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snowy resort
Lat Long: 40.00° N 140.97° E
Ski Japan - Iwate

Appi Kogen Resort Reviews

Weather Forecast for Appi Kogen at 1023m altitude

Issued: 8 pm 20 Apr 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Next snow in Appi Kogen: 0.4cm on Mon 27th  (after 9 PM)

Visitor reviews for Appi Kogen Ski Resort

Appi Kogen Ratings

Overall: 3.9. Based on 6 votes and 3 reviews.

Snowsure: 4.7

  • Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing
  • Is often closed due to a lack of snow
  • Occasionally suffers from a lack of snow
  • Rarely suffers from a lack of snow
  • Appi Kogen is snowsure even in the poorest seasons

Variety of pistes: 4.3

  • The ski runs are featureless and unvaried
  • The ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week
  • Appi Kogen has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain

Off-piste: 3.2

  • No off-piste worth mentioning
  • Off piste is out-of-bounds
  • Some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days
  • A vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days

Scenery: 4.2

  • An ugly resort in a bland setting
  • Average mountain views and resort
  • A spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town

Access: 3.7

  • At least one overnight stop
  • Requires a whole day
  • Requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns
  • Arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon
  • There is a main airport within an hour of Appi Kogen

Public Transport: 4.5

  • There are no buses or taxis to Appi Kogen
  • There are slow or infrequent buses / trains available
  • Getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections

Accommodation: 4.3

  • No places to stay in/near Appi Kogen
  • A few places to stay in the resort
  • A wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets

Cheap Rooms: 3.0

  • No budget accommodation available
  • Just one or two hostels so book ahead
  • Several cheap hostels and pensions available

Luxury Hotels: 4.3

  • No luxury accommodation available
  • Just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead
  • Several up-market hotels in Appi Kogen

Ski in/Ski out: 4.5

  • The ski area is located far from any accommodation
  • A free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip
  • Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available

Childcare: 4.0

  • There are no child care facilities at Appi Kogen
  • The resort has limited child-care facilities
  • the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche

Snowmaking: 2.0

  • Appi Kogen relies entirely on natural snow
  • There are just a few snow cannons
  • There are snowmaking facilities on all pistes

Snow Grooming: 5.0

  • There are no snow groomers at Appi Kogen
  • Occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state
  • All the runs at Appi Kogen are groomed daily

Shelter: 4.0

  • There is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut
  • There are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close
  • Appi Kogen is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close

Nearby options: 3.4

  • If snow conditions are poor at Appi Kogen, it will be poor everywhere nearby
  • There are good alternatives within an hours drive
  • Other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions

Regional rating: 4.2

  • Appi Kogen usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region
  • Has average conditions for the region
  • Usually has the best snow conditions in the region

Lift Staff: 5.0

  • The staff at Appi Kogen are rude or unhelpful
  • Lift staff at Appi Kogen are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help

Crowds/Queues: 3.8

  • The resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues
  • It is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays
  • It is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare

Ski Schools: 3.5

  • No ski schools available
  • One or two ski schools but local language only
  • A few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors
  • Plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available
  • Excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors

Hire and Repairs: 4.2

  • Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex
  • There are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance
  • Good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible

Beginners: 4.5

  • Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard
  • A few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week
  • Vast areas of gentle terrain

Intermediates: 4.5

  • No intermediate terrain at Appi Kogen
  • Intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days
  • Vast areas of cruising runs

Advanced: 3.8

  • Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders
  • Enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste
  • Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week

Snow Park: 4.0

  • Not even a kicker at Appi Kogen
  • Average sized park quite well looked after
  • Huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails

Cross-country: 2.8

  • There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Appi Kogen
  • There are some cross country trails available
  • The area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails

Luge/Toboggan: 2.0

  • No designated luge or toboggan runs
  • There are toboggan runs that open quite often
  • Appi Kogen has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages

Mountain Dining: 4.2

  • Nowhere to buy food by the pistes
  • Some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive
  • There is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets

Eating: 4.2

  • Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop
  • There are a few places to eat in the resort but nothing special
  • A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants

Apres-Ski: 3.0

  • Nothing to do, not even a bar
  • There are a few bars in the resort but nothing special
  • Clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere

Other Sports: 3.8

  • No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts
  • Resort has just a small public swimming pool
  • Resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool

Entertainment: 3.0

  • Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here
  • The non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week
  • The resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports

Winter Walks: 3.3

  • Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails
  • A couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails
  • Extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities

Ski Pass Value: 4.2

  • A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available
  • The ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts
  • Ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area

Value (National): 3.8

  • Overall, Appi Kogen is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money
  • Overall represents average value for money
  • Overall offers the best value resort in the country

Value (Global): 4.6

  • Overall, Appi Kogen is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world
  • Overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries
  • Internationally the resort offers excellent value for money

Show all 35 ratings

January 17, 2014
JustinR
Appi Kogen, for us over the last four days, has been great. We've had some terrific powder skiing of various depths. Yesterday was knee to waist deep off the side of the piste. We stayed at this great pension called Mutti run by Kayoko, a seriously wonderful host. Lift queues didn't exist this week (Jan 13th). Give Appi a go whilst you're exploring Japanese skiing and its vast array of resorts.
February 21, 2012
The Ellis Family
Just returned from a fabulous holiday at Appi Kogen staying at the Appi Grand Hotel. Appi is a fantastic ski in-ski out family resort with amazing snow, excellent facilities and numerous food options. Incredibly, no crowds whatsoever, at times we skied for 3 or 4 kms without seeing anyone. Weekends are slightly busier with locals but still empty compared to anywhere else we have skied. Things that made Appi stand out from other resorts for us were the indoor pool/spa/gym and onsen options, in house laundry, well stocked and reasonably priced shops, easily accessible heated ski lockers and rental shop (if required) with direct access to slopes, night skiing, friendly multi-lingual staff. We have already booked for next year.
December 21, 2008
Chris from Ski Japan - Nagano Japan - Nagano
Appi Kogen is a great resort, one of the largest on the main island of Japan. Good runs for beginners to the advanced. Lots to choose from; couldn't hit every run in one day. Can be on the icy side early in the season due to up and down freezing temps. All the runs are groomed but the best powder at Appi Kogen is in late Jan and all of Feb. Great slope for kids to ski and sled down. Large dinning area with good food for lunch and dinner. Large resort hotel right at the bottom of the mountain. If looking for the the resort style ski life Appi Kogen is the place to be.