Niseko Now: Wednesday 21st January 2026
- Jan 21
- 8 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 24cm
Snowfall at base this season 539cm
Good morning from Niseko.
Oh golly, this is very good. I have measured another 24cm of snowfall since yesterday. Conditions should be excellent this morning.
Lots of lifts were affected by wind during the day yesterday. Hopefully today might be better in that respect.
As you can see on the images today, as of the time of taking the images (8am), it was snowing quite heavily at Village - reported snowfall today 0cm (doh!) - and Hanazono, but there's actually a bit of sun peeking through over at Annupuri. Perhaps that is temporary.
Forecasts still show consistent snowfall over the coming week. I think it is going to be fun to put together the monthly recap in early February. Whatever numbers we end up with, they will certainly be much more excite than what I had to deal with at the beginning of this month. There might even be some celebratory toast involved, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Major change of tone alert.
I have some thoughts that I would like to share. They're not really directly about Niseko, skiing, or snowboarding. But these things have been on my mind for a while. If you are not interested in such thoughts, just scroll down to the Avalanche Report.
Some contemplative thoughts
It was a long time ago when I first came to Japan. It was so exciting, and I think I fell in love with Japan almost instantly. The beauty of the country, the gracious people and their culture. Oh yes, the skiing! I have so many rich memories of my life here and the good people I have met along the way. It has been the best of my life, and I cannot imagine living in any other country - even though it will probably not always be in Kutchan/Niseko.
Whatever my passport says, Japanese or another nationality, I will never actually 'look Japanese'. That means that for people who don't know me, I will always look like a foreigner. I accept that reality. I am not one of those foreigners who walk around in yukata and try ever so hard to 'be Japanese' (I often feel that comes across as being a bit silly), but I deeply respect this country, culture and society. Being able to speak Japanese helps. Still, the basic respect I have for Japan leads me to believe that being an active part of the society I live in and contributing to it is the right thing to do.
It can be very irritating, but despite all my efforts, I can quickly get lumped in with some knucklehead who arrived in Japan yesterday and started misbehaving, for example, by filming something wacky for their ridiculous social network account. Or someone avoiding paying their taxes or whatever. As annoying as that lumping in can be, knowing Japan and how it works, I understand why it happens.
Until recently, Japan was not accustomed to dealing with a large influx of foreign visitors and residents, but the last few years have seen that situation rapidly change. In places like Niseko, the changes have been particularly dramatic, as I have often discussed over the past few seasons. But Niseko differs from most of Japan due to the far-reaching nature of change. It is much more of a unique bubble than the norm. Still, as the recent post by Myoko Now demonstrates, it is becoming an issue in more places.
Japanese society is traditionally one that takes time to adjust to change, but it is currently going through a period of speed-adjusting. There is a feeling among some that too many uncomfortable changes are being forced upon them, not helped by higher living costs and a host of other issues affecting daily life. And for some of those people (perhaps the kind who are more inclined to be bigoted), that has meant increasingly taking to blaming 'foreigners' for some of the problems. Even when they are most certainly not to blame.
(Don't get me started on the way some public figures seem incapable of making the distinction between a short-term visitor and a very long-term resident. That truly does my head in).
Sadly, inevitably, social media has been invaluable to that negative cause, amplifying divisive messages and spreading misinformation that is sometimes very easily disproven. I would like to think that the nature of social media also makes it seem as if there are more of those kinds of people than there actually are. My own experiences in Japan have been overwhelmingly positive.
It profoundly saddens me to think of the prospect that Japan might be becoming increasingly 'anti-foreigner'.
There's not much I can do about such things, other than trying to be a good person and being an active part of the community. I have always tried to fit in, respect rules, and be personable. I like getting on with folk. To me, especially as an outsider, that seems like it's a fundamental part of the deal of living here. I must admit, I have become increasingly aware of this mindset and my behaviour over the last year or so, perhaps due to the increasing background noise and a desire to be seen as a good example. Or at least not perpetuating mistaken stereotypes. That increased awareness is not a burden, though - being a generally decent person is not difficult and is a reward in itself. (I look at people who are divisive and bigoted, and often feel their souls seem so dark and empty. If they weren't so destructive to others, I might feel sorry for them).
Do I have a relevant point here?
Well, I suppose I would like to humbly appeal to visitors to Japan to always be mindful of their behaviour when they are here. Enjoy this lovely country, but please respect it. Be good. Don't be a knucklehead. If somewhere is out of bounds, don’t go there. You might disagree or not understand certain rules, but frankly, that's irrelevant.
Japan is not a theme park.
Your behaviour – the good and the bad - reflects not only on yourself, but also on good people who have been living here for decades.
Obviously, that is not just a Japan thing, like many of the issues I've talked about today.
For people living here, I'd like to think that most are just trying to live a decent life and be part of the community. Taking out the garbage, paying taxes, learning the language/culture, and being kind to other folk.
I share my Myoko Now colleague's frustration toward the type of people who are only interested in quickly making tons of cash and taking it back 'home', without showing any genuine interest in the place that enables them to do so.
By the way, on principle, I now stay away from social media in all its forms, and I also restrict my news consumption. It isn't always easy, but I highly recommend it. Consuming the malevolent insanity that dominates news headlines and 'discussion' every day right now cannot be good for anyone's mental health. I know it's not good for mine.
Anyway, that was probably too many words. I’ll get back to more light-hearted programming tomorrow. Promise!
If you would like to get in touch with related thoughts, you can do so here. I would be genuinely interested to hear them. SnowJapan will pass on your messages.
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Niseko Avalanche Report
Moiwa base: -8℃, 15cm snowfall, calm. Moiwa 800m: -11.4℃, data n/a, cornice and snowdrift development stabilised. Annupuri 1100m: -13.8℃, W2.3m/s. Village 1000m: -12.4℃, NW1.6m/s. Hirafu Hanazono 1000m: -13.2℃, N5.8m/s, max 25m/s at 19:00 last night and the wind dropped overnight. Sea of Japan Benkei cape N9m/s, Kamui cape N11m/s, 1007hPa, 3.0m waves.
Winds have calmed over both sea and mountains, with snowdrifts consolidated and stabilized. No shear failure within the new snowpack and cornices will collapse, but not trigger avalanches. Avalanche risks are beginning to decrease. All peak gates are expected to open. Listen to the patrol’s advice and prepare before leaving the gates. Operation of the Moiwa Quad Lift will resume after ropes and other barriers are installed, following the designation of the Anbetsu strictly off-limits area. Outside of the gates is not the ski area. Niseko permits skiing out of bounds. However, you must always go out from the gates. A single track ducking the rope encourages beginners to follow it, potentially triggering incidents like the fatal avalanche accident involving a Russian teenager that occurred in Yuzawa in the past. Do not ski in strictly off-limits areas.
There is no safety in this sport. Always be cautious. Cracks are invisible from above; the cornice collapses, and avalanches occur suddenly. Do not stay in the valley bottom. Beware of crashing into trees. You cannot win against trees. Winter weather is unpredictable. Always check your current location. Following strangers will lead to getting lost. No buses come to Goshiki Onsen. Have a good day.
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Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 30cm
Base: 30cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 255cm (+20cm change since yesterday)
Base: 175cm (+15cm change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
4 of 4 lifts
Gondola until 7:00pm
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Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 40cm
Base: 40cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 340cm (+20cm change since yesterday)
Base: 130cm (+20cm change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
9 of 9 lifts
Ace Gondola, Ace Family quad, King Gondola and King Holiday pair until 7:00pm
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Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 230cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 135cm (no change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
7 of 8 lifts (not Country Road)
Upper Village Gondola, Village Express and Banzai Chair until 7:00pm
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Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 30cm
Base: 30cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 220cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 140cm (no change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
6 of 6 lifts
Jumbo Number 1 quad until 7:30pm
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Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort
Planned lift operations:
3 of 3 lifts
Niseko Now2025-2026 season |
Data as of Wednesday 21st January 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 539cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 50 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 321cm reported on 20 days |
All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Kutchan/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.