Togari Onsen Ski Resort, located at the foot of the Sekita Mountains, which stretch from Nagano to Niigata prefectures and is known for its heavy snowfall, is embarking on a major transformation this winter.
The mastermind behind this is Hiroshi Hamaguchi, 49, a racing driver and owner of an investment company in Tokyo. In July 2025, he acquired all shares of the ski resort's operating company and became its president and representative director.
He went to the United States to study basketball as a student, started a data marketing company for athletes at the age of 27, and established Hamaguchi Asset Management Co., Ltd. in 2001. In 2008, at the age of 32, he began working as a racing driver. Hamaguchi has been the European Series Champion in Europe's top GT races to this day, and is also a Crown holder, the highest technical qualification in skiing.
Hamaguchi has an unusual career as a ski resort manager, but how did he end up running Togari Onsen Ski Resort?
To find out the background and vision for the future, we interviewed him in autumn at Togari Onsen, where large-scale renovations are underway at a rapid pace.
Raising my son to be a mogul skier
I think I was in kindergarten when my father was in the Keio University ski club, so I used to ski along behind him.
When I entered elementary school, I would go to places like Naeba, which was in the height of the Bubble Era, with my friends' families rather than my father. After that, I stopped skiing completely. But I wanted my son to take up skiing, so I started skiing again.
It was about 10 years ago, when my son was 3 years old. I love sports, so I wanted my son to play sports too.
However, car racing season is from April to October, and I'm mostly in Europe, so I thought winter sports would be better, and I used to play a little bit myself.
Yes, almost every weekend. At first, we often went to Kagura Ski Resort. Gradually, my son started to like skiing, and we started taking him to Kagura Ski School, where he got his first-class license when he was in the first grade of elementary school.
After that, it became clear to him that he needed to practice seriously in order to aim for a prize, so I decided to join him and started to devote myself to skiing practice in earnest.
That's right. My son is currently a mogul skier, and I travel around the world with him during my free time to practice. It would be a waste to just watch while he practices with his coach, right? I
wanted to improve myself, so I asked fellow skier Ryuji Kuwahara (*2) to teach me while they were practicing.
I trained hard as a private coach, and I was able to get the crown.
I thought moguls were cool! I'm too old to do it anymore, so I was wondering how I could get my son to try it.
When he got over a few bumps, I said, "Wow! You're so good! You should become a mogul skier!" and he got really into it (laughs).
At first, I sent my son to a school in Kandatsu run by Nishi Nobuyuki (*3), and then he decided it would be a good idea for him to join a team, so he joined the mogul team TR-J, led by Kihara Hatsumune, a senior of Nishi Nobuyuki's.
About five years ago, I started going to Togari Onsen Ski Resort, which is the main training location, with my son.
*1 Crown: There is a prize test on top of the badge test for grades 1 to 5 certified by the Ski Association of Japan, and the Crown Prize qualification is the highest level, proving that one is aiming for the pinnacle of skiing technique.
*2 Kuwahara Ryuji : Former Japanese mogul skier who has competed in the World Cup and other world competitions. He has opened a school specializing in moguls since 2015. He is also an active skier in the All Japan Technical Championships.
*3 Nishi Nobuyuki : Former Japanese mogul skier who competed in three consecutive Olympic Games. He is currently the principal of Fusion Bump School at Kandatsu Snow Resort in Niigata Prefecture, where he is dedicated to training the next generation of skiers.
Reasons for considering the acquisition of Togari Onsen Ski Resort
-What were your impressions when you first visited Togari Onsen Ski Resort?
The first time I visited was about eight seasons ago, and at the entrance to the ski resort there was an old iron pillar, or rather a huge sign, that said "Togari Onsen Ski Resort." To be honest, the moment I saw it I was shocked and thought, "Wow! That's so Showa!" (laughs). It
was removed when the resort was renovated, though. For the locals, it's probably an everyday sight, but the signs and buildings were so striking that they made me go, "Seriously?"
-When did you start thinking about buying a ski resort?
About three years ago, there was talk that it might become impossible to practice at this ski resort. It
was really just a rumor, but there was talk that the ski resort might close after the National Sports Festival (*4) was over. Half jokingly, half seriously, young people from the local area said to me, "Mr. Hamaguchi, can you do something about this?" and even though I told them, "There's nothing we can do about that," it stuck in my mind.
-What changes in your feelings occurred before you actually made the acquisition?
First of all, I thought long and hard about what I would need if I were to run this place, and I thoroughly researched everything I could about it.
The ski resort didn't offer me anything to buy it, and I didn't ask to buy it.
These things are fate, so if it's really fate, the ball will come your way, so I didn't throw the ball myself, but just waited quietly, watching the developments.
--I see. So the talks progressed smoothly at various times.
The good thing about it was the coincidence that my legal advisor was the same lawyer who handled Togari's civil rehabilitation (*5) 10 years ago.
While we were talking about the rumors, I asked the lawyer, "What do you think about operating or acquiring a ski resort?" He replied, "I was involved with a ski resort during civil rehabilitation 10 years ago, so please tell me more about it." I thought, "Well, maybe we could discuss it. By the way, which ski resort?" I asked, and he said, "Togari Onsen." I was like, "What?!"
He remembers all the assets, even the office furniture, so there was no way it would become a strange conversation, and he said, "I'll help you make it a win-win situation." He then spoke to the former president, and things started to move forward.
--It really is a great coincidence. But being an active racing driver and running a company, did you ever have your hands full?
I have my hands full. I really have my hands full. I can't do it anymore (laughs).
-What was your biggest concern when you started?
My main job is M&A consulting, but what makes it different from buying and selling real estate or cars is that I have to think not only about the ski resort but also about the people who work there. No matter how good the ski resort is, it won't work if I don't get along with the people at this company.
Originally, I only knew a few people at the ski resort, so I didn't know until I joined, and that was my biggest worry. Our team is small, with only six people working there year-round, but everyone has been so welcoming and family-like, which has been great.
*4 National Sports Festival: A national sports tournament. The alpine events at the 2028 Shinshu Yamanami National Sports Festival will be held at Togari Onsen Ski Resort.
*5 Civil Rehabilitation: In 2013, Togari Kanko, which operates Togari Onsen Ski Resort, filed for civil rehabilitation with the Nagano District Court due to deteriorating business conditions, and Shiga Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. was entrusted with the operation of the resort.
Our philosophy and vision for ski resort management
This isn't just limited to ski resorts, but I believe that "management" and "operation" are two different things.
I think most ski resorts and most companies are "operating," but "managing" is another matter. Of course, management requires business know-how, but it also requires capital and a strong management team. For example,
at Togari Onsen Ski Resort, while some people helped us during our civil rehabilitation 10 years ago, they didn't inject any capital, so I think the management team, including the previous president, probably couldn't do what they wanted to do.
This time, I decided from the beginning to take Togari in a different direction. Trying to
do things without a budget probably wouldn't lead to change, so I decided to just go for it and cut the budget myself. At first, I considered hiring a president because we're in Nagano, but I realized that wouldn't be able to execute what I had in mind, so I decided to do it myself.
--That 。
The big vision is to "bring people to this town." The denominator of human traffic is so small that no matter what we do, I don't think it will be possible to create a platform as a business.
Restaurants are only open in the winter, so naturally there's no reason for people to flock there. We believe that unless we build the town around the platform of the ski resort, the town itself won't thrive. That was the first thing we did, and we decided to bring three restaurants from Tokyo to enhance our food and beverage offerings.
Significant changes to restaurants and courses
Yakiniku Jumbo will take over the former "Starry Restaurant." Lunch will include set meals, beef bowls, hamburgers, and more, while dinner will be yakiniku. It will be open all year round.
The main restaurant, Rest House Togari, will be run by Camel Kitchen, a subsidiary of Camel Coffee, which also operates KALDI. This season, only the interior and exterior will be renovated, and the menu will change from next season.
Another new addition will be ramen restaurant Chukasoba Hajime, which will be open all year round within the Akatsuki no Yu facility. The restaurant is famous for its popular tsukemen noodles in Omotesando. Also, an original cafe is currently under construction at the summit.
--A year-round cafe on the summit! That's great! How will the slopes change?
The current Gohonmatsu course at the bottom will be reborn as a full-scale park called "Dragon Park." Large kickers and jib items of about 15 meters will be built. This, along with a dynamic course with a series of moguls, will be renamed "Spike Line" and become the longest mogul course in Japan at 300 meters. The mogul course, which previously had two lanes, will be increased to four lanes, half of which will be for skiers and the other half open to the public.
I've been involved in creating the courses a lot up until now, but we've now hired someone to maintain it throughout the season. The old Imoha course next door is popular for its packed snow, but it gets rough in the afternoon, so we plan to pack it down at least once during the day. We want to make this a slope where you can enjoy carving.
That's right. The ski resort logo and other things are based on the image of a dragon.
I was born in the year of the dragon, so I love dragons. My son's name also has the character for dragon in it. I hope that, like the ascending dragon, we can all rise up in life together with Togari.
A members-only ski slope project to shape the future of Togari
-What will happen to Orion Slope, which is currently closed?
This will be quite different. Once reopened, it will be a members-only ski resort called "THE CLUB TOGARI."
Along with selling memberships, we will also be building villas at the base of the slopes to sell to members. Members will be able to ski on private slopes with their own guests, and will also be able to use a clubhouse exclusively for members. We also plan to produce original merchandise. Sales will begin this season, with the resort launching next season.
The sales price for the first phase is planned to be 20.4 million yen. This is the price before construction begins, so it may fluctuate.
I am actually running a business where I sell memberships to a members-only circuit in Chiba, and I started selling them for 18 million yen, but now they are selling for around 50 million yen.
-Are the people who buy memberships at the circuit
70% of the people are Japanese. We expect that at "THE CLUB TOGARI" as well, over 60% will be Japanese.
To be honest, as a ski resort, if we don't do this, I think we will 100% go bankrupt. The current business model of running the lifts, selling lift tickets, and serving food at ski resorts is not profitable no matter what you do.
So when we thought about what business we should do to survive, I think that the core business is development by Orion, and if we can't do this, I don't think this town has a future.
That's clear. There is no other option.
There aren't any in Japan, or even in Asia. There are about three private clubs in the US, but private slopes are rare even around the world.
Togari is about 20 minutes from Iiyama Station on the Hokuriku Shinkansen, making it a hub for the area. It would be boring to just purchase a membership and ski on the Orion side, so it would be nice to stay in Togari and use it as a base for visiting nearby ski resorts like Nozawa Onsen and Madarao Kogen.
Going even further in our plans, we would like to start with development on the Orion side and then build a gondola from there to "Tondaira" (which will be renamed "Sky Dragon Field" from this season).
If we can build a gondola, we could extend our operations by a total of one month. However, currently it costs about 5 billion yen to build one gondola, and as I said before, that would never pay off just from operating the ski resort. If there is prospect of development in that area, we would like to build a gondola.
Inbound tourism measures and approaches to young people
I'm not the type of person who wants to rely too much on inbound tourism. Currently, Togari's inbound rate is less than 1%.
So, while there is a lot of potential for growth, I'm not necessarily pursuing it. I think Togari has been supported by many people because it's easy to get to, including being cheap, so I have no intention of changing that.
I'm thinking that while we're reforming the main slopes, we should keep the base intact, and instead make the Orion side a members-only resort, so that it's more upscale.
Just because they're inbound tourists doesn't mean they'll spend money, and some foreigners cheat on their lift tickets or eat dinner at convenience stores.
So I think it would be better to target wealthy, well-mannered Asians, as this would help the city stay relevant.
I think those people are important.
I know Togari has been criticized for taking on too many customers with low unit prices, but I think Togari is what it is because of those people. In fact, I wanted to renew the service so that young people and beginners could rent more smoothly, so I bought about 300 new rental sets.
We'd like to place a bit more emphasis on day-trippers.
This ski resort is based around guesthouses, so it's surprisingly little known, but it actually has great access.
You can take the 7:52am Shinkansen from Tokyo Station, arrive at Iiyama Station at 9:43am, ski all day, take a dip in the hot springs, eat Jumbo Yakiniku, and then take the 7:28pm Shinkansen back to Tokyo Station by 9:16pm. We'd like to promote that aspect as well, as it gives the impression that you've had a great time.
The power of the team behind the revolution
Yes, from my perspective, everyone was pretty conservative, so whenever I would suddenly present an idea, they would say, "No, wait a minute" or "No, that's impossible," but after about a month and a half, no one was saying "It's impossible." I guess they gave up, thinking, "This guy's going to do it no matter what I say" (laughs).
After that, they switched to thinking, "I have to go along with this guy," and thankfully, they started looking for a way to make it a reality.
I know it sounds strange for me to say this, but everyone is following me, really (laughs).
There are a lot of talented kids in the next generation in my town, and if they can all realize what they want to do, I think this town will see a completely different, positive trend within the next 10 years.
Everyone is afraid to take that first step, so I hope I can be the catalyst.
As the interview came to an end, the rain had stopped and a large rainbow had appeared in front of Togari Onsen Ski Resort.
It was as if a bridge was connecting Hamaguchi, the new president who is trying to carve out a new future, with the people who have been building this region for a long time. This
is not just a pipe dream, but we hope to see Togari Onsen Ski Resort evolve as a new model case for ski resorts in Japan.
Interview photo: Naohiro Kobayashi
Photography cooperation: Yaki Curry Restaurant Penticton
