Mizuho Highland
Overview
Mizuho Highland climbs from 491 m to 1,212 m, a 721 m vertical that puts it in the same range as far larger, more famous resorts, despite its modest scale on the ground: 13 runs, five lifts and a total of 14.49 km of piste. In imperial terms, that’s a base near 1,611 feet, a summit around 3,978 feet, and a vertical drop of roughly 2,367 feet. It’s a resort built for a single day trip rather than a week’s stay, and its own marketing leans into that scale rather than away from it, describing itself as one of the larger ski areas in western Japan, a region where large ski areas are scarce to begin with.
That western Japan framing matters. Most of the country’s well-known ski terrain sits in the mountains of Honshu’s Sea of Japan side, well to the north and east around Niigata and Nagano. Mizuho Highland is a Chugoku-region resort, tucked into the mountainous interior of Hiroshima Prefecture, hours south of the resorts most foreign skiers associate with Japan. That geography shapes who skis there: it draws a mostly local, day-trip crowd from Hiroshima city and the surrounding towns rather than destination travelers.
The terrain splits close to evenly across three grades: 5.64 km intermediate, 4.54 km easy, 4.31 km advanced — roughly 39%, 31% and 30% of the total respectively — with the resort organizing its runs into separate beginner and intermediate-advanced zones rather than mixing skill levels across the same lift lines. A single gondola and four chairlifts serve the mountain. The resort also runs a roughly 1,000-meter snow park, a notable feature for a mountain of this size, aimed at freestyle and terrain-park skiers rather than only piste cruisers, and its own materials describe the park as split into separate beginner and intermediate-to-advanced zones so riders of different abilities aren’t sharing the same features. Outside winter, the site converts into a glamping resort with dome-tent accommodation, an outdoor sauna, ATV and buggy activities, trekking routes and stargazing sessions, plus a dedicated children’s play area called “Wanpaku no Mori.” That combination, ski hill in winter and glamping destination the rest of the year, reflects a broader push toward year-round mountain tourism rather than a facility that sits dormant for eight months a year. The resort’s planned 2026-27 season opening date is December 24, giving it one of the later starts among ski areas in this guide, consistent with its relatively low base elevation of 491 m for a Japanese ski resort.
Access runs through Hiroshima, the nearest major city at 44.4 km and home to more than 1.2 million people, with Hiroshima Airport a similar distance away at 62.7 km. Hatsukaichi and Higashihiroshima, both smaller regional cities, sit a bit closer at 49.9 km and 53.5 km respectively, and Iwakuni, home to Iwakuni Kintaikyo Airport, is a fourth access point at 73.4 km. There’s no on-site winter lodging on record, so most visitors base themselves in Hiroshima or one of the nearby towns and drive in for the day. Mizuho Highland isn’t part of any Epic- or Ikon-style multi-mountain pass network, and tickets are sold only through the resort itself.
Key stats
Official website — Last checked 2026-09-13
Lifts by type
| Type | Count |
|---|---|
| gondola | 1 |
| chair lift | 4 |
Runs by difficulty
| Difficulty | Distance |
|---|---|
| easy | 4.54 km |
| advanced | 4.31 km |
| intermediate | 5.64 km |
Maps
View official Mizuho Highland trail map (page) →
Run & lift overview
Mizuho Highland: 13 runs, 5 lifts. Drawn from OpenStreetMap run and lift data — not the official Mizuho Highland trail map. © OpenStreetMap contributors, OpenSkiMap (ODbL).
Typical conditions by month
Monthly conditions data for Mizuho Highland is not yet available.
Lift tickets & passes
Mizuho Highland has no multi-resort pass affiliations on record.
Getting there
Nearest airports
- Iwami Airport (IWJ) — 56.5 km straight-line
- Hiroshima Airport (HIJ) — 62.7 km straight-line
- Iwakuni Kintaikyo Airport (IWK) — 73.4 km straight-line
Nearest cities
- Hiroshima, Hiroshima — 44.4 km straight-line
- Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima — 49.9 km straight-line
- Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima — 53.5 km straight-line
Also covered by
Where to stay
A dedicated lodging guide for Mizuho Highland is not yet available.
Nearby resorts
- Utopia Saioto — 6 km straight-line, 405.9 m vertical
- Osa Ski Resort — 17 km straight-line, 228.5 m vertical
- Geihoku Kokusai — 18 km straight-line, 419.3 m vertical
- Osorakan Snow Park — 32 km straight-line, 392.2 m vertical
- Megahiraonsen Megahira Ski Area — 41 km straight-line, 472.3 m vertical
FAQ
- How big is Mizuho Highland?
- Mizuho Highland has a 721.4 m vertical drop from a 491.1 m base to a 1,212.5 m summit, with 13 runs totaling 14.49 km, served by a gondola and four chairlifts.
- Is Mizuho Highland good for beginners?
- The mountain organizes its terrain into separate beginner and intermediate-advanced zones rather than mixing skill levels on the same runs, and 4.54 km of the 14.49 km total is rated easy, alongside 5.64 km intermediate and 4.31 km advanced.
- Which pass covers Mizuho Highland?
- Mizuho Highland doesn't appear on any multi-resort pass roster on record, so skiers buy lift tickets straight from the resort.
- What's the nearest airport to Mizuho Highland?
- Iwami Airport (IWJ) is closest at about 56.5 km, just ahead of Hiroshima Airport (HIJ) at 62.7 km, which serves as the resort's main gateway.
- Where is Mizuho Highland, and why is that unusual for a Japanese ski resort?
- It sits in the mountainous interior of Hiroshima Prefecture, in the Chugoku region of western Japan, an area with far fewer large ski resorts than the Sea of Japan side of Honshu around Niigata or Nagano. The resort describes itself as one of the larger ski areas in western Japan.
- Does Mizuho Highland have terrain park features?
- Yes, the resort runs a snow park roughly 1,000 meters long, a notable addition for a mountain with only 13 runs, aimed at freestyle skiers and riders alongside the piste terrain.
- Is Mizuho Highland a day-trip resort or a stay-and-ski destination?
- There's no winter lodging on-site on record, so it functions mainly as a day trip from Hiroshima, about 44.4 km away, or from nearby towns like Hatsukaichi (49.9 km) and Higashihiroshima (53.5 km).
- What does Mizuho Highland offer outside ski season?
- The site converts to a glamping resort with dome tents, an outdoor sauna, ATV and buggy activities, trekking and stargazing, plus a dedicated kids' play space called 'Wanpaku no Mori,' running alongside the ski operation as a year-round tourism draw rather than sitting idle for most of the year.
Data sources
Last verified: 2026-09-15
Base facts from OpenSkiMap (ODbL), OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata (CC0), OurAirports (public domain) and GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). See /data-sources/.