Myoko Now: Friday 4th April 2025
- Apr 4, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 7, 2025
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Myoko region of Niigata
New snowfall at base 0cm
Snowfall at base this season 1591cm
Posted on Friday 4th April 2025 This is an archived report. The latest Myoko Now report can be found here.
Friday before the last weekend for most resorts: time for a bit of a recap on the 2024-25 season.
Snow was the big theme for this season; it just kept falling. I was looking over my snow plowing records, and realized that there were 51 days where the machines had to run (and a few where I could have, but when it was less than 20cm, well, sometimes you let nature do the clearing. Lower carbon footprint and all that). The big snows in terms of depth were in December and February, but there were plenty of days in January where there was a good snowfall, too. It’s staying cold, too, so while the snow walls have shrunk somewhat and it’s easier to drive without inching up to intersections to peek around the corner, there’s still a lot of snow out there.
In short, excellent snowshoeing lies ahead (and it looks like sunny and warm weather tomorrow).
The elephant in the room (and, don’t forget, we did have elephants resident in this area until about 20,000 years ago) is the big potential development that is starting at Madarao and Suginohara. I know many readers have voiced concerns, and we do worry about the area losing the Japanese-ness that is a big draw for Myoko. No offense to our friends in Niseko and Hakuba, but compared to those places, Myoko is more of a centralized town, with a deep history in Japan, and as one of the earliest resorts in the country. Things have changed; we’re already at a point where most restaurants in town aren’t Japanese owned, as are many/most of the hotels, especially in Akakura. The Japan Times recently ran a good article on the potential changes in Myoko, with locals expressing their concerns about the way things have changed, as well as about the future.
It’s funny for those of us who actually live here year-round (and it’s nearly 30 years now for your writer), as things “go back to normal” about this time of year. We start to see our neighbors again, since we’d always be stuck in cycles of plowing and staying indoors for the winter anyway. Spring comes, the cherries bloom, and local people (not the herds of young foreign ski instructors) start to be visible on the streets again.
And, the way things are going globally right now, who knows what lies ahead? What would a big recession mean?
Ahhh.... hey, this is a beautiful place.
Tough to live in (snow throwers ain't cheap, and you can't NOT plow when you get 60cm), really not the best summer vacation location (we are a rain forest, really). The people still are nice, it IS Japan (no offensive Antipodeans, but I want to live in Japan, not Australia. Nice to have you visit, though!).
Good food, too...
Resort closing schedule
Akakura Kanko
Hotel No. 2 lift until April 1
Hotel No. 1 lift until April 5
Myokokogen Sky Cable gondola and Hotel No. 3 lift: until closing (which could be May 6, if snow remains)
Akakura Onsen
Closed
Ikenotaira Onsen Alpen Blick
Extended to April 6
Myoko Suginohara
Closing April 6
Kyukamura RunRun
Closed
Seki Onsen
Maybe April 6? Not clear
Tangram Madarao Tokyu Resort
Closing April 6
Madarao Mountain Resort
Closed
Lotte Arai Resort
Closing May 11, depending on snow
Kurohime Kogen Snow Park
Closed
Myoko Now 2024-2025 season |
Data as of Friday 4th April 2025 Total snowfall at base so far 1591cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 72 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 87cm (16th January) November 2024 snowfall 8cm reported on 1 day December 2024 snowfall 513cm reported on 19 days January 2025 snowfall 415cm reported on 19 days February 2025 snowfall 519cm reported on 22 days March 2025 snowfall 136cm reported on 11 days April 2025 snowfall 0cm |
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.