Myoko Now: Sunday 18th January 2026
- Jan 18
- 3 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Myoko region of Niigata
New snowfall at base 6cm
Snowfall at base this season 483cm
Posted on Sunday 18th January 2026 This is an archived report. The latest Myoko Now report can be found here.
Not very nice days here in Myoko.
It looked like a sunny day yesterday, but by afternoon it was rainy and cold and just not great; the snow - as much as there was at the base area—really started to collapse into wet slush. Today it’s just impenetrable fog with a little snow and a southwest wind.
Very strange....
Oh, the rant. I often overhear people (particularly from a certain southern hemisphere nation) talking about going to “Iki”. Meaning, they think, Ikenotaira. OK, Iki might mean “go” or “breath” or “live” (lots of homonyms in Japanese), but “Ike,” pronounced ee-kay, is a pond, like the famous pond there in Ikenotaira. “Noz” for “Nozawa.” Then there was some TikTok guy talking up land purchases in Myoko, acting like an expert, but who couldn’t pronounce “Myoko.” It’s not my-o-ko, self-important dude.
So what’s my rant? As the number of non-Japanese here grows, so is an increasing lack of respect for the local culture and language. A lot of the temporary residents don’t seem to care about the place they’re in, just about making money and scooting back home with it. It’s only going to get worse if the big project now being planned and slowly coming to reality really means lots of condominiums for largely non-present owners. I mean, a guide friend in Shinanomachi sent me news that access to the Okusha Shrine in Tokagushi—a nice winter hike— has been closed because large groups come in, wander up the tree-lined path to the shrine, and leave piles of garbage. Old local guy grumping? Absolutely, but I do hear the same thing from other newcomers who are a lot more interested and respectful of the people and culture here.
I could go on, but you get the idea, and I know lots of readers have made a similar comment, too. Thanks for your respect, and love for snow country. Which, the good news part, will get revived in the next few days as snow really comes back again.
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Akakura Kanko:
170cm, -3°
Akakura Onsen:
205cm, -2°
Alpen Blick Resort
150cm, -1°
Myoko Suginohara:
115cm top, 75cm base; -6°
Kyukamura RunRun:
190cm, 0°
Seki Onsen:
320cm, -4°
Tangram Madarao Tokyu Resort:
70cm, -2°
Madarao Mountain Resort:
120cm, -3°
Lotte Arai Resort:
293cm, 1°
some areas closed due to avalanche risk
Kurohime Kogen Snow Park:
130cm top, 50cm base; 0°
Myoko Now2025-2026 season |
Data as of Sunday 18th January 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 483cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 25 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 64cm (on 9th January) November 2025 snowfall 35cm reported on 1 day December 2025 snowfall 184cm reported on 11 days January 2026 snowfall 264cm reported on 13 days |
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.