Independent snow and weather reporting from the Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 954cm Posted on Saturday 1st April 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here. Good morning from Yuzawa. A few spots of rain in some places later in the day yesterday but generally cloudy... and it's a grey and cloudy start to the day today too. Cloud is what is forecast for the day and sun is likely tomorrow (with the chance of a bit of snow/rain later tonight). Oh, just noticed Kagura are reporting 0-1cm of snowfall! Anyway - here we are in April. Ipponsugi, Ishiuchi Maruyama, Itsukamachi, Maiko Snow Resort, Muica Snow Resort, Yuzawa Kogen, Yuzawa Nakazato and Yuzawa Park will all be done for the season come the end of tomorrow. --- I don’t know how many of you have been following the numbers, but this season just in terms of snowfall we have done rather well. Here’s how much snowfall we have observed at town level in Yuzawa this season: 2016/2017 season until the end of March 2017: 954cm 2015/2016 season until the end of March 2016: 424cm 2014/2015 season until the end of March 2015: 1302cm 2013/2014 season until the end of March 2014: 828cm 2012/2013 season until the end of March 2013: 759cm Not as good as the extremely impressive 13m that we enjoyed in the 2014/2015 season, but over double the amount that fell last year. (Phew!) There's more to the story than just raw snowfall numbers though and I’ll take a look back on the season in the last report of the season in May. --- Official snow depth information as of Saturday 1st April 2017 ** Note: the report is too early today for many of the below to be updated GALA Yuzawa Central, North, downhill course and sledding area are all open Official snow depth: 360cm Ishiuchi Maruyama Official snow depth: 240cm Iwappara Official snow depth: 120cm Joetsu Kokusai Official snow depth: 200cm Kagura Official snow depth: Kagura - 380cm; Mitsumata - 330cm; Tashiro - 350cm Kandatsu Kogen Official snow depth: 280cm Maiko Snow Resort Official snow depth: Upper - 280cm; Base - 90cm Naeba Official snow depth: 230cm NASPA Ski Garden Official snow depth: 195cm Yuzawa Kogen Official snow depth: Top - 230cm; Base - 130cm Yuzawa Park Official snow depth: 160cm Yuzawa Nakazato Official snow depth: 125cm --- Planned 'Nighta' operations (floodlit night skiing) ** Subject to change due to snow and weather conditions Kandatsu Kogen 'Hobo All Night' ('Almost All Night' from 6pm-4am) is on Fridays, Saturdays and nights before holidays until 1st April 2017. Spring nighta (6pm-10pm) on Saturdays and nighta before holidays from 7th April until 22nd April --- Planned season closing dates ** This information is subject to change due to snow and weather conditions. We will be checking and updating these dates as more information becomes available. Sunday 2nd April: - Ipponsugi - Ishiuchi Maruyama - Itsukamachi - Maiko Snow Resort (but open again on 8th, 9th April) - Muica Snow Resort - Yuzawa Kogen - Yuzawa Nakazato - Yuzawa Park Sunday 9th April: - Iwappara - Joetsu Kokusai - NASPA Ski Garden Sunday 7th May: - GALA Yuzawa - Kagura (Tashiro) - Kandatsu Kogen - Naeba (daily until 2nd April; weekends only 3rd-28th April; daily from 29th April) Sunday 28th May: - Kagura area (via Mitsumata) --- Now closed for the season: - Chateau Shiozawa - Ishiuchi Hanaoka - Mt Granview - Muikamachi Hakkaisan - Hakkai Sanroku Yuzawa Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 1st April 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 954cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 68 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 72cm (14th January) November 2016 snowfall 2cm reported on 1 day December 2016 snowfall 144cm reported on 14 days January 2017 snowfall 470cm reported on 21 days February 2017 snowfall 267cm reported on 19 days March 2017 snowfall 71cm reported on 13 days April 2017 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 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. 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 Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 954cm Posted on Friday 7th April 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here. Unfortunately, it's not a particularly nice one. Rain has been falling since yesterday evening and it has been a bit foggy in places too early on. It looks like it is even raining up at Kagura, so there's no escape from it at the start of the day. The rain should ease up this afternoon. Hopefully tomorrow things might be nice - forecasts seem to say there's a chance of some sunshine, but there's also the chance of rain too. Let's see how the forecast develops by the end of the day. --- Naeba and Maiko Snow Resort ski resorts will be re-opening again tomorrow and Sunday. At Maiko Snow Resort, the Nagamine and Okusoeji areas (Gondola side) will be open. At Naeba, the Number 2 Gondola, Number 5 high speed lift and Takenokodaira romance lift will be operating. Sunday will be the last day of the season for the following ski resorts: - Iwappara - Joetsu Kokusai - Maiko Snow Resort - NASPA Ski Garden From Monday, we'll be down to GALA Yuzawa and Kagura (and Naeba at the weekends). --- Official snow depth information (and available info) as of Friday 7th April 2017 GALA Yuzawa The Central Area, North Area, downhill course and sledding area are all open today. Official snow depth: 330cm Iwappara 3 courses are Iwappara remain open. Official snow depth: 80cm Joetsu Kokusai 9 courses at Joetsu Kokusai remain open - the area in front of the main hotel and the Panorama Zone. Official snow depth: 170cm Kagura Almost all of Kagura courses remain open. Closed courses according to official website - Gondola East Course at Tashiro and the downhill course back to Mitsumata car park. Official snow depth: Kagura - 360cm; Mitsumata - 310cm; Tashiro - 330cm Kandatsu Kogen All courses at Kandatsu Kogen remain open. Spring nighta (6pm-10pm) on Saturdays and nights before holidays from 7th April until 22nd April. Official snow depth: 260cm NASPA Ski Garden All courses apart from C course remain open. Official snow depth: 165cm --- Planned season closing dates ** This information is subject to change due to snow and weather conditions. Sunday 9th April: - Iwappara - Joetsu Kokusai - Maiko Snow Resort (** note: only open on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th - closed Monday through Friday) - NASPA Ski Garden Sunday 7th May: - GALA Yuzawa - Kagura (Tashiro) - Kandatsu Kogen - Naeba (** note: weekends only 3rd-28th April; daily from 29th April) Sunday 28th May: - Kagura area (via Mitsumata) --- Other ski and snowboard resorts in the Yuzawa and Minamiuonuma area are now closed for the season. Yuzawa Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Friday 7th April 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 954cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 68 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 72cm (14th January) November 2016 snowfall 2cm reported on 1 day December 2016 snowfall 144cm reported on 14 days January 2017 snowfall 470cm reported on 21 days February 2017 snowfall 267cm reported on 19 days March 2017 snowfall 71cm reported on 13 days April 2017 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 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. 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 Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 954cm Posted on Friday 14th April 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here. Today is going to be much warmer than yesterday. Kind of a bright and generally overcast start to the day, but sunny clearer skies are on the forecast for the day as well as temperatures rising to around 18C or even higher later on this afternoon. It looks like a fairly similar situation is expected tomorrow. --- The Naeba resort plans to re-open once again for tomorrow and Sunday. The lifts that they plan to operate are the Number 2 Gondola, the Number 5 high speed lift and the Takenokodaira romance lift. Still good snow cover down to base there. --- Resort information as of Friday 14th April 2017 Subject to change depending on snow and weather conditions. GALA Yuzawa GALA Yuzawa plans to be open until Sunday 7th May. All of the Central Area courses and part of the North Area currently remain open. The sledding area is also open. The Falcon downhill course is now closed - use the Gondola to get back down to base. Official snow depth: 260cm Kagura The Tashiro Area of Kagura plans to be open until Sunday 7th May. The Kagura Area (via Mitsumata Ropeway) plans to be open until Sunday 28th May. Almost all Kagura courses remain open. Closed courses according to official website are the Gondola East Course (at Tashiro) and the downhill course (back to Mitsumata car park). Kagura Park plans to be open daily from Wednesday 12th April. Official snow depth: Kagura - 330cm; Mitsumata - 280cm; Tashiro - 300cm Kandatsu Kogen Kandatsu Kogen plans to be open until Sunday 7th May. Most courses at Kandatsu Kogen remain open. Spring nighta (6pm-10pm) is on Saturdays and nights before holidays until 22nd April. Official snow depth: 220cm --- Naeba is closed today but plans to re-open on weekends and over the Golden Week period. All other ski and snowboard resorts in the Yuzawa and Minamiuonuma region are now closed for the season. Yuzawa Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Friday 14th April 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 954cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 68 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 72cm (14th January) November 2016 snowfall 2cm reported on 1 day December 2016 snowfall 144cm reported on 14 days January 2017 snowfall 470cm reported on 21 days February 2017 snowfall 267cm reported on 19 days March 2017 snowfall 71cm reported on 13 days April 2017 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 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. 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 Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 954cm Posted on Friday 21st April 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here. It's a mix of cloud and blue sky this morning and feels fairly calm. I would expect all of the ski resorts that are planning on being open to be opening up as per plans. Tomorrow the forecast is for similar conditions. Interestingly it isn't getting as warm as it was last week. Nice comfortable fresh spring weather. Tomorrow is of course Saturday and that means that the Naeba resort is planning to be open once again - for tomorrow and Sunday. The snow still seems to be holding out pretty good down there... Meanwhile down around town areas flowers are starting to appear and some trees getting into the action as well. It's going to be 'hanami' soon! (Hopefully hayfever will be gone too). --- Resort information as of Friday 21st April 2017 Subject to change depending on snow and weather conditions. GALA Yuzawa GALA Yuzawa plans to be open until Sunday 7th May. All of the Central Area courses and part of the North Area currently remain open. The sledding area is also open. The Falcon downhill course is now closed - use the Gondola to get back down to base. Official snow depth: 210cm Kagura The Tashiro Area of Kagura plans to be open until Sunday 7th May. The Kagura Area (via Mitsumata Ropeway) plans to be open until Sunday 28th May. Almost all Kagura courses remain open. Closed courses according to official website are the Gondola East Course (at Tashiro) and the downhill course (back to Mitsumata car park). Official snow depth: Kagura - 300cm; Mitsumata - 240cm; Tashiro - 270cm Kandatsu Kogen Kandatsu Kogen plans to be open until Sunday 7th May. Most courses at Kandatsu Kogen remain open. Last nighta at Kandatsu tonight and tomorrow. Official snow depth: 160cm --- Naeba Naeba is closed today but plans to open up again at the weekend (and then from 29th April until 7th May). --- All other ski and snowboard resorts in the Yuzawa and Minamiuonuma region are now closed for the season. Yuzawa Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Friday 21st April 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 954cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 68 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 72cm (14th January) November 2016 snowfall 2cm reported on 1 day December 2016 snowfall 144cm reported on 14 days January 2017 snowfall 470cm reported on 21 days February 2017 snowfall 267cm reported on 19 days March 2017 snowfall 71cm reported on 13 days April 2017 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 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. 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 Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 954cm Posted on Friday 28th April 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here. Good morning from Yuzawa. The sun is out at the moment and above Yuzawa there's a mix of cloud and blue sky. As you can see from the Ishiuchi Maruyama webcam looking north (third image below), there's quite a lot of cloud around the valley but we are expecting clearer skies during the day today and temperatures rising to around 16-17C in town. Should be a fine day. It looks like there is a chance of some rain tomorrow and clearer conditions for Sunday, so keep an eye on the forecast if you plan to be around this weekend. --- There is still excellent snow cover at Kagura and GALA Yuzawa as we head into Golden Week. Things are much more patchy at the lower Kandatsu Kogen but it remains open. The Naeba resort will be re-opening once again from tomorrow, and be open through until 7th May. The snow is patchy on lower slopes but there's decent snow cover up top there too. Not bad at all for the end of April! --- Tomorrow is the first day of the Golden Week period. My friend up in Niseko wrote it well and I hope they don't mind me copying... Golden Week What exactly is Golden Week? It's basically a bunch of national holidays and here is the line-up for this year: - Saturday 29th April is Showa Day (the birthday of Emperor Showa) - Wednesday 3rd May is Constitution Day (Kenpo-kinenbi) - Thursday 4th May is Greenery Day (Midori-no-hi) - Friday 5th May is Children's Day (Kodomo-no-hi) That means that from Wednesday next week until the end of the following weekend, there is a run of five days of holidays for many people. Add in the upcoming weekend and that's your 'Golden Week'. Some lucky folk might take next Monday and Tuesday off work as well, giving them a full 9 days. Nice! --- Resort information as of Friday 28th April 2017 Subject to change depending on snow and weather conditions. GALA Yuzawa GALA Yuzawa plans to be open until Sunday 7th May. All of the Central Area courses and part of the North Area currently remain open. The sledding area is also open. The Falcon downhill course is closed - use the Gondola to get back down to base. Official snow depth: 150cm Kagura The Tashiro Area of Kagura plans to be open until Sunday 7th May. The Kagura Area (via Mitsumata Ropeway) plans to be open until Sunday 28th May. Almost all Kagura courses remain open. Closed courses according to official website are the Gondola East Course (at Tashiro) and the downhill course (back to Mitsumata car park). Official snow depth: Kagura - 280cm; Mitsumata - 200cm; Tashiro - 240cm Kandatsu Kogen Kandatsu Kogen plans to be open until Sunday 7th May. Most courses at Kandatsu Kogen remain open - but snow is getting thin on the ground. Official snow depth: 120cm Naeba Naeba is closed today but plans to re-open from 29th April until 7th May. --- All other ski and snowboard resorts in the Yuzawa and Minamiuonuma region are now closed for the season. Yuzawa Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Friday 28th April 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 954cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 68 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 72cm (14th January) November 2016 snowfall 2cm reported on 1 day December 2016 snowfall 144cm reported on 14 days January 2017 snowfall 470cm reported on 21 days February 2017 snowfall 267cm reported on 19 days March 2017 snowfall 71cm reported on 13 days April 2017 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 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. 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 Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 954cm Posted on Sunday 7th May 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here. Good morning from Yuzawa. Yesterday ended up being rather wet with rain falling into the evening. It was rather cold as well when I ventured out, put my jacked on. This morning happily conditions are nicer for this last day of the season for GALA Yuzawa, Kandatsu Kogen and Naeba. Good to see them all managing to open this long. It's bright but not particularly 'blue sky' at the moment - overcast and hazy is probably a better description for the moment. Fine weather is on the forecast for the day though. I'll be posting another report tomorrow with a bit of a look back over the season and then after that perhaps one or two more reports to update you on Kagura which plans to be open until 28th May. --- GALA Yuzawa Today is the last day of the ski season at GALA Yuzawa. All of the Central Area courses and part of the North Area currently remains open and snow cover is very good. The sledding area is also open. The Falcon downhill course is closed - use the Gondola to get back down to base. Official snow depth: 90cm Kagura Today is the last day of the ski season at the Tashiro Area of Kagura resort. The Kagura Area (via Mitsumata Ropeway) plans to be open until Sunday 28th May. Almost all Kagura courses remain open and snow cover is excellent. Closed courses according to official website are the Gondola East Course (at Tashiro) and the downhill course (back to Mitsumata car park). Official snow depth: Kagura - 250cm; Mitsumata - 160cm; Tashiro - 200cm Kandatsu Kogen Today is the last day of the ski season at Kandatsu Kogen. Most courses at Kandatsu Kogen remain open though snow is getting thin on the ground in places. Official snow depth: 55cm Naeba Today is the last day of the ski season at Naeba. The Number 2 Gondola and Takenokodaira Romance lift are operating. The open course back to base is now very narrow, with much more snow cover higher up. Official snow depth: 80cm --- All other ski and snowboard resorts in the Yuzawa and Minamiuonuma region are now closed for the season. Yuzawa Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Sunday 7th May 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 954cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 68 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 72cm (14th January) November 2016 snowfall 2cm reported on 1 day December 2016 snowfall 144cm reported on 14 days January 2017 snowfall 470cm reported on 21 days February 2017 snowfall 267cm reported on 19 days March 2017 snowfall 71cm reported on 13 days April 2017 snowfall 0cm May 2017 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 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. 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 Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 954cm Posted on Monday 8th May 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here. Yesterday ended up being rather cloudy and windy for most of the day, not the clear and sunny conditions that we were generally expecting. It was also of course the last day of the ski season for a few resorts, leaving us with only the Kagura resort remaining open in the region from today. Details of what remains open at Kagura are shown below. This morning the sun is out from early on and it looks like it is going to be a day of very fine weather conditions. We intend to keep the Yuzawa Now report updated each week until Kagura closes. We’ll aim for a report before each weekend and also try to bring you any other news or significant changes. Once Kagura closes at the end of this month we will add a season review for Yuzawa on this report. In the meantime, please do take a short while to read the general message below. --- Planned open courses at Kagura Subject to weather conditions – recommend you check with the resort if you plan to go! At the Kagura Area: Kagura main course – about 1,500m Technical course – about 500m Giant course – about 1,100m Gondola course – about 4,000m Panorama course – about 700m (* weekends only) At the Mitsumata Area: Family course – about 1100m Cometition (Taikai) course – about 800m Planned lift operations at Kagura: Mitsumata Ropeway (8:00am until 5:00pm) - daily Mitsumata Number 1 quad (9:00am until 4:30pm) - daily Kagura Gondola (8:15am until 3:45pm) - daily Kagura Number 1 quad lift (8:30am until 4:00pm) - daily Kagura Number 1 pair lift (9:00am until 4:00pm) – weekends only Kagura Number 4 pair lift (9:00am until 3:45pm) – weekends only --- The Tashiro Ropeway and Tashiro Area of Kagura resort is now closed. All other ski and snowboard resorts in the Yuzawa and Minamiuonuma region are now closed. Yuzawa Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Monday 8th May 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 954cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 68 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 72cm (14th January) November 2016 snowfall 2cm reported on 1 day December 2016 snowfall 144cm reported on 14 days January 2017 snowfall 470cm reported on 21 days February 2017 snowfall 267cm reported on 19 days March 2017 snowfall 71cm reported on 13 days April 2017 snowfall 0cm May 2017 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 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. 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 Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 954cm Posted on Friday 19th May 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here. It is a lovely morning in Yuzawa, and a little warmer too. Here in town we are expecting it to warm up to around 24-25C today. The Kagura resort remains open for skiing and snowboarding of course... just the Kagura Area. The Mitsumata Area of the resort is now being used as a 'connecting course' which means that it is open but used just to get over to (and back from) the Kagura area. The snow is melting away and things are getting narrower. There's still a lot of snow up at the main Kagura area and very good snow cover, even if it isn't looking perfect white (a bit dirty). We really can't expect anything else in the second half of May! So if you are planning on visiting you will get the Mitsumata Ropeway and then the Number 1 quad to get over to the Gondola, and then the gondola over to the Kagura Area. Hope that is clear. Courses planned to be open for the weekend are updated below. If there is a change to plans from Monday, we'll try to post an update with that news. It's looking like the weather is going to be clear and sunny and very warm over the weekend, and into next week too. Nice and settled. Have fun if you get up there, it should be a real feel-good weekend. --- Planned open courses at Kagura At the Kagura Area: Kagura main course – about 1,500m Technical course – about 500m Giant course – about 1,100m Gondola course – about 4,000m Panorama course – about 700m (* weekends only) Planned lift operations at Kagura Mitsumata Ropeway (8:00am until 5:00pm) - daily Mitsumata Number 1 quad (9:00am until 3:15pm) - daily Mitsumata Number 2 pair (9:00am until 4:30pm) - daily Kagura Gondola (8:15am until 3:45pm) - daily Kagura Number 1 quad lift (8:30am until 4:00pm) - daily Kagura Number 1 pair lift (9:00am until 4:00pm) – weekends only Kagura Number 4 pair lift (9:00am until 3:45pm) – weekends only --- The Tashiro Ropeway and Tashiro Area of Kagura resort are now closed. All other ski and snowboard resorts in the Yuzawa and Minamiuonuma region are now closed. Yuzawa Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Friday 19th May 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 954cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 68 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 72cm (14th January) November 2016 snowfall 2cm reported on 1 day December 2016 snowfall 144cm reported on 14 days January 2017 snowfall 470cm reported on 21 days February 2017 snowfall 267cm reported on 19 days March 2017 snowfall 71cm reported on 13 days April 2017 snowfall 0cm May 2017 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 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. 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 Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 954cm Posted on Sunday 28th May 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here. Good morning on this final day of the ski season at Kagura, and so in the region as a whole. After the heat of last weekend, things changed once again. Happily they got cooler earlier in the week and the last few days I have even heard a few 'samui' (cold!) remarks. It's a real contrast with last week, and we have had some rain too. This morning things are a bit wet to start off with but generally just cloudy skies are forecast for the day. Visibility up at the main Kagura area looks rather limited early on, fingers crossed that improves. The resort are just about managing to keep the Mitsumata course back to the Ropeway open, though it's very narrow now. Still decent snow cover up at Kagura. Very good going considering that it will be June in just a few days! Season wrap The 2016-2017 ski and snowboard season in Yuzawa will be officially over at the end of today. It has been a long season - the first lifts at Kagura started moving on Friday 25th November and the last lifts stopped on Sunday 28th May. I make that 185 days of skiing and snowboarding in Yuzawa. This time round Kagura managed to stay open with decent snow cover right up until the end of the season. The webcam images shown on the report today (below) show just how much snow there is left at Kagura at the time of writing. You can compare it with the webcam image on the last report from last season, 22nd May 2016, here. (The third image on the report today is from the top of the Ishiuchi Maruyama resort). Anyway, let’s look back and compare the total snowfall that we have observed here in Yuzawa town over the last five winter seasons: 2016-2017 season: 954cm 2015-2016 season: 424cm 2014-2015 season: 1303cm 2013-2014 season: 833cm 2012-2013 season: 762cm So, we observed an impressive 9.5m of snowfall here in Yuzawa town over the 2016-2017 season. And remember, there will have been more than that at higher elevations on the mountains. We did not get as much snow as we did during that crazy 2014-2015 season, but we got more than double the amount of snow that we observed during the relatively poor 2015-2016 season. If you look back at that snowtastic 2014-2015 season, you’ll notice just how front-loaded it was with full-on heavy snowfall during the month of December 2014. That made for an impressive early season snow base, and December was the month that brought us the most snow in that season. The snowfall over the 2016-2017 season came in a rather different pattern. We got some decent early snowfall around the second week of December, but the second half of December got rather dry and it generally made for a rather slow and unspectacular start to the season. People were getting a bit worried that we might see a repeat of the 2015-2016 season. Ski resorts around town managed to open by the end of the year, but in places it was something of a struggle up until the second week of January. Things changed around 11th January with a very impressive week of snowfall - we reported over 2.5 metres of snowfall over a period of seven days. And remember, that’s down at town level. That heavy snow really got things going good and proper, and we then enjoyed a few more periods of heavy snowfall and generally regular snowfall through the month of February. More snow of course means that it lasts longer and takes longer to melt, and so this time ski resorts were easily able to remain open for as long as they planned. All good. This past season, there was once again a noticeable increase in the number of people visiting Yuzawa from overseas. Not to the extent that you see in Niseko, Hakuba and the like, but a definite increase all the same and I would imagine that trend will likely continue. So, here we are at the end of May. Next up, the humid rainy season. (Please be short!) From Friday 28th July until Sunday 30th July, the Fuji Rock Festival will be held at Naeba Ski Resort in Yuzawa town. As always there’s going to be an interesting mix of local Japanese and overseas artists – including Gorillaz, Queens of the Stone Age, The XX, Aphex Twin, LCD Soundsystem and Bjork. After that it will likely be a hot summer. And after that, we all are looking forward to a cooler and beautiful autumn. And then... the 2017-2018 snow season! We'll be here with updates from Yuzawa once again in the autumn as the next snow season approaches. Thanks for reading, have a fun summer and see you on the other side. Yuzawa Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Sunday 28th May 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 954cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 68 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 72cm (14th January) November 2016 snowfall 2cm reported on 1 day December 2016 snowfall 144cm reported on 14 days January 2017 snowfall 470cm reported on 21 days February 2017 snowfall 267cm reported on 19 days March 2017 snowfall 71cm reported on 13 days April 2017 snowfall 0cm May 2017 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 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. 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 Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm Posted on Thursday 9th November 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here. Good morning and welcome back to Yuzawa Now! It has been over five months since the last Yuzawa Now report and we’re now starting to gear up for the upcoming 2017-2018 winter season. It’s an old cliché but true – time passes so fast! Another is how everyone seems to go into bata-bata mode with too many things to do in the weeks leading up to the season! I haven't been taking notes, but generally there seems to have been a lot of rainfall over the summer months - and into autumn too. We have enjoyed a few lovely days recently and the colourful autumn scenery is really beautiful on those days, but rain never seems to be that far away. Whether that has any influence on what we can expect for this winter... who knows. We are now just two weeks away from the planned opening of the Kagura ski and snowboard resort. Typically, Kagura open a small part of the main upper area, via the Mitsumata Ropeway. As you can see from the webcam images posted below, there's a bit of snow up there on the higher areas. It will be a few weeks beyond that before any other ski resorts plan to open with most in the region planning to open in the second half of December. To get an idea of how this has played out in previous seasons, please do take a look back at our archive reports – links below. The last two seasons have seen us enduring a slow start to the season; three years ago, December was spectacular for snowfall. It's going to be interesting to see how this season pans out. Personally I'd love a repeat of December 2014. Anyway, below are planned ski resort official opening dates as they currently stand. All of those dates are of course subject to change depending on snowfall and conditions. We’ll be updating this Yuzawa Now report a few times a week now and then once the season gets going properly there will of course be daily updates. Planned ski resort opening dates Thursday 23rd November 2017 Kagura (via Mitsumta) Saturday 9th December 2017 Iwappara Kagura (via Tashiro) Naeba Joetsu Kokusai Friday 15th December 2017 Maiko Snow Resort Muica Snow Resort Yuzawa Park Saturday 16th December 2017 GALA Yuzawa Kandatsu Kogen Yuzawa Kogen Yuzawa Nakazato Thursday 21st December 2017 Ishiuchi Maruyama Friday 22nd December 2017 NASPA Ski Garden Saturday 23rd December 2017 Ipponsugi Muikamachi Hakkaisan Yuzawa Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Thursday 9th November 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 0cm November 2017 snowfall 0cm Next report 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. 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 Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 5cm Snowfall at base this season 5cm Posted on Sunday 19th November 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here. A very good morning to you. And this morning I have the first cm of snowfall to report to you. About 5cm so far and it is still snowing - and snowing nicely too. With snow forecast for most of today and through into tomorrow as well, I should have more to report in the morning. Excellent. Have a great Sunday. I'll just enjoy watching the snow fall outside. --- Planned ski resort opening dates Thursday 23rd November 2017 Kagura (via Mitsumta) Saturday 9th December 2017 Iwappara Kagura (via Tashiro) Naeba Joetsu Kokusai Friday 15th December 2017 Maiko Snow Resort Muica Snow Resort Yuzawa Park Saturday 16th December 2017 GALA Yuzawa Kandatsu Kogen Yuzawa Kogen Yuzawa Nakazato Thursday 21st December 2017 Ishiuchi Maruyama Friday 22nd December 2017 NASPA Ski Garden Saturday 23rd December 2017 Ipponsugi Muikamachi Hakkaisan Yuzawa Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Sunday 19th November 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 5cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 1 day Most snowfall observed in 1 day 5cm (19th November) November 2017 snowfall 5cm reported on 1 day 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 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. 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 Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 5cm Snowfall at base this season 10cm Posted on Monday 20th November 2017 This is an archived report. The latest Yuzawa Now report can be found here. Good morning from Yuzawa. Yesterday was a generally snowy day. Light snow mostly, but coming down harder at times. And at our measuring point we have an additional 5cm as a result. I'm not hearing reliable news about how much snow has been falling higher up, but we can reasonably expect a fair bit more. The snow clouds are still above us this morning and may well be until tomorrow so we can perhaps expect a bit more. One thing I feel I should mention at this point. This is a very nice early snowfall of course and we're more than happy to take it as a good sign for the upcoming season! But it has to be noted that we often get early snowfall which more often than not melts away to be followed by a stretch of no snowfall before it starts snowing proper for the season. That's the normal pattern. As the forecast stands just now it seems we can expect slightly warmer conditions after today and more rain than snow (in town anyway). Kagura will be opening on Thursday. How much of Kagura night open?! We don't know that yet and they will probably announce the details on Wednesday - I will of course bring those details to you on this report. --- Planned ski resort opening dates Thursday 23rd November 2017 Kagura (via Mitsumta) Saturday 9th December 2017 Iwappara Kagura (via Tashiro) Naeba Joetsu Kokusai Friday 15th December 2017 Maiko Snow Resort Muica Snow Resort Yuzawa Park Saturday 16th December 2017 GALA Yuzawa Kandatsu Kogen Yuzawa Kogen Yuzawa Nakazato Thursday 21st December 2017 Ishiuchi Maruyama Friday 22nd December 2017 NASPA Ski Garden Saturday 23rd December 2017 Ipponsugi Muikamachi Hakkaisan Yuzawa Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Monday 20th November 2017 Total snowfall at base so far 10cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 2 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 5cm (19th and 20th November) November 2017 snowfall 10cm 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 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. 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