Koeji
A municipal hill on the Aharayama plateau in eastern Oshu, once drawing 35,000 skiers a season; the city closed it in February 2022 to concentrate on one of its three ski areas.
- Region
- Iwate Prefecture
- Country
- Japan
- Status
- closed
- Year opened
- 1967
- Year closed
- 2022
- Reason for closure
- A municipal decision to consolidate the city's three ski areas into one. Oshu determined that only Kunimidaira would operate for the 2022-23 season, and Koeji ran for the last time on 27 February 2022.
History
Koeji (越路スキー場) stood at Aharayama in the Ide district of the former Esashi, now the eastern part of Oshu City in Iwate Prefecture, and appears in the record under several names - Oshu City Koeji, Ide Koeji Citizens' Ski Area and Esashi Municipal Koeji. It opened in 1967 and at its fullest ran six lifts: a pair lift installed in the 1990s and five surface lifts known locally as amber lifts, serving four courses with a longest run of 1,000 m, a steepest pitch of 28 degrees and 215 m of vertical between a 485 m base and a 700 m top, the terrain split 40 per cent beginner, 30 intermediate and 30 advanced. Its best years were the early 1990s - more than 35,000 visitors and 37.4 million yen of revenue in 1992 - and by the end only the three lower surface lifts were turning, with a single course pair offered in the final winter. What closed it was not bankruptcy but arithmetic: Oshu City was running three ski areas and decided to keep one, choosing Kunimidaira for the 2022-23 season. Koeji ran for the last time on 27 February 2022 and a farewell festival was held on 11 February 2023. It is formally listed as suspended (休止) rather than abandoned, and city officials have spoken of hoping for a revival, but no reinstatement has been confirmed. Course names are not compiled in accessible sources; the coordinates mark the Ide district, whose postcode matches the ski area's registered address, and should be treated as approximate.
Lifts
| Name | Type | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unnamed lift | Chairlift - Double | Installed in the 1990s; out of use in the final seasons, when only the surface lifts ran | |
| Unnamed lift | Surface lift | One of five surface lifts, known locally as amber lifts. Only the three lower ones operated in the later years, and only one in the last season | |
| Unnamed lift | Surface lift | The second of the five amber lifts | |
| Unnamed lift | Surface lift | The third of the five amber lifts | |
| Unnamed lift | Surface lift | The fourth of the five amber lifts; among the upper lifts taken out of service before closure | |
| Unnamed lift | Surface lift | The fifth of the five amber lifts; among the upper lifts taken out of service before closure |
Sources and further reading
More in Japan
Location
39.1686, 141.3236