bus operates mainly on weekends and other holidays in the season. The bus leaves Nou Station at 8:12am.
A local bus also leaves Nou Station that goes to the resort (via a change of bus to a resort bus part way). That service costs 550 yen for one way and also operates weekends and holidaya.
By Car
16km from the Nou IC on the Hokuriku Expressway
32.8km from the Itoigawa IC on the Hokuriku Expressway
47.9km from the Joetsu IC on the Hokuriku Expressway
Nearest national route: Route 8 (17.1km away)
Nearest prefecture road: Prefecture Road 246
Direction
Charmant Hiuchi is about 16km (and a 30 minute drive) from the Nou IC exit of the Hokuriku Expressway.
At the Nou IC exit turn right onto Prefecture Road and basically follow this road up to the base of Charmant Hiuchi.
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