Last night the cold winds from Russia blew across the warm waters of the Sea of Japan rising to cloud which formed over the mountainous west coasts of Japan. I'm happy to report that Hakuba's location was right on target for this!

The snow is now dry and accumulating across all the ski resorts in the valley. We've got up to a fresh 40cm on the upper trails and around the towns the scenery has changed completely. A sudden finish to autumn... let's hope it can stick around.

It is breezy, cold and currently at 1 degree Celsius. The snowfall is pouring down but the ski resorts officially open in December. Check each resort for their official dates as the lifts will operate at these times, also the winter staff and local food and beverage outlets plan to open officially along with the ski resorts. If there's enough snow, expect possible openings sooner than the official dates.

Across the day the temperatures will drop and freezing conditions during the early hours of the morning will be consistent. The forecast has some more snow tomorrow, however the prediction for the rest of the week is unsure - we will keep you posted.