Shiga Kogen is a major ski area in Nagano Prefecture, Japan , and Kagura Ski Resort is in Niigata Prefecture, near Yuzawa. For the 2025–2026 season, Shiga Kogen’s opening festival was scheduled for December 6, 2025 , while Kagura opened on November 22, 2025 ; resort schedules are subject to snow conditions and can shift year to year.

What that means for Dec 2026

For December 2026 , the exact opening dates have not been confirmed in the sources I found, so the safest expectation is that both resorts will likely open in their usual early-winter window rather than on a fixed date this far ahead. Shiga Kogen commonly starts opening parts of the mountain in late November to early December, and Kagura is also typically one of the earlier Japanese resorts to open, often in late November.

Practical planning

  • Shiga Kogen: expect an early-December opening window, with some areas opening earlier than others.
  • Kagura: expect a late-November opening window in a normal snow year.
  • Best check point: official resort announcements closer to autumn 2026, because opening dates depend heavily on snowfall and snowmaking conditions.

Resort| Location| Known 2025–2026 opening info| Usual timing trend
---|---|---|---
Shiga Kogen| Nagano Prefecture| December 6, 2025 for the main opening festival 10| Late Nov to early Dec 6
Kagura| Niigata Prefecture, Yuzawa area| November 22, 2025 2| Late Nov 7

TL;DR

If you’re planning for December 2026 , think early December for Shiga Kogen and late November for Kagura , but treat both as provisional until the official 2026–2027 announcements come out.