The first official hatsukansetsu (初冠雪, first snowfall observed on a mountain) of the 2026-2027 season has been recorded at Mt Asahidake in Hokkaido.

The Japan Meteorological Agency recorded the first snowfall at the summit of Asahidake on 2nd October 2026, making it the first mountain in Japan to record hatsukansetsu this season.

There is an interesting change this season. The Japan Meteorological Agency has ended the previous system of staff visually observing 44 mountains from nearby weather stations. From this season, it is using analysed snow-depth data, drawing on sources including AMeDAS, weather radar and the Himawari weather satellite. This means that snow can be detected even when the summit is obscured by cloud or during the night.

Because the observation method has changed, the Japan Meteorological Agency says that this season's dates cannot be directly compared with previous hatsukansetsu records.

Either way, for those of us waiting for winter, 2nd October is a nice date to see the first official snow of the season!