Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 14cm Snowfall at base this season 48cm Posted on Wednesday 11th November 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here And to follow on from my report yesterday, there's more snow to report this morning. I have measured 14cm outside, here in Hirafu. Right now there is a fair amount of blue sky to see and a bit of sunshine too. Nice and cold too. It will be interesting to see if the snow on upper areas of the mountain might remain over the forecast warmer period coming from tomorrow. Whatever, this has certainly been a good few days of early season snowfall. --- Now that I am fully awake and ready to go for the winter, I thought I would put down a few pre-season thoughts. First, I hope you and yours are keeping well. What a year it has been. As the 2019-2020 season came to a premature end in April, we were all very much hoping that by November the coronavirus situation would be much less of a worry. Over the summer months the number of confirmed cases reported here in Hokkaido were keeping low and steady, though over the last week or two the numbers have been rising once again (to close on 200 cases a day, mostly in Sapporo). I don’t really know how to interpret that other than hope we might be at the crest of this particular wave and the numbers will begin to settle down again but... who knows. Everyone has their ‘2020’ story of course. I took some time to re-charge after the rush of winter and I have been able to explore some areas of Hokkaido. It is easy to do the social distancing thing here in the countryside. There have been a few days when I have been places and hardly seen another person. What a beautiful place this is. So here we are, approaching the middle of November and just a few weeks away from the start of the ski season. It is always an exciting time of the year and the snow that we got early this week was great to see. In terms of snow, that definitely seems like a promising start. After years of rapid growth and increasing numbers of people visiting Niseko from all over the world, this season is probably going to feel a bit (maybe very)... strange. Travel restrictions are preventing many of you from getting here, so that is undoubtedly going to create a different atmosphere. Ski resorts here in Niseko plan to be opening along with various strategies to tackle the coronavirus issue. I haven’t delved deep yet, but it is mostly things like wearing face coverings, using hand sanitizers and limiting the number of people on lifts. That kind of thing. Niseko Grand Hirafu is resting a bunch of lifts this season in what looks like a clear sign they expect fewer people than usual. Last I heard these are the rested lifts: Ace Pair Number 1 lift, Ace Pair Number 3 lift, Ace Pair Number 4 lift, King Pair Number 1 lift and King Quad Number 2 lift. These lifts not operating should not really affect skiable terrain and the other lifts should be moving as normal. Hirafu has changed their initial planned opening date from 21st November to 5th December, and night skiing will be until 8:00pm. Niseko Annupuri plans to be the first ski area to open on Saturday 28th November which means we are now just over two weeks away. I’ll post further news in upcoming reports. While it is of course difficult to avoid coronavirus, I intend to keep mention of it to a minimum in my reports. There is enough news out there if you want it and I am guessing that most of you are not coming to the Niseko Now reports to read about coronavirus! Having said that, the issue will surely shape the season in some respects, so it will be part of the conversation from time to time. But don’t worry, I plan to be as genki as I have always tried to be. That is the cunning plan anyway. Let's see how things go. One important thing that remains the same. I love doing these reports and of course love Niseko. In these reports I will tell you exactly what I see and observe. I’ll get excited when there’s genuinely stuff to be excited about and I won't hide any uncomfortable truths. It's not about being 'positive' or 'negative' - it's simply about telling you what is going on. And of course, cheese will be kept in the fridge at all times. (I might mention toast, though.) It is unfortunate that people who really want to be here are unable to come at this time, but I hope that my reports might help give you a feeling of being connected as we all look forward to the time when things can get back to being more normal. Anyway, it is a beautiful morning, and it looks like we should be enjoying some fine weather over the next few days. I’ll be back soon. --- Planned opening dates: Niseko Annupuri: Saturday 28th November 2020 Niseko Grand Hirafu: Saturday 5th December 2020 Niseko Hanazono: Saturday 5th December 2020 Niseko Village: Tuesday 1st December 2020 Niseko Now 2020-2021 season Data as of Wednesday 11th November 2020 Total snowfall at base so far 48cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 3 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (10th November) November 2020 snowfall 48cm reported on 3 days Previous report Next report 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. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 9cm Snowfall at base this season 20cm Posted on Tuesday 10th November 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . Furano Ski Resort is planning to open on 21 November 2020 subject to snow conditions. It is a beautiful sunny morning in Furano. Overnight there has been a significant snowfall of 9cm at the base level of the mountain. While the sky is blue at the moment is it forecast to start snowing again and continue throughout the day. The current temperature is -3c, and the high of +1c will occur around midday. Furano Now 2020-2021 season Data as of Tuesday 10th November 2020 Total snowfall at base 20cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 2 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 11cm (5th November) November 2020 snowfall 20cm reported on 2 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Furano. 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. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Shiga Kogen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 2cm Snowfall at base this season 3cm Posted on Tuesday 10th November 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Shiga Kogen Now report can be found here . Hello from Shiga Kogen, where it feels rather wintery this morning. Just a light layer around but everywhere is looking dusted. It is mostly cloudy right now with some blue sky showing through in places, less clear in others. Snow machines are out there busy doing their thing. Of course, we hope they can get a lot of rest throughout this season. All being well, the Kumanoyu and Yokoteyama areas of Shiga Kogen plan to open from 14th November 2020. Shiga Kogen Now 2020-2021 season Data as of Tuesday 10th November 2020 Total snowfall at base 3cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 2 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 2cm (10th November) November 2020 snowfall 3cm reported on 2 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Shiga Kogen. 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. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 32cm Snowfall at base this season 34cm Posted on Tuesday 10th November 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning everyone. And what a wonderful morning it is! It feels almost like in the space of a day we have been transported into the winter season with a very healthy amount of snow on the ground this morning. I am measuring 32cm of it and there will be more than that in places, especially higher up. This is good. This is good. It doesn't mean that we are suddenly actually into ski season though, of course. We are expecting clearer skies from tomorrow and the planned opening dates of the ski areas is below. I'm still working on my official 'first post' of the season (coming soon). --- Planned opening dates: Niseko Annupuri: Saturday 28th November 2020 Niseko Grand Hirafu: Saturday 5th December 2020 Niseko Hanazono: Saturday 5th December 2020 Niseko Village: Tuesday 1st December 2020 Niseko Now 2020-2021 season Data as of Tuesday 10th November 2020 Total snowfall at base so far 34cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 2 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (10th November) November 2020 snowfall 34cm reported on 2 days Previous report Next report 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. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 11cm Snowfall at base this season 11cm Posted on Thursday 5th November 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . It's time to start up the Furano Now reports as we are less than 3 weeks from the start of the season. The resort is planning to open on 21 November 2020. Yesterday was the first snow of the season and fully blanketed the mountain and the Furano valley. In total there was 11cm of accumulation on the ground. It is a little warmer today and the snow is starting to melt away, but winter is definitely here and further snow is on its way at the end of the week. Stay tuned for more updates in the lead up to the opening of Furano Ski Resort. Furano Now 2020-2021 season Data as of Thursday 5th November 2020 Total snowfall at base 11cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 1 day Most snowfall observed in 1 day 11cm (5th November) November 2020 snowfall 11cm reported on 1 day Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Furano. 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. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Myoko region of Niigata New snowfall at base 1cm Snowfall at base this season 1cm Posted on Wednesday 4th November 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Myoko Now report can be found here . On this election day that seems to have most everybody I know watching - regardless of where they are from - it would seem that there are few things more important than the outcome of this political contest. But this would be wrong, because the first snowfall of the year arrived last night at base level Akakura. It did not last, it didn't amount to much anyway, but those flakes were coming down late last night, and lingered in the shadows through the morning. And it made us happy, when there aren't a lot of things that bring joy, are there? It looks like an interesting year in Myoko. Everyone is talking about the big snows that are supposed to fall, this being a La Niña year and all. Some will say that the praying mantis nests are higher up on the bushes than normal, but I think that is wishful observation. We probably won't have a large international guest list this coming season, at least from Europe, the US and Oceania. Have to see how things go in East Asia, and if people will be traveling to Japan (or allowed in!). The good news is that social distancing might not be much of a problem.... We'll keep bringing the snow info, though! We're still here! You still want to come (we want to welcome you here). I put in more equipment so we can give more accurate weather information, too. Be back the next time it snows! Myoko Now 2020-2021 season Data as of Wednesday 4th November 2020 Total snowfall at base so far 1cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 1 day Most snowfall observed in 1 day 1cm (4th November) November 2020 snowfall 1cm reported on 1 day Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Myoko. 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. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Shiga Kogen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 1cm Snowfall at base this season 1cm Posted on Wednesday 4th November 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Shiga Kogen Now report can be found here . Hello and good morning from Shiga Kogen. 2020 has certainly been an eventful year in so many ways. Wherever you are in the world, I hope this message finds you and yours safe and well. Some of you reading this may well have been planning to visit Japan and Shiga Kogen this winter season, but not be able to do so. That is of course disappointing for everyone. I will be here covering the season, so even if you are reading from afar, you will be able to follow what is going on in Shiga Kogen. This morning I have news of snowfall! There was some snow on the windscreen of my car this morning, ski slopes have suddenly 'appeared' and trees are looking lovely and dusted. The thin layer of snow on the road outside my place has gone now. It is still very early on, of course, but always exciting to see early snow down on the roads. Just for the record, it did actually snow a bit on 30th October, but this is the first time I have had some to move. Let us hope we are on for a season of lots of regular snowfall. Kumanoyu and Yokoteyama will open as soon as there is enough snow once we get to Saturday 14th November. Shiga Kogen Now 2020-2021 season Data as of Wednesday 4th November 2020 Total snowfall at base 1cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 1 day Most snowfall observed in 1 day 1cm (4th November) November 2020 snowfall 1cm reported on 1 day Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Shiga Kogen. 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. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Geto Kogen region of Iwate New snowfall at base 15cm Snowfall at base this season 15cm Posted on Wednesday 4th November 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Geto Kogen Now report can be found here . Hello everybody! It's November and time for snow. And how about this... 15cm of it on the ground at base yesterday (see the photos below) after starting off as rain. It changed back to sleet later on with a bit of melt going on, but of course great to see a layer of snow. May there be 'Geto Kogen'-like amounts of it throughout the season. Cloudy with perhaps some clearer weather currently forecast for tomorrow. Geto Kogen plans to open on 28th November. I plan to get back to you before then with snowy news. Geto Kogen Now 2020-2021 season Data as of Wednesday 4th November 2020 Total snowfall at base so far 15cm Number of days snowfall observed 1 day Most snowfall observed on 1 day 15cm (on 4th November) November 2020 snowfall 15cm observed on 1 day Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Geto Kogen. 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. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 2cm Snowfall at base this season 2cm Posted on Wednesday 4th November 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning everyone. I was planning on a proper first report next week but I have snow to report. Yes, snow down to village level - slightly under 2cm. Hurray! I will be back with you next week with more details (or before if I have more cm to add) and then start getting into gear as the season approaches. Exciting. Niseko Now 2020-2021 season Data as of Wednesday 4th November 2020 Total snowfall at base so far 2cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 1 day Most snowfall observed in 1 day 2cm (4th November) November 2020 snowfall 2cm reported on 1 day Next report 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. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Geto Kogen region of Iwate New snowfall at base 3cm Snowfall at base this season 937cm Posted on Friday 24th April 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Geto Kogen Now report can be found here . This morning the report was updated with information for today but... it turns out that today Geto Kogen has announced that they are closing. They have said that they will be closed 'until 6th May', which was the original target closing date. They appear to be keeping open the possibility of being open beyond that, depending on how the situation develops over the coming weeks. In terms of snow, there is still officially over 3m of it out there. I will let you know nearer the time if that is the case. For now, though, that is the season. I thank you for reading and hope that we can meet again later in the year, when the excitement of the upcoming winter season can perhaps clear some of the memories of what is going on right now. Take care and see you on the other side of summer. Update: Friday 24th April was the last day of the season. Geto Kogen Now 2019-2020 season Data as of Thursday 23rd April 2020 Total snowfall at base so far 937cm Number of days snowfall observed 75 days Most snowfall observed on 1 day 80cm (on 6th February) November 2019 snowfall 88cm observed on 4 days December 2019 snowfall 207cm observed on 16 days January 2020 snowfall 177cm observed on 19 days February 2020 snowfall 289cm observed on 18 days March 2020 snowfall 106cm observed on 13 days April 2020 snowfall 70cm observed on 5 days Previous report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Geto Kogen. 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. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Geto Kogen region of Iwate New snowfall at base 5cm Snowfall at base this season 934cm Posted on Thursday 23rd April 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Geto Kogen Now report can be found here . Good morning. It might be the second half of April but... it is snowing. Bit windy too and visibility is limited early this morning. Official snow depths: * Top: 270cm * Base: 75cm Planned operating lift information - subject to change: * Number 1 pair lift Courses & Tree Runs: * A1, A2, A3 courses open * Tree run courses closed Geto Kogen Now 2019-2020 season Data as of Thursday 23rd April 2020 Total snowfall at base so far 934cm Number of days snowfall observed 74 days Most snowfall observed on 1 day 80cm (on 6th February) November 2019 snowfall 88cm observed on 4 days December 2019 snowfall 207cm observed on 16 days January 2020 snowfall 177cm observed on 19 days February 2020 snowfall 289cm observed on 18 days March 2020 snowfall 106cm observed on 13 days April 2020 snowfall 67cm observed on 4 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Geto Kogen. 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. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 415cm Posted on Wednesday 22nd April 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . Furano Ski Resort is now closed for the season. The closing date was brought forward a few weeks to aid with the prevention of COVID-19. Apart from the impact of COVID-19 in the later part of the season, it has been an unusual year with temperatures fluctuating widely and generally warmer overall than would normally be expected. This led to significantly less snow than the resort would normally receive. However to put his into perspective there was still 4.15m of snowfall recorded at the BASE! Coverage of the on piste courses was fine and the quality of snow still very good. The off piste just didn't receive enough snow at regular intervals to reset, and combined with warm spikes in temperatures here and there, didn't provide the amazing experience that we all seek. Furano Now will take a break for a few months to enjoy the spring and summer, and then we will be back in touch in the build up to the 2020-2021 winter. See you later in the year. Furano Now 2019-2020 season Data as of Wednesday 22nd April 2020 Total snowfall at base 415cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 61 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (19th November) November 2019 snowfall 84cm reported on 7 days December 2019 snowfall 91cm reported on 15 days January 2020 snowfall 114cm reported on 16 days February 2020 snowfall 98cm reported on 13 days March 2020 snowfall 20cm reported on 8 days April 2020 snowfall 8cm reported on 2 days Previous report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Furano. 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. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com