Yuzawa Now: Wednesday 28th January 2026
- Jan 28
- 4 min read
Updated: 10 hours ago
Independent snow and weather reporting from the Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata
New snowfall at base 14cm
Snowfall at base this seas 654cm
Posted on Wednesday 28th January 2026 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here.
Good morning from Yuzawa.
Very early clouds quickly parted yesterday morning and we enjoyed some sun and blue skies, particularly up until mid-morning.
It was snowing later in the afternoon and this morning there's 14cm of fresh to report from town base.
It is snowing and there's more expected over the next few days, possibly heavy at times.
Looks like a few top lifts at Kagura are affected by wind this morning but other ski areas opening as planned.
Interesting to see the snow depth number that Muikamachi Hakkaisan is reporting - 370cm up top. That is the most in the region and perhaps demonstrates how areas to the north of Yuzawa have had more snow.
A question was asked about snowfall and how it shapes up over a season. As a very eager student (* not expert) of this subject for several decades, a few thoughts. The raw data on how much snow has fallen each season is, of course, very interesting. I spent much time looking at it and comparing. (You can too in the archive reports in this section). This season was a slow start, but we have done some good catching up in recent days. But while the actual snowfall numbers may now be comparable with last season at this stage - we actually have now had more than last season - there's still visibly less snow than there was at this point last season. According to photographs I have taken. The reasons for that will surely mainly be when and how the snow falls, and what happens between the incoming snowfall - warm periods, rain, southerly winds, etc. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season goes.
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GALA Yuzawa
Official snow depth (reported by ski area):
270cm
Notes:
The Central Area and Northern Area (including the downhill course and connection with Ishiuchi Maruyama) are open
The Southern Area and Ropeway connection with Yuzawa Kogen are not yet open
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Ishiuchi Maruyama
Official snow depth (reported by ski area):
220cm
Notes:
The top connection with the Northern Area of GALA Yuzawa is now open
Daily floodlit night skiing until 28th February and then Fridays and Saturdays until 28th March (until 8:00pm)
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Iwappara
Official snow depth (reported by ski area):
155cm
Notes:
Daily floodlit night skiing until 28th March (until 7:00pm on weekdays and Sundays, until 8:00pm on Saturdays and nights before holidays)
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Joetsu Kokusai
Official snow depth (reported by ski area):
220cm
Notes:
Daily floodlit night skiing until 22nd March (until 9:00pm)
The Atema and Osawa base car parks (and associated runs) are scheduled to be open on weekends only
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Kagura
Official snow depth:
Top: 260cm
Base: 210cm
Notes:
Both base Ropeway bases are open but some lifts affected by wind
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Kandatsu Snow Resort
Official snow depth:
200cm
Notes:
Floodlit night skiing on Fridays, Saturdays and nights before holidays until 28th March (until 2:00am the next morning)
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Maiko Snow Resort
Official snow depth:
275cm
Notes:
Floodlit night skiing on Saturdays and Sundays until 14th March (until 8:00pm on Saturdays and 7:00pm on Sundays)
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Muikamachi Hakkaisan
Official snow depth:
Top: 370cm
Base: 240cm
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Naeba
Official snow depth:
Top: 210cm
Base: 180cm
Notes:
Daily floodlit night skiing until 21st March (until 8:30pm)
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NASPA Ski Garden
Official snow depth:
215cm
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Yuzawa Kogen
Official snow depth:
Top: 260cm
Base: 130cm
Notes:
The upper Kogen area and base area are both open
The Ropeway connection with the Southern Area of GALA Yuzawa is not yet open
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Yuzawa Nakazato Snow Resort
Official snow depth:
165cm
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Yuzawa Park
Official snow depth:
200cm
Yuzawa Now2025-2026 season |
Data as of Wednesday 28th January 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 654cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 30 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 68cm (on 25th January) November 2025 snowfall 12cm reported on 1 day December 2025 snowfall 144cm reported on 9 days January 2026 snowfall 498cm 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 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.