Ski areas from Japan’s past 過去の日本のスキー場を懐かしむ

Ookayama

Toyooka City, Hyogo Prefecture

大岡山スキー場　兵庫県豊岡市

Ookayama was a ski area located in the Kannabe Kogen highland region of what was then Hidaka Town in the northern region of Hyogo Prefecture. In 2005 Hidaka town became part of the new Toyooka City. Ookayama had two single lifts and was a golf course in the summer months. In later years the scaled-down ski area was known as Ooka Kids Park and was last open in early 2005. The golf course is still operating.

Opened
開設		 Unconfirmed
Closed
 閉設		 2004
Base elevation
標高最低		 About 540m
Top elevation
標高最高		 About 640m
Vertical
標高差		 About 100m
Steepest slope
最大斜度		 34°
Longest run
最長滑走距離		 1000m
Ski lifts
リフト本数		 2 lifts
Single 560m
Single 360m
Night skiing
ナイター設備		 There was no night skiing at Ookayama

Further Information

  • There is a long history of skiing dating back to the 1920s in the highland area known as Kannabe Kogen 神鍋高原
    　
  • At one time, about 40 ski lifts were operating across 10 individual (and separate) ski areas in Kannabe Kogen
    　
  • It was a popular ski destination for people living in this region of western Japan
    　
  • In the 1990s, visitor numbers across the ski areas of the region rose to around 400,000 people in one season
    　
  • Ookayama (pronounced as 'ou-ka-yama') was one of the smaller ski areas
    　
  • It featured two single lifts (560m and 360m), the second one extending into some courses at Ooka Golf Club 大岡ゴルフ倶楽部
    　
  • It is not clear when the ski area opened, but the gold course opened in 1972
    　
  • There was also a cross-country ski course
    　
  • A 1989 guidebook shows the price of one lift ticket as 250 yen per ride
    　
  • In a 1992 guidebook, a one-day lift ticket for Ookayama was 3000 yen
    　
  • By 2000, just the longer lift was still shown in guidebook course maps
    　
  • In later years of operation, this ski area seems to have been known as Ooka Kids Park 大岡山キッズパーク, and was more of a family 'play in the snow' area
    　
  • At that time, neither of the ski lifts were operating, but there was a simple rope tow lift
    　
  • Ooka Kids Park was closed during the 2004-2005 season and was officially closed (permanently) soon after that
    　
  • The Ooka Gold Club facility is still operating and is usually open from April through November
    　
  • In 2024, three ski areas in the Kannabe Kogen remain operating (links to current information on SnowJapan):

    Manba  万場スキー場
    Oku Kannabe  奥神鍋スキー場
    Up Kannabe  アップかんなべスキー場 (known as Kannabeyama 神鍋山スキー場 until around 1990)
    　
  • The seven ski areas from the past that are now closed are:

    Alpenrose アルペンローズスキー場 [more information]
    Kannabe Family     カンナベファミリースキー場
    Kita Kannabe     北神鍋スキー場 [more information]
    Nashiki Kogen     名色高原スキー場 [more information]
    Ookayama     大岡山スキー場  [this listing]
    Sasano-o     ささの尾ゲレンデ [more information]
    Yamamiya     山宮スキー場 [more information]
    　
  • Kannabe Family will be added to SnowJapanHistory in the coming weeks
    　
  • Once that last listings is published, all of the Kannabe Kogen listings will be updated/connected
    　
  • Note: One guidebook mentions another 'very small ski area' with one short (single?) ski lift called 蘇武口スキー場, said to be close to the entrance of Manba Ski Area. Another guidebook describes 蘇武口 as being a part of Manba Ski Area
    　
  • No further details about 蘇武口 can currently be found, and it remains something of a mystery - including how to pronounce the name (maybe Sobuguchi)

Google Earth

Google Street View

Google Maps

  • About 6km off Route 482, to the west of central Toyooka City and north-west of central Yabu City in Hyogo Prefecture

  • About 13km from the Hidaka Kannabe Kogen IC exit of the Kitakinki Toyooka Expressway

  • About 14.5km from Ebara Station on the Sanin Honsen line

  • 北近畿豊岡自動車道　日高神鍋高原ICから的13km

  • 山陰本線　江原駅から的14.5km

This page was created in April 2025
Last updated on 1st July 2025
2025年4月 作成 　2025年7月1日 更新