Yuzawa Now: Sunday 22nd May 2016
- May 22, 2016
- 3 min read
Updated: Nov 24, 2025
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata
New snowfall at base 0cm
Snowfall at base this season 424cm
Posted on Sunday 22nd May 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here.
Today is the last day of the snow season at Kagura.
Somehow – magic perhaps! - they have managed to remain open until now and are closing just one week earlier than originally planned. It must be said that they did very well. A big ‘otsukaresama’ to everyone involved.
2015/2016 season was definitely a strange one as you no doubt know if you have been following these Yuzawa Now reports and the other daily reports on the site.
The northern island of Hokkaido seemed to have a something-like-normal season, but for most of the main Honshu island there was just way less snow than we are used to. While we still probably got more snow here in Yuzawa than lots of ski resorts around the world, for us it was very lean. After all, we are used to very regular deliveries of huge amounts of snow. Silly amounts. And don’t we just love those silly amounts of snow!
Just compare the observed snowfall during 2015/2016 with the previous season:
2015/2016 season: 424cm
2014/2015 season: 1303cm
Those numbers are how much snow fell here in town. Same place, same observer. It’s a pretty stark contrast, with over 3 times more snow falling the previous season.
Less snow doesn’t mean that people didn’t enjoy themselves, of course. There were flashes of greatness here and there and I personally enjoyed many fine days out on the slopes. And I’m sure many other people did enjoy themselves. Timing was all important, perhaps more than usual. And there was again a noticeable increase in the number of non-Japanese visiting Yuzawa this winter.
But let’s hope that for the upcoming 2016-2017 season we can get back to normal in terms of snowfall.
And yes, I will very happily get out there twice a day with the shovel to dig out my front door and car. I promise not to moan…. rather, give thanks!
---
During the summer months both the Kagura and GALA Yuzawa resorts have a course open covered with ‘snow mats’ for those who want to take a slide. It’s not the same as real snow of course, but a kind of fun all the same and lovely to escape the heat down below for sure. Best not to take new gear though...
---
The Fuji Rock Festival is the next big event in Yuzawa. This year the main headliners for the festival are Sigur Ros, Beck and the Red Hot Chili Peppers and they are backed up by many more acts - mostly a mix of overseas and alternative style Japanese artists.
Fuji Rock Festival takes place at Naeba resort about 25 minutes away from central Yuzawa town, from Friday 22nd July until Sunday 24th July.
---
That’s it from the Yuzawa Now reports for this season.
Hope you enjoyed our reports, thanks for reading and see you soon.
Yuzawa Now 2015-2016 season |
Data as of Monday 16th May 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 424cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 44 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 34cm (10th February) November 2015 snowfall 0cm December 2015 snowfall 92cm reported on 7 days January 2016 snowfall 143cm reported on 18 days February 2016 snowfall 151cm reported on 14 days March 2016 snowfall 38cm reported on 5 days April 2016 snowfall 0cm May 2016 snowfall 0cm |
All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Yuzawa. 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.