Okushiga Kogen Safety & Emergency
In an emergency
Many Japanese fire departments handle 119 calls in major foreign languages via three-way simultaneous interpretation through a telephone interpretation center, 24 hours a day, year-round. Reviewed 2026-07-21
Medical facilities nearby
Facts marked "From website" come from the facility's own website or the town's page. The national medical register does not list them, so check with the facility before you go.
| Facility | Straight line | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| Hospital 2 | ||
| Reception hours are in the details Accepts emergencies Emergency care: 24 hours | 15.2 km | Drive time not shown |
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| Reception hours are in the details Accepts emergencies | 34.4 km | Drive time not shown |
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| Clinic 5 | ||
| Reception hours are in the details | 9.6 km | Drive time not shown |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 10.4 km | Drive time not shown |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 10.6 km | Drive time not shown |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 11.0 km | Drive time not shown |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 14.0 km | Drive time not shown |
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| Dental 3 | ||
| Reception hours are in the details | 10.5 km | Drive time not shown |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 10.8 km | Drive time not shown |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 11.8 km | Drive time not shown |
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| Pharmacy 4 | ||
| Reception hours are in the details | 10.7 km | Drive time not shown |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 12.2 km | Drive time not shown |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 14.0 km | Drive time not shown |
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| Reception hours are in the details | 14.0 km | Drive time not shown |
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Pre-trip planning notes
Gathered ahead of your trip as a planning aid — details change; verify locally on arrival.
- Backcountry policy
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Okushiga Kogen's field map states that everything off the marked courses is outside the managed area, asks skiers not to ride alone or without equipment, and bills any rescue at actual cost; it also marks the neighbouring Yakebitaiyama side as outside the Okushiga area. Shiga Kogen's safety rules forbid entering closed or roped-off zones for any reason, and its side-country notice marks two kinds of boundary sign: a red 'no entry' (立入禁止) sign, beyond which the operator accepts no responsibility, with risk of serious injury or death and of difficult rescue; and a yellow 'warning' (警告) sign at exits, beyond which you proceed on your own judgement with proper equipment and knowledge. No page checked names a side-country exit from Okushiga.
As of 2026-10-18 - Nearest emergency hospital
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In an emergency, 119 decides the destination. Yamanouchi Town has no hospital in the register list. The emergency hospital for the area is 長野県厚生農業協同組合連合会 北信総合病院 (Hokushin General Hospital) in Nakano City, a secondary-emergency hospital with orthopedics, CT and MRI. Its website states that emergency patients are accepted at any time; nights, holidays and closed days are covered by its emergency outpatient department, which sees patients in triage order. 長野赤十字病院 (Nagano Red Cross Hospital) in Nagano City is listed in the register as a tertiary emergency centre (救命救急センター) and is the nearest one to the resort in the program's list, about 34 km in a straight line.
As of 2026-10-18 - Pharmacy
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Two insurance-designated dispensing pharmacies in Yamanouchi, both down the mountain: Kotobukiya Pharmacy near Yudanaka Station (weekdays 08:30-18:00, Sat 08:30-14:00) and Yomase Kotobukiya Pharmacy (weekdays 09:00-18:00, Sat 09:00-14:00). Both close on Sundays, national holidays and 30 Dec-3 Jan, and both take major credit cards. There is no pharmacy recorded on the mountain.
As of 2026-10-18 - Major trauma center
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Nagano Prefecture's doctor helicopter (信州ドクターヘリ) service has two bases: Saku General Hospital Saku Medical Center and Shinshu University Hospital (Matsumoto). The MHLW coverage list and the prefecture's page both give the whole prefecture as its area; the prefecture's page gives operating hours of 8:30 to 17:00 (or sunset). Fire service agencies judge the patient's severity and request dispatch, so a skier or the resort cannot request it directly. No source names a destination hospital for a patient airlifted from Okushiga Kogen.
As of 2026-10-18
Show this to staff
Each line is in Japanese a receptionist can read, with its meaning underneath.
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スキー中にけがをしました。
I was injured while skiing.
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ここがとても痛いです。
It hurts a lot here.
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診察を受けたいです。
I would like to see a doctor.
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海外旅行保険に入っています。
I have travel insurance.
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クレジットカードで払えますか？
Can I pay by credit card?
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英語を話せる人はいますか？
Is there anyone who speaks English?
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保険請求用の診断書と領収書をください。
Please give me a medical certificate and a receipt for my insurance.
Cost, insurance and medicines
- Rescue costs
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Okushiga Kogen's own field map states that everything off the marked courses is outside the managed area, and that a rescue there is billed at actual cost (「救助を要する場合は実費請求となります」). Shiga Kogen's ski-area rules say the same for the whole plateau: if ski patrol searches for or rescues someone after an accident outside the area, the ski area bills that person the actual cost, and the side-country notice puts rescue costs past a red 'no entry' or yellow 'warning' exit sign on the person or their family. The resort's safety report says it accepts no responsibility for skiing outside its managed area, so carry insurance that covers rescue and treatment.
As of 2026-10-18
Japan's National Health Insurance does not cover tourists — hospitals bill the full cost and generally expect payment upfront by cash or card. Ordinary travel insurance often excludes off-piste and backcountry rescue; dedicated mountain-rescue insurance exists, so check your policy before you ride.
Reviewed 2026-07-21Some common medicines are restricted in Japan — e.g. codeine-containing products, pseudoephedrine above set limits, and ADHD stimulants — and may require advance permission to bring in. Check the MHLW guidance before you travel.
Reviewed 2026-07-21Nothing here is medical advice. We compile this information from Japan's national medical registers and the official websites of facilities and resorts, as a planning aid. Hours, phone numbers and services change, and we cannot guarantee that any of it is current or correct. Decisions you make with it are your own responsibility: check with the facility before you go, and in an emergency tell ski patrol or call 119.