Independent snow and weather reporting from the Hakuba region of Nagano New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 339cm Posted on Saturday 2nd May 2026 This is an archived report. The latest Hakuba Now report can be found here. Good morning from Hakuba. The sun is out and it's a bright morning but we do expect some windy conditions. Hakuba Goryu ski area announced that it will only be able to remain open until tomorrow, Sunday 3rd May. Wednesday is too much of a stretch. From Monday, the only ski lift operating in the region will be at Tsugaike. And Tsugaike appears intent on remaining open until the planned closing date of Wednesday 6th May. On Facebook this morning, and indeed on their 'news' page, they say there is on average 123cm of snow on the top run that remains open. However, on the index page of their website, they say the snow depth up top is 39cm. I don't know how to explain that, but they seem intent - and indeed able - to remain open until Wednesday. There's some heavy rain due later tomorrow into Monday. ----- 10:30am update: Tsugaike is closed today due to strong winds (hashtag: footbath). Goryu is... it appears, also closed. Or not open. On standby. Or something. I have tried but cannot find any specific info other than (at 10:30am) the lifts showing as on standby on the website, and I can't see anyone on the webcams and the lift isn't moving. So... no skiing or snowboarding for us this morning? Probably. Or maybe. Let's guess! A plea to ski areas: Please (please!) put more effort into providing clear and timely information for your paying customers. Please. Why is it seemingly so difficult? I feel the need for a 5+ month rest from all this! ;) -------------------------------- ABLE Hakuba Goryu Official snow depth: Top: 35cm Base: 0cm Current status and planned closing date: Gondola and Alps Number 1 pair lift operating Panorama course All other lifts and courses now closed You need to take the gondola back down to base Adjusted closing date: Sunday 3rd May ------------ Tsugaike Mountain Resort Official snow depth: Upper: 39cm (though they say there's over 100cm on the open ski course) Base: 0cm Current status: Limited top run open You need to take the gondola back down to base Planned closing date: Wednesday 6th May Hakuba Now 2025-2026 season Data as Saturday 2nd May 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 339cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 47 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 24cm (on 25th January) November 2025 snowfall 2cm reported on 1 day December 2025 snowfall 98cm reported on 12 days January 2026 snowfall 181cm reported on 22 days February 2026 snowfall 56cm reported on 10 days March 2026 snowfall 2cm reported on 2 days April 2026 snowfall 0cm reported on 0 days May 2026 snowfall 0cm 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 Hakuba. 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 Madarao region of Nagano New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 705cm Posted on Sunday 29th March 2026 This is an archived report. The latest Madarao Now report can be found here. Good morning from Madarao on this last day of the 2025-2026 season for the two ski areas on the mountain. I probably say this every year but... how fast was that?! (Way too fast). Something else I may say every year is... it was a somewhat strange season. My total observed snowfall for the season was 705cm. That's on the lower side (last season I observed over 10m). 401cm of that snowfall came in January. February was disappointing - seemingly in most of Japan, not just here - with less than 1m observed at base, which is the lowest number I have observed for the month since starting these reports in 2012. And we didn't get much fresh in March either. Thankfully, temperatures remained quite low for much of March so it didn't all melt away and we could ride it though until the end. There was also that avalanche at the end of February which disrupted operations a bit. Still, it might not have been a classic season, but I have had some great days out and no doubt many others have too. Particularly in January! SnowJapan will be posting an end-of-season message to all of the daily reports in early May. The site is getting a big renew/refresh in time for next season, all being well, so everything will be looking different. Something to look forward to. I plan to be back with you though to report from Madarao. I wish you well and see you in November. ----------------------------------- A message from SnowJapan (posted 6th May 2026) This message is being published on each of our daily report pages and is not specific to Madarao The season is now over for all but a few ski areas, and the last of our daily reporting for 2025-2026 has been posted. I hope that our independent reporting has once again helped many people this past ski season. With our large and wide-reaching readership from every part of the world, we feel a real sense of responsibility for the information we publish. A sincere thank you to the wonderful reporters who contribute to our daily reporting. It has been another long season with more unique stories from around the country. A general Japan season wrap-up seems inappropriate, given the vast differences across the country's many mountainous regions. Still, I think it's fair to say that in most regions, 2025-2026 was not a top-tier classic for Japan in terms of snowfall. But... that is comparing Japan with Japan – and, as we all know, that is a very high bar! All being well, later this year, a from-the-ground-up new version of SnowJapan will replace the current site (which has been online since February 2022). Work started on the new project over a year ago. I don't want to reveal details just yet, as there is still a lot of work to do and some things may change. The main goal of this renewal is to simplify and refine the site, keep things 'light', with a focus on improving core content and usability. It's a lot of work, but with all the foundations now largely in place, it is exciting to start seeing it all come together. Hopefully, the end result will work out as imagined. It might be a shock to the system when the changeover happens, but not to worry - the basic concept and values that have guided SnowJapan since 1999 are still very much firmly in place. The new site is expected to be ready by November 2026, and more information will be shared in late summer. Madarao Now 2025-2026 season Data as of Sunday 29th March 2026 Total snowfall at base 705cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 48 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 58cm (on 25th January) November 2025 snowfall 26cm reported on 1 day December 2025 snowfall 160cm reported on 11 days January 2026 snowfall 401cm reported on 19 days February 2026 snowfall 93cm reported on 13 days March 2026 snowfall 25cm reported on 4 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 Madarao. 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 0cm Snowfall at base this season 1442cm Posted on Saturday 2nd May 2026 This is an archived report. The latest Geto Kogen Now report can be found here. Good morning from Geto Kogen. With strong winds today and the remaining snow getting very thin on the ground... that's it, folks. Yes, today the ski area is closed due to the strong winds, and it has announced that yesterday was effectively the last day of the ski season. Like in many regions of Japan this time round, it has been a somewhat uneven season. January, in particular, brought us a huge amount of snow. 761cm. That is the most ever reported in these reports in any month actually. Snow was reported here every day in that month. Very impressive. Beyond January, the rate of snowfall seemed to slow down. That meant that, in the end, we were struggling to reach the planned season closing date. Geto Kogen really puts in a huge effort to keep things going and for that I believe the teams all deserve a lot of praise (and a nice long rest). These reports have reported an impressive 1442cm of snow this season. The ski area itself has reported 2011cm. I'm guessing most ski areas in the world would like some of that! (* Or perhaps be a little scared at that prospect!) It's now time to take a rest and hopefully everyone will be re-charged and ready for action again come November. Thanks for reading the reports this season. See you in November. ----------------------------------- A message from SnowJapan This message is being published on each of our daily report pages and is not specific to Geto Kogen The season is now over for all but a few ski areas, and the last of our daily reporting for 2025-2026 has been posted. I hope that our independent reporting has once again helped many people this past ski season. With our large and wide-reaching readership from every part of the world, we feel a real sense of responsibility for the information we publish. A sincere thank you to the wonderful reporters who contribute to our daily reporting. It has been another long season with more unique stories from around the country. A general Japan season wrap-up seems inappropriate, given the vast differences across the country's many mountainous regions. Still, I think it's fair to say that in most regions, 2025-2026 was not a top-tier classic for Japan in terms of snowfall. But... that is comparing Japan with Japan – and, as we all know, that is a very high bar! All being well, later this year, a from-the-ground-up new version of SnowJapan will replace the current site (which has been online since February 2022). Work started on the new project over a year ago. I don't want to reveal details just yet, as there is still a lot of work to do and some things may change. The main goal of this renewal is to simplify and refine the site, keep things 'light', with a focus on improving core content and usability. It's a lot of work, but with all the foundations now largely in place, it is exciting to start seeing it all come together. Hopefully, the end result will work out as imagined. It might be a shock to the system when the changeover happens, but not to worry - the basic concept and values that have guided SnowJapan since 1999 are still very much firmly in place. The new site is expected to be ready by November 2026, and more information will be shared in late summer. Geto Kogen Now 2025-2026 season Data as of Saturday 2nd May 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 1442cm Number of days snowfall observed 83 days Most snowfall observed on 1 day 77cm (on 5th December) November 2025 snowfall 54cm observed on 5 days December 2025 snowfall 306cm observed on 18 days January 2026 snowfall 761cm observed on 31 days February 2026 snowfall 216cm observed on 17 days March 2026 snowfall 86cm observed on 10 days April 2026 snowfall 19cm observed on 2 days May 2026 snowfall 0cm 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 Nozawa Onsen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 733cm Posted on Wednesday 6th May 2026 This is an archived report. The latest Nozawa Now report can be found here. Good morning from Nozawa. It is a fine and sunny Wednesday morning with some cloud hanging around. It's also the last day of the Golden Week holidays and the last day of the official ski season here in Nozawa Onsen. Purely in terms of observed snowfall at base, 2025-2026 probably comes in at just below average, but I don't think that tells the whole story. Here's how much I reported in these reports from base: November 2025: 15cm December 2025: 134cm January 2026: 438cm February 2026: 126cm March 2026: 20cm Season total: 733cm (last year, the total was 1058cm) Important: more snow fell higher up, and I mention the upper areas' snowfall numbers (as reported by the ski area) in each report. As other reporters on here are saying, always look beyond the headline numbers. About 60% of the total snowfall came in January, making it easily the most exciting month of the season and the recipient of my top 5 'best days of the season' awards. I think I'm right in saying that January being the most snowy month applies to many - most? - regions of Japan. It was certainly the case in this region. Plenty of great days to enjoy in other months, too, of course, but January was clearly the peak. The other countrywide trend we couldn't escape was the slowdown in snowfall in the second half of the season, with very little snow at all from the last week of February. Luckily, temperatures generally remained on the lower side for much of March and into April, and that definitely helped the upper areas retain enough snow to keep open until today. There's no getting around the fact that the 'spring season' has felt especially long this year. It is a bit concerning. But! A bit of perspective - only last season we enjoyed an impressive 424cm in February 2024 and a respectable 101cm in March 2025. That was really good. Perhaps we can have some of that next season. Naski, everyone's favourite bright-green skiing vegetable mascot, made many appearances throughout the season and is as gnarly as ever. There's no holding back Naski. A fine ambassador for Nozawa Onsen. I'm not a fan of hot, humid summers, but perhaps the heat we endure from June through September helps us anticipate and appreciate our lovely snowy winters even more than we would if we didn't have them. I plan to be back in November in time for the run-up to the 2026-2027 winter season. Thanks for reading, and see you then! ----------------------------------- A message from SnowJapan This message is being published on each of our daily report pages and is not specific to Nozawa The season is now over for all but a few ski areas, and the last of our daily reporting for 2025-2026 has been posted. I hope that our independent reporting has once again helped many people this past ski season. With our large and wide-reaching readership from every part of the world, we feel a real sense of responsibility for the information we publish. A sincere thank you to the wonderful reporters who contribute to our daily reporting. It has been another long season with more unique stories from around the country. A general Japan season wrap-up seems inappropriate, given the vast differences across the country's many mountainous regions. Still, I think it's fair to say that in most regions, 2025-2026 was not a top-tier classic for Japan in terms of snowfall. But... that is comparing Japan with Japan – and, as we all know, that is a very high bar! All being well, later this year, a from-the-ground-up new version of SnowJapan will replace the current site (which has been online since February 2022). Work started on the new project over a year ago. I don't want to reveal details just yet, as there is still a lot of work to do and some things may change. The main goal of this renewal is to simplify and refine the site, keep things 'light', with a focus on improving core content and usability. It's a lot of work, but with all the foundations now largely in place, it is exciting to start seeing it all come together. Hopefully, the end result will work out as imagined. It might be a shock to the system when the changeover happens, but not to worry - the basic concept and values that have guided SnowJapan since 1999 are still very much firmly in place. The new site is expected to be ready by November 2026, and more information will be shared in late summer. Information on the ski area: Nozawa Onsen Nozawa Now 2025-2026 season Data as of Wednesday 6th May 2026 Total snowfall at base 733cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 52 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 76cm (on 25th January) November 2025 snowfall 15cm reported on 1 day December 2025 snowfall 134cm reported on 11 days January 2026 snowfall 438cm reported on 22 days February 2026 snowfall 126cm reported on 12 days March 2026 snowfall 20cm reported on 6 days April 2026 snowfall 0cm May 2026 snowfall 0cm Previous report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Nozawa Onsen. 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 Nozawa Onsen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 733cm Posted on Monday 4th May 2026 This is an archived report. The latest Nozawa Now report can be found here. Hello from Nozawa. Is it really "Golden Week"?!? Certainly doesn't feel like it with the weather we have got this time round. This morning is damp (thankfully not raining just now) and foggy. We might get rain on and off during the day. Tomorrow and Wednesday should be clearer and we should get to see some sunshine. That sounds like the best way to end the season. The ski area is holding on and looks like it will be able to stay open until Wednesday. If there is any change to those plans, I'll let you know, but otherwise I'll be back here on Wednesday to wrap up the season. ---------------------------- Official snow depth numbers (reported by the ski area): Yamabiko: 50cm Uenotaira: 25cm Lower areas: now closed and no longer reporting Available courses: Yamabiko A-E Uenotaira Scheduled lift operations for the spring season: Nagasaka gondola (from 8:10am) Yamabiko Four lift Yamabiko Number 2 Four lift Uenotaira quad lift Planned closing date (subject to change): Wednesday 6th May Information on the ski area: Nozawa Onsen Nozawa Now 2025-2026 season Data as of Monday 4th May 2026 Total snowfall at base 733cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 52 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 76cm (on 25th January) November 2025 snowfall 15cm reported on 1 day December 2025 snowfall 134cm reported on 11 days January 2026 snowfall 438cm reported on 22 days February 2026 snowfall 126cm reported on 12 days March 2026 snowfall 20cm reported on 6 days April 2026 snowfall 0cm May 2026 snowfall 0cm 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 Nozawa Onsen. 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 Nozawa Onsen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 733cm Posted on Saturday 2nd May 2026 This is an archived report. The latest Nozawa Now report can be found here. We got through the nasty weather yesterday and the ski area is opening up again this morning. Still expecting some winds, but hopefully they won't affect lifts. That 55cm snow depth has been unchanged for a while now. Yesterday afternoon the Yamabiko run on the webcam was looking in a pretty sorry way, but seems much better this morning. It seems the snow maintenance team have been busy. ---------------------------- Official snow depth numbers (reported by the ski area): Yamabiko: 55cm Uenotaira: 30cm Lower areas: now closed and no longer reporting Available courses: Yamabiko A-E Uenotaira Scheduled lift operations for the spring season: Nagasaka gondola (from 8:10am) Yamabiko Four lift Yamabiko Number 2 Four lift Uenotaira quad lift Planned closing date (subject to change): Wednesday 6th May Information on the ski area: Nozawa Onsen Nozawa Now 2025-2026 season Data as of Saturday 2nd May 2026 Total snowfall at base 733cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 52 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 76cm (on 25th January) November 2025 snowfall 15cm reported on 1 day December 2025 snowfall 134cm reported on 11 days January 2026 snowfall 438cm reported on 22 days February 2026 snowfall 126cm reported on 12 days March 2026 snowfall 20cm reported on 6 days April 2026 snowfall 0cm May 2026 snowfall 0cm 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 Nozawa Onsen. 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 0cm Snowfall at base this season 878cm Good morning from Niseko. It actually looks like there has been some fresh snow at higher elevations. Perhaps up to a few cm or so in places? (None lower down). We have blue skies this morning with some friendly looking cloud hanging on early morning. It is much nicer than yesterday, that's for sure, and tomorrow should be clear too. A fair way to end the season, as long as wind doesn't interfere! 6 lifts plan to be moving today. See you tomorrow for one last post. ------------------------------------ Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu Official snow depth (reported by the ski area): Peak: 160cm Base: 0cm Lifts planned to operate (subject to weather): Ace Gondola King Number 3 six King Number 4 single Planned last day of the season: TOMORROW ------------------ Niseko Annupuri Kokusai Official snow depth (reported by the ski area): Peak: 160cm Base: 0cm Lifts planned to operate (subject to weather): Annupuri Gondola Jumbo Number 1 quad Jumbo Number 3 pair Planned last day of the season: TOMORROW ------------------------------------ Asahigaoka ski area (near Kutchan Station) closed on 8th March. Niseko Moiwa closed on 5th April. Niseko Village and Niseko Hanazono closed on 12th April. Niseko Now 2025-2026 season Data as of Tuesday 5th May 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 878cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 92 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 36cm (on 12th January) November 2025 snowfall 29cm reported on 7 days December 2025 snowfall 189cm reported on 23 days January 2026 snowfall 451cm reported on 28 days February 2026 snowfall 154cm reported on 19 days March 2026 snowfall 50cm reported on 13 days April 2026 snowfall 5cm reported on 2 days May 2026 snowfall 0cm 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 Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 878cm This morning is... wet. With limited visibility up on the open areas, it's really not very nice. (It almost looks like it is snowing on one of the Hirafu webcams, but I don't think it is, and the ski areas are reporting rain). I really can't imagine wanting to be up there this morning at this stage of the season. Even with the 'lasuto chansu' thing going on. Anyway, lifts are scheduled to be open - so you can get out there if you're up for it! I wonder how many people will partake. Much more pleasant weather is expected tomorrow and Wednesday, though it might still be windy. OK, so I will post one last normal report tomorrow morning. And then on Wednesday I will post my last thoughts for the season, along with a general message from SnowJapan. And then I'll enjoy a long rest! Yey! ------------------------------------ Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu Official snow depth (reported by the ski area): Peak: 160cm Base: 0cm Lifts planned to operate (subject to weather): Ace Gondola King Number 3 six King Number 4 single Planned last day of the season: Wednesday 6th May ------------------ Niseko Annupuri Kokusai Official snow depth (reported by the ski area): Peak: 160cm Base: 0cm Lifts planned to operate (subject to weather): Annupuri Gondola Jumbo Number 1 quad Planned last day of the season: Wednesday 6th May ------------------------------------ Asahigaoka ski area (near Kutchan Station) closed on 8th March. Niseko Moiwa closed on 5th April. Niseko Village and Niseko Hanazono closed on 12th April. Niseko Now 2025-2026 season Data as of Monday 4th May 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 878cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 92 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 36cm (on 12th January) November 2025 snowfall 29cm reported on 7 days December 2025 snowfall 189cm reported on 23 days January 2026 snowfall 451cm reported on 28 days February 2026 snowfall 154cm reported on 19 days March 2026 snowfall 50cm reported on 13 days April 2026 snowfall 5cm reported on 2 days May 2026 snowfall 0cm 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 Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 878cm Good morning from Niseko. Lifts are operating this morning, with the three at Hirafu and two at Annupuri scheduled to be open. I haven't been out there skiing for a little while now, so I cannot tell you how conditions are on the open ski remains. But I think it's safe to say that we can expect them to be limited and... of limited appeal. I'm still intrigued that the ski areas are reporting a snow depth of 165cm and 180cm as of today. Annupuri was on 130cm on this day last year and 100cm the year before. Both are intent being remaining open until the planned closing date of Wednesday 6th May. A bit further afield, but today is going to be the last day of the season at Kiroro Snow World to the north in Akaigawa. (Kiroro also planned on being open until 6th May). Yesterday I was looking back at some of my reports from this season and I noticed in one recent report I started with... 'Good morning from Hakuba'. !! I don't know what was going through my mind when I wrote that one! Perhaps I had just been reading the Hakuba report or something. Anyway, I'm really surprised that no-one mentioned it. Even in this very late section of the season, perhaps unbelievably, quite a lot of people are reading these things every day. I think some of you enjoy watching me struggle to write stuff in these last few weeks. Perhaps you thought it was one of my silly jokes! (It wasn't. Sorry for that oddity). ------------------------------------ Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu Official snow depth (reported by the ski area): Peak: 165cm Base: 0cm Lifts planned to operate (subject to weather): Ace Gondola King Number 3 six King Number 4 single Planned last day of the season: Wednesday 6th May ------------------ Niseko Annupuri Kokusai Official snow depth (reported by the ski area): Peak: 180cm Base: 0cm Lifts planned to operate (subject to weather): Annupuri Gondola Jumbo Number 1 quad Planned last day of the season: Wednesday 6th May ------------------------------------ Asahigaoka ski area (near Kutchan Station) closed on 8th March. Niseko Moiwa closed on 5th April. Niseko Village and Niseko Hanazono closed on 12th April. Niseko Now 2025-2026 season Data as of Sunday 3rd May 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 878cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 92 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 36cm (on 12th January) November 2025 snowfall 29cm reported on 7 days December 2025 snowfall 189cm reported on 23 days January 2026 snowfall 451cm reported on 28 days February 2026 snowfall 154cm reported on 19 days March 2026 snowfall 50cm reported on 13 days April 2026 snowfall 5cm reported on 2 days May 2026 snowfall 0cm 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 Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 878cm Morning from Niseko. It is cloudy and windy with spots of rain this morning (though that isn't expected to last). While I can't find any specific 'announcement', I can't see lifts opening as normal this morning. They are showing as 'on hold' on the official site. Later tomorrow and into Monday we might get some heavy rain and some forecasts even mentioning the chance of snow in higher elevations. Japan doesn't seme to be getting getting a calm, sunny and warm Golden Week this year! ------------------------------------ Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu Official snow depth (reported by the ski area): Peak: 180cm Base: 0cm Lifts planned to operate (subject to weather): Ace Gondola King Number 3 six King Number 4 single Courses open (according to official website as of yesterday): Beginners access Shirakaba Center Rinkan Jumbo Planned last day of the season: Wednesday 6th May ------------------ Niseko Annupuri Kokusai Official snow depth (reported by the ski area): Peak: 180cm Base: 0cm Lifts planned to operate (subject to weather): Annupuri Gondola Jumbo Number 1 quad Planned last day of the season: Wednesday 6th May ------------------------------------ Asahigaoka ski area (near Kutchan Station) closed on 8th March. Niseko Moiwa closed on 5th April. Niseko Village and Niseko Hanazono closed on 12th April. Niseko Now 2025-2026 season Data as of Saturday 2nd May 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 878cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 92 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 36cm (on 12th January) November 2025 snowfall 29cm reported on 7 days December 2025 snowfall 189cm reported on 23 days January 2026 snowfall 451cm reported on 28 days February 2026 snowfall 154cm reported on 19 days March 2026 snowfall 50cm reported on 13 days April 2026 snowfall 5cm reported on 2 days May 2026 snowfall 0cm 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 Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 878cm Good morning from Niseko. The official snow season ends today, with Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu and Niseko Annupuri Ski Resort finishing up this afternoon. After another long season, it is time for me to wrap things up for another year. Firstly, the important words about my snowfall numbers. The snowfall numbers I report in my reports are all measurements I observe near the base of the Niseko Grand Tokyu Hirafu ski area. The monthly and annual statistics in these reports are comparable because they come to you from the same location and are being observed by the same person (me!) for well over a decade. While consistent and comparable (and of course honest), it is important to note that my 'observed snowfall at base' is by no means the whole story of a season. For example, the data does not account for the fact that there is often more snowfall at higher elevations than at lower elevations. While SnowJapan does not encourage readers to directly compare the different 'Now' reports from various regions of Japan (for all sorts of jolly good reasons), each report section adheres to the same concept and rules. For example, the snowfall reported in Myoko Now is observed at the base of the Myoko ski areas. None of the reporters live at the top of the mountain, so it would be nearly impossible for us to provide you with consistent upper-elevation snowfall data, even if we wanted to. And of course, very importantly, the quantity of snow does not tell us about the quality or skiing conditions. Please keep those things in mind when reading all the reports. You can find my monthly recaps here: 1st January 2026 1st February 2026 1st March 2026 1st April 2026 The peak of the season feels like such a long time ago now - and I suppose it actually was – and I enjoyed reading back and reliving the last five plus months. Here's my final observed snowfall numbers for the 2025-2026 season: November 2025: 29cm reported on 7 days December 2025: 189cm (22% of total) reported on 23 days January 2025: 451cm (51% of total) reported on 28 days February 2026: 154cm (18% of total) reported on 19 days March 2026: 50cm (6% of total) reported on 13 days April 2026: 5cm reported on 2 days Last season (2024-2025), December was the standout month. January was clearly and easily the standout month of the 2025-2026 season, providing us with over 50% of the total snowfall observed at base for the whole season. The fact that two ski areas have managed to remain open until today, despite the less-than-average snowfall in all the other months, is largely thanks to January. So, yes, thanks January! The lack of a dramatic warm up in the later season has also been a big help. January 2026 was actually close to being a record-breaker. Only in 2014 did we get more snowfall: January 2026: 451cm January 2025: 161cm January 2024: 298cm January 2023: 332cm January 2022: 325cm January 2021: 387cm January 2020: 224cm January 2019: 285cm January 2018: 305cm January 2017: 152cm January 2016: 303cm January 2015: 257cm January 2014: 461cm January 2013: 443cm Very nice. Snowfall data isn't everything; of course, it's the actual conditions out there that matter to anyone here, and I definitely had my share of excellent conditions in December, February, and March, too. (I admit to being fortunate to be able to pick and choose regarding timing and acknowledge that is not a luxury that short-term visitors have.) In the end, though, I don't think anyone would declare 2025-2026 as a top-tier classic season. Providing they were being honest, of course. I must say, it was somewhat disappointing that we were not treated to new and exciting retail opportunities such as the ones we enjoyed in the previous two seasons at the Louis Vuitton Niseko Winter Resort Pop-up Store and Johnnie Walker Blue Label Ice Chalet Pop-Up Store & Bar. Unfortunately, this season, skiers had to make alternative arrangements to procure their posh bags and expensive accessories, and bags for bottles of whiskey that 'push boundaries', on their way back to base after a gnarly day on the slopes. (Sorry couldn't help that). Obviously, my own idea for a facility called Toast didn't happen. We did get the Fast Pass + First Track Premium Lift Ticket at Hirafu, though, which seemed a real bargain at 150,000 yen per adult (and 150,000 yen for children). It was basically a one day ticket with some bonus stuff. Read about that here I wonder how many people bought that thing? It still sounds as outrageous as it did back in January. 'Spring season' vibes crept in earlier than any of us would have liked and lasted a long time. But I feel like it hasn't warmed up too much or too quickly this year, and like I said that has helped prolong the season. Let's comparing the total snowfall data for 2025-2026 with other seasons: 2025-2026 season: 878cm 2024-2025 season: 783cm 2023-2024 season: 884cm 2022-2023 season: 1006cm 2021-2022 season: 1137cm 2020-2021 season: 1210cm 2019-2020 season: 728cm 2018-2019 season: 951cm 2017-2018 season: 1260cm 2016-2017 season: 686cm 2015-2016 season: 989cm 2014-2015 season: 1144cm 2013-2014 season: 1163cm 2012-2013 season: 1491cm In a tradition dating back to the Edo period, here's that list sorted in order of the most snowfall: 2012-2013 season: 1491cm 2017-2018 season: 1260cm 2020-2021 season: 1210cm 2013-2014 season: 1163cm 2014-2015 season: 1144cm 2021-2022 season: 1137cm 2022-2023 season: 1006cm 2015-2016 season: 989cm 2018-2019 season: 951cm 2023-2024 season: 884cm 2025-2026 season: 878cm 2024-2025 season: 783cm 2019-2020 season: 728cm 2016-2017 season: 686cm The last bit A few days ago, I took a look back at the season recap I wrote at the end of last year. On reading it I noticed that much of what I would have to say this time is largely covered in my 'Some final thoughts' section. The main points I made were: • Niseko is posh and expensive – and does not hide it • Be aware of social media bombast • Being nice • Thanks for your support I still feel largely the same about those things, as they all remain relevant in May 2026. It seems largely redundant for me to try to rewrite those thoughts, so please do take a look. Here they are: 6th May 2025 thoughts Perhaps I would add a new section after the ‘Being nice’ section called 'Don't be a knucklehead'. More on my knucklehead thoughts from January this year here: Knuckleheads One more thing Thank you to everyone who has been in contact again this season. Your feedback and (often very kind) comments are always appreciated. I'm sorry that I can't reply to each and every one of them. But I do read them. One person wrote in during one of the less-than-stellar periods of the season, in what I took as a rather accusatory manner, boldly telling me that I was 'not doing a good job at selling Niseko'. That person was clearly not a long-term reader and perhaps a newcomer to the concept of SnowJapan, but yes... that is absolutely true! I took it as a sort of compliment and encouragement to retain my integrity. I've said it before, of course, but for the newcomers: I'm not here posting these reports to encourage you to come to Niseko. Nor am I here to discourage you from coming to Niseko. I'm here to write about, in my non-expert capacity, what is happening snow/weather-wise here every day through the season. It's that simple. Some find the lack of hype refreshing. Others seem addicted to the hype (may I suggest that's really weird!) Until November! OK, that's all I’ve got for the 2025-2026 winter season. I hope you enjoyed the reports and found them helpful and interesting. Even the silly bits. It has once again been my pleasure. Well, most of the time, anyway! I’m now looking forward to a long rest. It is that time of the year when I have my fill of toast and prepare for a prolonged summer hibernation. I plan to return in November, when I should be refreshed and ready to get going with my commentary on the 2026-2027 Niseko winter season. Hopefully the world might feel a bit saner and less stupid, too. Though unfortunately that doesn’t feel very likely, does it. Oh well, let’s positive thoughts! Thank you, take care, be good, and peace to all. ----------------------------------- A message from SnowJapan This message is being published on each of our daily report pages and is not specific to Niseko The season is now over for all but a few ski areas, and the last of our daily reporting for 2025-2026 has been posted. I hope that our independent reporting has once again helped many people this past ski season. With our large and wide-reaching readership from every part of the world, we feel a real sense of responsibility for the information we publish. A sincere thank you to the wonderful reporters who contribute to our daily reporting. It has been another long season with more unique stories from around the country. A general Japan season wrap-up seems inappropriate, given the vast differences across the country's many mountainous regions. Still, I think it's fair to say that in most regions, 2025-2026 was not a top-tier classic for Japan in terms of snowfall. But... that is comparing Japan with Japan – and, as we all know, that is a very high bar! All being well, later this year, a from-the-ground-up new version of SnowJapan will replace the current site (which has been online since February 2022). Work started on the new project over a year ago. I don't want to reveal details just yet, as there is still a lot of work to do and some things may change. The main goal of this renewal is to simplify and refine the site, keep things 'light', with a focus on improving core content and usability. It's a lot of work, but with all the foundations now largely in place, it is exciting to start seeing it all come together. Hopefully, the end result will work out as imagined. It might be a shock to the system when the changeover happens, but not to worry - the basic concept and values that have guided SnowJapan since 1999 are still very much firmly in place. The new site is expected to be ready by November 2026, and more information will be shared in late summer. Niseko Now 2025-2026 season Data as of Wednesday 6th May 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 878cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 92 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 36cm (on 12th January) November 2025 snowfall 29cm reported on 7 days December 2025 snowfall 189cm reported on 23 days January 2026 snowfall 451cm reported on 28 days February 2026 snowfall 154cm reported on 19 days March 2026 snowfall 50cm reported on 13 days April 2026 snowfall 5cm reported on 2 days May 2026 snowfall 0cm Previous 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 Hakuba region of Nagano New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 339cm Posted on Wednesday 6th May 2026 This is an archived report. The latest Hakuba Now report can be found here. Hello from Hakuba. Tsugaike did very well to keep open until today. There was even a sprinkling of fresh snow up there overnight into Tuesday morning. We have a fine morning to end the season. It has been a season of lower-than-average snowfall, not only in my own observations - less snowfall in each month than last season - but also higher up in the mountains. Remember - my snowfall data comes from base areas, not the top of the mountains. I always try to include any reported snowfall from ski areas in my reports, though the snowfall reported by ski areas, unfortunately, isn't always timely or consistent. Just remember to always look beyond the numbers. While it might not have been a bumper season for snowfall, I really enjoyed the season and had some awesome mornings out on the slopes. (I'm not really an afternoon person; can't remember the last time I was still out there at the end of the day). We have so much quality choice in our 'Valley', it’s sometimes hard to choose where to go in a morning. That is definitely a good 'problem' to have! I'm sure that many of our overseas visitors loved it, too. People I spoke with generally seemed very happy. The fact that everything is becoming more expensive does not seem to have put them off, either, with record (inbound) numbers again at most ski areas. Ski areas are going all in on further focusing on catering to that market. Some would say they are doing that whilst increasingly looking away from local skiers and snowboarders. That is an ongoing trend at the big Japanese ski areas popular with overseas visitors, not just in Hakuba. I guess if revenues keep rising, it will continue. I have mixed feelings about it all. I've got absolutely nothing against people/companies making money, but when things start becoming all about the money... I have two personal wishes for the 2026-2027 season. The first and obvious one is for a lot of consistent snowfall. A December like December 2024 would be a perfect start. Great early seasons like 2024-2025 not only set the tone for the season but also, importantly, give us a solid base. It would also be great if we only had to start thinking about 'spring' come late March, too. In March 2024, I reported an impressive 181cm snowfall (compared with just 2cm in March 2026), so March can still bring us the goods. The other is that I hope ski areas put more effort into posting timely, clear information every day throughout the season. Some are better than others, for sure, but at times it can be really frustrating trying to work out what is going on every morning. Trying to quickly extract meaningful information from all the meaningless hashtags and self-promotion can be a real chore. I'm sure if I was managing a ski area, putting out clear info early each morning for my customers would be a high priority. It's not even as if that is a difficult or time-consuming thing to do, either. Let's have a service that matches the handsome lift ticket prices! I think we deserve it. Another example of this is that in previous seasons, I shared the 'Total snowfall' data for the main ski areas that was/is published on the official Hakuba Valley website. This season that number seemed so clearly unreliable that I have refrained from mentioning it much. (A season total snowfall of just 322cm in the upper areas of Tsugaike? Really? That is not a serious number.) I want to end on another positive note. One thing that doesn't change is the magnificent beauty of our surroundings. After all these years, however gnarly I'm feeling when there's 20+cm of beautiful fresh snow to play in, I still often stop in my tracks for a few moments to take it all in. I always try to appreciate it and not take it for granted that I can live in such a wonderful location. Truly stunning. That's all for the 2025-2026 season. See you in November! ----------------------------------- A message from SnowJapan This message is being published on each of our daily report pages and is not specific to Hakuba The season is now over for all but a few ski areas, and the last of our daily reporting for 2025-2026 has been posted. I hope that our independent reporting has once again helped many people this past ski season. With our large and wide-reaching readership from every part of the world, we feel a real sense of responsibility for the information we publish. A sincere thank you to the wonderful reporters who contribute to our daily reporting. It has been another long season with more unique stories from around the country. A general Japan season wrap-up seems inappropriate, given the vast differences across the country's many mountainous regions. Still, I think it's fair to say that in most regions, 2025-2026 was not a top-tier classic for Japan in terms of snowfall. But... that is comparing Japan with Japan – and, as we all know, that is a very high bar! All being well, later this year, a from-the-ground-up new version of SnowJapan will replace the current site (which has been online since February 2022). Work started on the new project over a year ago. I don't want to reveal details just yet, as there is still a lot of work to do and some things may change. The main goal of this renewal is to simplify and refine the site, keep things 'light', with a focus on improving core content and usability. It's a lot of work, but with all the foundations now largely in place, it is exciting to start seeing it all come together. Hopefully, the end result will work out as imagined. It might be a shock to the system when the changeover happens, but not to worry - the basic concept and values that have guided SnowJapan since 1999 are still very much firmly in place. The new site is expected to be ready by November 2026, and more information will be shared in late summer. Hakuba Now 2025-2026 season Data as Wednesday 6th May 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 339cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 47 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 24cm (on 25th January) November 2025 snowfall 2cm reported on 1 day December 2025 snowfall 98cm reported on 12 days January 2026 snowfall 181cm reported on 22 days February 2026 snowfall 56cm reported on 10 days March 2026 snowfall 2cm reported on 2 days April 2026 snowfall 0cm reported on 0 days May 2026 snowfall 0cm Previous report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Hakuba. 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