Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 1cm Snowfall at base this season 1cm Good morning from Niseko. I've been wondering this morning whether I can justify calling the first 1cm of the season. It's been a kind of hail-like slush, depending on where you are, but there was almost 1cm of 'stuff' at my trusted measuring spot. Calling it 'snow' feels rather generous, but I think it should be part of the record. Take a look at the photo from Hanazono below to get an idea. You can see the autumn foliage, the wetness and some of the slushy stuff on the vehicle. I'm hearing of snow on some roads in Hokkaido this morning - including Nakayamatoge - and no doubt more at higher elevations. Good! That is what we like to hear. Before I go any further, can I please ask you to scroll down the page to the table of info near the bottom. That table of information will be updated as each report is posted throughout the season. For reference, here's how the table ended up on the last day of the 2025-2026 season (report): Total snowfall at base so far 878cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 92 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 36cm (on 12th January) November 2025 snowfall 29cm reported on 7 days December 2025 snowfall 189cm reported on 23 days January 2026 snowfall 451cm reported on 28 days February 2026 snowfall 154cm reported on 19 days March 2026 snowfall 50cm reported on 13 days April 2026 snowfall 5cm reported on 2 days May 2026 snowfall 0cm I'm clearly going to have to use all my wide-ranging degree-level mathematical skills to add up the numbers each morning! (That's where the pre-report toast comes in essential). Before the 2026-2027 season gets going, this report page will be modified slightly - to include things like the temperature at time of report and a link to the 'current season' data page on the site. I wanted to add a bit to my discussion regarding ticket prices in my last report, which you can read here: Lots of words in the report posted on 17th October 2026 Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort is, of course, the fifth ski area on the mountain, but outside of the Niseko United collective. Their one day lift ticket for this season - at the ticket window - is 13,000 yen. That was, I believe, under 5,000 yen in the 2021-2022 season. Again, cheaper tickets are available online. Someone pointed out that while cheaper tickets are now available online, discounted tickets (ie cheaper than what you pay at the ticket window) are certainly not a new concept. That is definitely worth mentioning. Cheaper tickets sold at convenience stores and other locations were most certainly a thing for many years, and may well still be, even if they have been overtaken by the online phenom. Whether they were as chunky as some of the modern-day discounts or not, I'm not sure. I'm going to have to look around for that. (I don't usually use convenience stores!) I was sent a few images of old guide books to supplement the information in my last report and for the geeks amongst you I thought I would share some further info. Don't worry, I'm not going to be banging on about lift ticket prices all the time. It's pre-season, there's not much snow to talk about! In 1976, Hirafu was called Niseko Kokusai Hirafu and had 12 ski lifts. One ride cost 130 yen a go. As far as I can tell, there was one pair lift and the others were all 1-person single lifts. (Let's try to refrain from complaining about quad lifts and gondolas). In the same year, what is now Rusutsu Resort was called Yamato Rusutsu 大和ルスツスキー場. I did not know that. The kanji can be read either Daiwa or Yamato, but it seems in this case it was the latter. In 1982, that changed to Rusutsu Kogen, before becoming the current Rusutsu Resort in 1989. A lift ticket at Yamato Rusutsu in 1976 for the then 10 lifts was also 130 yen a ride (and 2,000 yen for one day). One other thing I noticed about Yamato Rusutsu was that it had a planned season until late April. Modern-day Rusutsu Resort closes in late March or early April as they quickly switch into 'green season' mode. No Golden Week ski lift shenanigans at Rusutsu Resort! The story of skiing and ski areas in Japan is long, complicated and really interesting. Niseko Now 2026-2027 season Data as of 22nd October 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 1cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 1 day Most snowfall observed in 1 day 1cm (on 22nd October 2026) October 2025 snowfall 1cm reported on 1 day Previous report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Niseko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for.

Independent snow and weather reporting from Furano in Hokkaido New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm Well, well! Welcome back to winter, and welcome back to Furano Now! Thankfully, it wasn’t a hot summer here, rarely breaking 30 C (86 F). Now with the temps cooling and the leaves exploding with color, thoughts inevitably turn to winter. To skiing. To snow. To Powder, baby!!! For that reason, fall is my favorite season. I love the sights, the smells, the weather, and even though there is no snow or skiing involved, the preparation and anticipation is delightful. Isn’t that true of so many things in life? The love of the not-yet-known? Who knows what the season will be like? It could be anything!! One thing is for sure; we will have mucho snow. The last two years have been down close to 40% from our average, but we still managed to get 5 meters. That’s a lot of centimeters, and waaaay better than Oz was this last “winter”, or Yurrup has been the last several years. So, on to news about Furano. Well, day lift ticket prices were raised to 9,000 yen. At today’s weak yen rate, that’s only $80 AUD/$57 USD/50 Euros. Amazing. And remember, kids up to 12 ski free. Put that into your budget hopper! Hmmmm….what else? Looks like the Kitanomine Gondola got a new cable. That’s probably good, and was quite the interesting operation. I’ve heard that the iconic Rojo Coffee trailer at the gondola base is gone, and the resort has decided they will try and make coffee themselves! We’ll see how that goes. Kinda like the government thinking they can do stuff better than a private company, but I digress! There will supposedly be a few more food trucks fooding around. Construction has begun on the new Westin Hotel, but that will take 3 years. Couple of other major projects happening. Other than that, we’re raring to go! Bring it on! I’ll leave you with a quick story that should get the powder hounds drooling. Several years ago, I had occasion to talk with a group of workers from the Big Sky resort in Montana. I’ve always wanted to ski there. When they found out I lived in Furano, they asked me what a good powder day was for me. I had asked them the same question a few days before, and received the answer that sometimes it gets up to their boot tops. Ooooo…OK? Kind of like Colorado I guess, not as much snow as Utah, but very good quality. Anyway, knowing that, I asked whether they really wanted to hear my answer. They said yes. So, I shrugged my shoulders and said, “OK, for me, anything up to my knees is just farting around. I’m just practicing different kinds of turns, but still fun. For me, a good powder day is about mid-thigh, an awesome powder day is waist deep, and an epic powder day is up to my armpits, and I’ve had EPIC.” They asked, “You’re not joking, are you?” I said, “I’m sorry, but I’m not.” They said, “We’ve got to go to Hokkaido.” Yes, you do. When I got back to Furano, I double-checked with my local homies to make sure I hadn’t gotten carried away with my description, and they all said I was spot-on. And, it’s not just the quantity, it’s the quality. You can’t make a snowball with this stuff. It’s too dry. When it’s on, you’ll never ski better powder in your life. Think snow. Note from SnowJapan: Our Furano reporter will not be able to post again for several weeks. If there is any snowfall at town level before then, it will be mentioned in the next report. Furano Now 2026-2027 season Data as of 9th October 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 days Previous report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Furano. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for.

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm We are six weeks away from the official start of the ski season. Saturday 28th November is the target opening date. The seasons are gradually changing. We have had a little more dust up on Mt Yotei, and this morning early on we have a mix of cloud and blue sky. I have not been taking too much notice of weather stuff yet – I have six months of taking too much notice of it ahead of me, so forgive me for wanting to chill a bit longer. Still, my feeling is that in the first half of October we’ve had fluctuating temps (as you might expect), with a notably warm spell with daily highs around 20C up until a few days ago. It has been cooler again in those last few days. As usual during the pre-season, I wanted to perhaps talk about a few Niseko-related things before the season gets started. Today, something I do every year, a look at lift ticket prices. A 1-day Niseko United ticket for the 2026-2027 season in what they call the ‘peak season’ is 13,500 yen at the ticket window. Here’s how that price compares with other recent seasons since the season when covid appeared towards the end: 2019-2020 season: 8,000 yen 2020-2021 season: 8,100 yen (+1.3%) 2021-2022 season: 8,100 yen (0%) 2022-2023 season: 8,500 yen (+4.9%) 2023-2024 season: 9,500 yen (+11.8%) 2024-2025 season: 10,500 yen (+10.5%) 2025-2026 season: 12,000 yen (+14.3%) 2026-2027 season: 13,500 yen (+12.5%) There’s something important to keep in mind when looking at these numbers. Those prices are the most expensive (‘peak’) prices for a 1-day ticket. But earlier seasons used different pricing arrangements. Not too long ago, it was as simple as there being one main season price, with some discounted, cheaper tickets for early season and spring season. Many Japanese ski areas still use that pattern if they do offer cheaper bookend lift ticket prices. But in recent years, the classification of periods during a season has changed here in Niseko. For this season: Early season: 28th November – 11th December 2026 Regular season: 12th December – 23rd December 2026 Peak season: 24th December 2026 – 28th February 2027 Regular season: 1st March – 22nd March 2027 Spring season: 23rd March – 4th April 2027 Final season: 5th April – 5th May 2027 It’s a bit complicated, ne! You might be considered a bit of a silly-billy if you went and bought a ticket at the ticket window in 2026 – with those prices and the availability of cheaper online tickets (‘an average of 5% saving’ apparently) – but for the purposes of comparison, I think it works. For the 2026-2027 season, the peak price is avoidable, and because of that, the comparison is perhaps less representative of what the average customer actually pays to go skiing. Or snowboarding. It would be interesting to know what people actually pay… As an aside, it’s interesting to see what has been happening over on the other side of Mt Yotei at Rusutsu Resort. Rusutsu’s pricing, perhaps even more than Niseko’s, gives the impression that it is increasingly only targeting overseas visitors. I’m fairly sure that their peak-season tickets are the most expensive in Japan. Check this out: 2019-2020 season: 6,200 yen 2020-2021 season: 6,200 yen (0%) 2021–2022 season: 6,500 yen (+4.8%) 2022–2023 season: 8,800 yen (+35.4%) 2023–2024 season: 11,500 yen (+30.7%) 2024–2025 season: 14,500 yen (+26.1%) 2025–2026 season: 16,200 yen (+11.7%) 2026–2027 season: 16,700 yen (+3.1%) It should be noted that Rusutsu Resort offers a significantly cheaper online prices. That 16,700 yen at the ticket window becomes 13,200 yen online. Big difference. But from 6,500 yen to 16,700 yen in just a handful of years is quite the increase - over 2.5 times! At least the increases have slowed down, I suppose… Sometimes people ask why Rusutsu is so expensive and, honestly, I don’t really know. It’s not as if there have been any major lift infrastructure additions or renovations to explain the noticeable price hikes, though no doubt there will have been investments that are less visible. Perhaps they are just going full on with a ‘premium resort strategy’ (I found that phrase online) and reckon their target market of overseas visitors is simply willing to pay the prices. You/we decide! For the record, I rather like Rusutsu. (But I prefer here). Just for fun I delved back a bit further. In 1992 a one-day lift ticket at Hirafu was 4,200 yen and 4,500 yen at Rusutsu. I got that info from Andrew (curator of this site) and all his guidebooks dating back to the 70s. During that conversation, it was interesting to hear that for the upcoming 2026-2027 winter season, there are a lot of (mostly fairly modest) price increases going on – especially at ski areas catering to overseas markets – but some are resisting the pressure to increase prices. One fairly large ski area in Fukushima Prefecture (Grandeco Snow Resort) has even lowered prices with no noticeable cutting of services. Let's strategy! That’s how things stand with the data for the currently checked and updated 150 or so ski areas. Service providers take note: as always when demanding premium prices, it is reasonable for visitors to expect premium services. And, while no-one is controlling this, we also of course expect premium snow! And lots of it. Regularly. With a bit of sun from time to time. But keeping cold. And then more snow. Niseko Now 2026-2027 season Data as of 17th October 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Niseko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for.

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm So we had that run of fine blue-sky weather, and we have had some rain at times since then. The headline today is how unseasonably warm it is going to be today around the country. It might get as hot as 26C or so in Yuzawa today. Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya might all record temps up to and even over 30C. Yikes. I look forward to some proper chills. The day starts with a fair amount of cloud and some blue sky. Rain expeced this evening and into tomorrow... Over the coming weeks if you want to keep an eye on ski area openings around Japan, here is the place to do it: Early ski area openings in Japan That page will be updated until mid-December. Kagura is of course the first for this region, with a planned opening date of Saturday 28th November. Yuzawa Now 2026-2027 season Data as 21st October 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 days Previous report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Yuzawa. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for.

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm We are having a run of clear, blue-sky days at the moment and enjoying some beautiful autumn weather. It's fairly warm during the day, but comfortably so, and borderline chilly overnight. The mountains are taking on some colourful autumn shades. Lovely. As mentioned in the last update, Kagura ski area is planning to open on Saturday 28th November this year. About seven weeks to go! Their one-day lift ticket is priced at 8,500 yen this season. Naeba is going with 9,800 yen, while the Mt Naeba joint lift ticket is set at 11,800 yen. Other ski areas seem to be either keeping lift ticket prices the same as last year or increasing them by varying degrees. Updates to the listings on SnowJapan are ongoing. There's not much else to report at this stage. Probably just a good time to enjoy the comfortable, pleasant weather. Yuzawa Now 2026-2027 season Data as 11th October 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Yuzawa. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for.

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm Good morning from Niseko. It is a lovely morning. Some sun, some cloud, and lots of beautiful mountain scenery. Temperatures continue to drop into single digits overnight, and there's that general 'winter is coming' exiting feeling starting to take hold. The four ski areas of Niseko United (Hirafu, Hanazono, Village and Annupuri) all plan to open on Saturday 28th November. Just over 7 weeks away! I'll be back more regularly now with various news and thoughts as the ski season approaches. For now, it's time to fill up on toast and then get out and enjoy this fine weather. Updated: it would be naughty of me not to give some mention to the first dustings of snow up top on Mt Yotei - officially recorded on Thursday 2nd October. That is apparently a bit earlier than usual and seven days earlier than last year. A good sign, though probably not something to spend time 'over-thinking'! Niseko Now 2026-2027 season Data as of 9th October 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Niseko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for.

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Geto Kogen region of Iwate Prefecture New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm Good morning from Geto Kogen. We have a fair amount of cloud this morning but the sun is shining through. This is a quick pre-season message just to say 'hello' and let you know that Geto Kogen plans to open on Saturday 28th November. About 6 weeks to go. Let's hope that nature co-operates. I'll be back probably next month as the temps continue to get colder... (or if there is any snow to report of course). Geto Kogen Now 2026-2027 season Data as of 16th October 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 days All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Geto Kogen. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for.

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Madarao region of Nagano Prefecture New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm Hello! We have early morning cloud/fog across our mountain this morning, but we are expecting to see the sun again today here in Madarao Kogen. Madarao is planning on opening for the 2026-2027 ski season on Saturday 12th December, with the connecting Tangram Ski Circus planning for Saturday 19th December. Of course, those planned openings are dependent on snow. So, two months to go. That sounds quite a long time off, but no doubt it will roll around pretty quickly. I look forward to covering the Madarao season again. By the time the snow comes I’ll be ready and very eager to get out and enjoy it. Praying for ridiculous amounts of snow! I will be back later next month when it starts getting proper cold. Madarao Now 2026-2027 season Data as of 12th October 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 days Previous report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Madarao. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for.

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm Good morning everyone. After the long and hot summer we seem to have had a lot of unsettled weather over the last few weeks. Personally, I’m looking forward to some lovely autumn weather as we continue with our updates to the site. There isn’t much news to report just yet. Kagura has announced that it plans to open on Saturday 28th November (arguably one week later than usual), and GALA Yuzawa has announced that its Southern Area will not be operating this coming season. More on that here. If you plan on following the Yuzawa Now reports, this is the page to bookmark: Yuzawa Now That is where you’ll find a link to the latest report, along with all of the archive data and the snowfall data visualisations. If you haven’t already checked it out, do take a look. I don’t have a full list of planned opening dates yet, but if you’d like to get an idea of when ski areas usually open, you can find previous opening dates on individual ski area listing pages, as well as on these handy charts from the last few seasons: 2025-2026 season 2024-2025 season 2023-2024 season It’s still very early, and even bordering hot on some days. Updates to the site are ongoing. Winter is coming... but let's enjoy autumn in the meantime! When the reports get going properly there will be webcam images added and temperature data, etc. I’ll be back later this month with more updates. Yuzawa Now 2026-2027 season Data as 1st October 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Yuzawa. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for.

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm Hello everyone! Here I am in early September posting a Niseko Now report. That is very unusual for me, of course, as I’m usually still in deep hibernation at this point. But I wanted to check out the new site and I just thought I’d say haro. Firstly, congratulations to SnowJapan on the new site! I knew what the aim was – lighter, simpler, faster, but deeper. A complicated balance to achieve. Mission accomplished, by the looks. I got to look at it a few days before it was launched and have been spending some time over recent days trying to discover it all. There’s certainly a lot to take in. I want to take this opportunity to mention a few things that may not have got people’s attention yet, but I find quite excite. This being Niseko Now, I’m particularly fond of the fun new visualisations using my daily observed snowfall numbers. This one in particular tickles my fancy. From the Niseko Now main page, which will of course be your new 'base' going forward, you can find links to various visualisations as well as season data and individual archive reports dating back to 2012. Let’s hope there are some good snowfall numbers to report in the upcoming season. (Obviously). The new Insights section as a whole is a lot of fun to explore. Looking at those different charts and graphs (and the new map on the main Hokkaido prefecture page; link directly to the Hokkaido map here) really does make Hokkaido stand out. Not just by having the largest number of ski areas in Japan, but the way they are spread right across the island and the fact that so many of them are so small. Hokkaido certainly has a different feel compared with most other prefectures. Fascinating. (On the subject of maps, the interactive one showing every ski area in Japan is both very interesting and truly mad). The graphs showing the opening and closing dates of ski areas around Japan is a very useful resource. Here's the one for the 2025-2026 season. I see there are going to be regular updates from October tracking early ski area openings here. Yey. Over in the Guides section, I recommend having a look at the FAQ. Some interesting stuff in there. Anyway, there’s much to find, so I recommend digging deep and discovering for yourself. Reading through the About section to get an idea of what the SnowJapan project is all about is a good starting point. For me, I’m now going to have my fill of toast and go and have a long post-hibernation ‘lie-in’. Don’t expect to hear from me again for at least another month! But I will, of course, be back in the run up to the winter season and look forward to telling you all about it every morning once things get started. Niseko Now reports will appear in this new section. The usual photos and more info will be added once the reports start. There will be all sorts of weather things to talk about in the coming months, but it’s way too early for me to be thinking about it all for now. Enjoy autumn. Niseko Now 2026-2027 season Data as of 8th September 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Niseko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for.

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Shiga Kogen region of Nagano Prefecture New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm A general message from SnowJapan: Welcome back to Shiga Kogen Now! If you've visited SnowJapan before, you'll notice that the website looks rather different. Welcome to the new version of SnowJapan. There is a lot to discover, but we suggest starting with our new About and News sections. Our daily Now reporting will once again be here throughout the 2026-2027 Japanese snow season. If you're wondering whether anything has changed, don't worry – apart from their appearance and how information is presented, the Now reports themselves will remain the same. That means daily, on-the-ground reporting without any hype and, all being well, reports of lots of snow. (We need nature to co-operate for that last bit!) Until then, please do explore the new Data & archives section of Shiga Kogen Now. Over there you can find statistics and individual archived daily reports dating back to 2012. There is plenty there to keep you occupied until our precious snow returns. The latest Shiga Kogen Now report will always be available on this page, so if you wish to bookmark Shiga Kogen Now, this is the page to bookmark. Thank you for visiting, and we look forward to reporting from Shiga Kogen again this season. Look out for regular updates from November 2026. Shiga Kogen Now 2026-2027 season Data as of late August 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 days Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Myoko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for.

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Shiga Kogen region of Nagano Prefecture New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm Welcome back to the Shiga Kogen Now reports. It has been a while! I love this time of year. The heat of summer has all but disappeared and we start to feel chilly at times. Nature rewards us with beautiful autumn colours over the coming weeks as we patiently wait for the winter season. As much as I am excited about the winter, I'd like time to slow down now so we can just enjoy this very pleasant season. Talking about winter, two of the ski areas here in Shiga Kogen - Yokoteyama and Kumanoyu - plan to open on Saturday 14th November... less than 6 weeks away! I'll be back with news on how the weather is changing over the coming weeks. Shiga Kogen Now 2026-2027 season Data as of 7th October 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 days Previous report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base level by our reporter based in Shiga Kogen. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for.