Niseko Now: Friday 23rd January 2026
- Jan 23
- 4 min read
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido
New snowfall at base 18cm
Snowfall at base this season 571cm
Good morning from Niseko.
Yet another nearly 20cm of fresh this morning.
As I write this, it is snowing quite heavily over at Annupuri and Village, almost stopped at Hanazono.
What more can I say.
Oh yes...
One more very good point that someone brought up that I feel the need to convey.
No-one expects visitors to speak fluent Japanese. Indeed, some Japanese people don't expect non-Japanese who have been here for decades to speak Japanese, but that's another matter!
I remember when I first came here, my Japanese consisted of little more than 'hello', 'thank you', 'sorry' and 'this is a pen'. Importantly, those few words were accompanied with a smile, a friendly manner and a desire to fit in to my new environment, including learning the language. My Japanese language skills were embarrassingly poor for quite a long time, but I got on just fine.
One delightfully charming reader said something about the things I've been saying over the last few days being some kind of unattainable wussy dreamland or something. No, I disagree. I am simply describing people being decent. The bonus being... it's really easy and it costs nothing.
Anyway, I've had my toast and I'm going skiing.
First lift for me! Oh yes.
------------------------------------
By the way, in my report yesterday I mentioned 30cm of snow being reported by Hirafu, but failed to update the relevant number in the list. That has since been adjusted. Apologies for that mistake.
------------------------------------
Niseko Avalanche Report
Moiwa base 6am: -10℃, light wind, 15cm new snow from dawn. Moiwa 800m: -13.5℃, light winds , 15cm new snow, snowdrift development. Annupuri 1100m: -15.8℃, W4.0m/s. Village 1000m: -14.6℃, WSW2.4m/s. Hirafu Hanazono 1000m: -15.1℃, ESE0.1m/s. Hanazono 800m: -12.5℃, NE1.0m/s. Coastal data: Benkei Cape WNW14m/s, Kamui Cape W10m/s, 1010hPa, 1.7m waves.
High pressure zones to the west and low pressures to the east, isobar width changes and the inflow of cold air, has brought intermittent snowstorms to the mountains. Be careful of poor visibility and sudden changes in the weather. Observation and destructive tests at 800m, showed there was no clear fracture line on surface avalanches. The amount of slab formation from the wind and other factors is minor and the general avalanche risk is low. However, avalanches are not the only danger on the mountain. Always take precautions. All peak gates are expected to open. Please follow the patrols instructions. Do not duck ropes or stray from the course. Guides should plan trips that are reasonable and tailored to the ability level of the guests. There are many people in the valley. Please be considerate of others. The snow is good again today. Is your beacon on? Never enter strictly off limits areas. Have a nice day.
------------------------------------
Niseko HANAZONO Resort
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 23cm
Base: 21cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 260cm (+5cm change since yesterday)
Base: 185cm (+5cm change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
4 of 4 lifts
Gondola until 7:00pm
------------------
Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 20cm
Base: 20cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 340cm (+5cm change since yesterday)
Base: 135cm (+5cm change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
9 of 9 lifts
Ace Gondola, Ace Family quad, King Gondola and King Holiday pair until 7:00pm
------------------
Niseko Village Ski Resort
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 250cm (-6cm change since yesterday)
Base: 160cm (+11cm change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
7 of 8 lifts (not Country Road)
Upper Village Gondola, Village Express and Banzai Chair until 7:00pm
------------------
Niseko Annupuri Kokusai
Official 24 hours snowfall (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 20cm
Base: 20cm
Official snow depth (reported by the ski area):
Peak: 220cm (no change since yesterday)
Base: 150cm (+10cm change since yesterday)
Planned lift operations:
6 of 6 lifts
Jumbo Number 1 quad until 7:30pm
------------------
Niseko Moiwa Ski Resort
Planned lift operations:
3 of 3 lifts
Niseko Now2025-2026 season |
Data as of Friday 23rd January 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 571cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 52 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 353cm reported on 22 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.