Myoko Now: Saturday 4th April 2026
- Apr 4
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Myoko region of Niigata
New snowfall at base 0cm
Snowfall at base this season 1088cm
Posted on Saturday 4th April 2026 This is an archived report. The latest Myoko Now report can be found here.
April is coming in strong today, with high winds from the south and rain likely later in the day (it actually arrived while I was working through this long-winded report). The wind in particular really strips the snow off the ground; there’s visibly less here at Akakan base than yesterday, so we can expect to also see more bare spots up on the mountain.
It’s been a strange season. Most people figure we got about half the snow of the previous year. Granted, 2024-2025 was a heavy year, but not that unusual looking back over a longer time period. We had two low years, a good season last year, and another low one this year. Yes, we are concerned about what these trends show. We really only had one serious snow, when we got over a meter on January 26. I think that’s what then gave us some problems with full-depth avalanches later on, like the one that occurred on February 28th at Madarao. That was especially unusual because there were none of the usual signs with a heavy wet slab, with cracking and gliding normally occurring before the avalanche releases. I know the areas really keep an eye on this, which doesn’t help the four people who were injured, but that was a strange one. Lotte Arai has been affected by this, too, and have been keeping a lot of slopes closed just in case.
Despite the low snow, though, this was a year where locals really felt a bit overwhelmed by visitors—and newcomers, in some cases. There basically were almost no Japanese faces to be seen at night in Akakura. The local supermarkets were clogged with big groups now of east Asians, as more stay-and-cook-for-yourself group accommodations have sprung up (no offense to them, as there are lots of individual international shoppers; the Taiwanese just tend to come in big groups and work through shopping together, which blocks the already-hassled locals. We try to be friendly, you know....).
One of the local, long-established ski schools also commented that they had almost no Japanese lessons this year, too. That’s concerning, along with information coming out on the new development at Suginohara. A local leader interviewed on NHK, the national broadcaster, basically said that the current main parking lot would be used for the new luxury hotel, which will be priced in the hundreds of thousands of yen (thousands of dollars) per room per night, and that the concept is that day visitors/riders (meaning domestic) wouldn’t be needed. He wasn’t speaking for the developers, but we haven’t heard much directly from the people who are doing the development, only rumors of ¥12,000 lift tickets and the desire to move on to condominium development. Insert big sigh here. It just seems out of place with what Myoko is—I mean, we’re in the heart of a national park, it’s always been a very local place with a deep history and culture. But we keep seeing older friends move out, when their children aren’t interested in the family hotel or restaurant and people are waiving money at them to sell out. Can’t blame them.
OK, before we get too depressed here, everything changes once April comes around. The hordes of young Australian ski instructors are gone. The supermarkets are once again accessible. 7-11 is once again a place where you can talk to the clerks (because you, like them, live here and know each other). Our flagship resort, Akakura Kanko Hotel, will be busy year-round because it has the golf course and the ski area, but more than that it has a tradition (it’s been here since 1937, after all) and a style and it’s a key part of the community.
I just wonder about the long-term feasibility of a super-luxury hotel catering to non-Japanese who will be here about three months a year. I have been here long enough to have seen the end of the Japanese ski bubble, with its packed slopes and busy hotels (on weekends). We all also see the abandoned hotels left over when that bubble burst, as bubbles always do. It’s kind of an uncertain world out there right now, too.
Summer is great. It’s cooler up here than in the lowlands around us, there’s both lots to do if you want and plenty of just relaxation if you like it. And no pressure.
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Resort information
Akakura Kanko:
130cm, 8°
Myokokogen Sky Cable gondola, Hotel Nos. 2 and 3 lifts; resort is already saying lift closures are likely due to strong winds
Hoping to stay open until May 6
Akakura Onsen:
Closed
Alpen Blick Resort
Closed
Myoko Suginohara:
Closed
Kyukamura RunRun:
Closed
Seki Onsen:
280cm, 6°
Closed weekdays
Tangram Madarao Tokyu Resort:
Closed
Madarao Mountain Resort:
Closed
Lotte Arai Resort:
282cm, 13°
NOt sure yet, with these strong winds (and rain likely)
Hoping to stay open into May
Kurohime Kogen Snow Park:
Closed
Myoko Now2025-2026 season |
Data as of Saturday 4th April 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 1088cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 54 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 120cm (on 25th January) November 2025 snowfall 35cm reported on 1 day December 2025 snowfall 184cm reported on 11 days January 2026 snowfall 646cm reported on 24 days February 2026 snowfall 202cm reported on 12 days March 2026 snowfall 21cm reported on 6 days April 2026 snowfall 0cm reported on 0 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.