Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 54cm Posted on Saturday 28th November 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning from Niseko and there's just a few dustings to report to you. Not enough for me to add a magic number to my report. It feels relatively mild too, hovering at around 0C this morning. The forecast is looking promising with regular snowfall lined up over the coming week, with perhaps some decent numbers incoming in the early part of the week in particular. Today was the planned opening date for Niseko Annupuri, and also the original planned opening date for Niseko Grand Hirafu (before they moved that back to 5th December). All of the 4 'Niseko United' areas plan to be open from 5th December. Would be great if that could happen. --- Planned opening dates: Niseko Annupuri: Opening as soon as there is enough snow Niseko Grand Hirafu: Saturday 5th December 2020 Niseko Hanazono: Saturday 5th December 2020 Niseko Village: Tuesday 1st December 2020 Night skiing operations are planned from 19th December 2020 until 7th March 2021. There is no night skiing at HANAZONO area. Niseko Now 2020-2021 season Data as of Saturday 28th November 2020 Total snowfall at base so far 54cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 5 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (10th November) November 2020 snowfall 54cm reported on 5 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Kutchan/Niseko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Geto Kogen region of Iwate New snowfall at base 3cm Snowfall at base this season 73cm Posted on Saturday 28th November 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Geto Kogen Now report can be found here . Good morning from Geto Kogen. Today was originally going to be the first day of the ski season here but that has been delayed. A little snow overnight and a few cm on the ground. Mostly cloudy right now with a bit of blue sky but we are expecting more snowfall this afternoon and overnight. I'm guessing not enough to change status - just base building - but would be very glad to be wrong... Geto Kogen Now 2020-2021 season Data as of Saturday 28th November 2020 Total snowfall at base so far 73cm Number of days snowfall observed 3 days Most snowfall observed on 1 day 55cm (on 12th November) November 2020 snowfall 73cm observed on 3 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in 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 Shiga Kogen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 4cm Snowfall at base this season 7cm Posted on Saturday 28th November 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Shiga Kogen Now report can be found here . Hello from Shiga Kogen. There's some good winter scenes here this morning, with fresh snow on the ground and snow falling from the skies. Kumanoyu is reporting 5cm of snowfall overnight and I can add my observed 4cm to this report. It doesn't feel particularly cold and there's hardly any wind at all... just snow continuing to fall so hopefully I'll have more to report tomorrow. There are two lifts operating this morning: - Kumanoyu Number 2 Pair B Line - Yokoteyama Number 4 Pair Shiga Kogen Now 2020-2021 season Data as of Saturday 28th November 2020 Total snowfall at base 7cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 3 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 4cm (28th November) November 2020 snowfall 7cm reported on 3 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Shiga Kogen. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 1cm Snowfall at base this season 37cm Posted on Friday 27th November 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . Furano Ski Area will open for the 2020-21 winter season today. Furano Zone will open with the Furano Ropeway operating for uploading and downloading to the upper mountain. The open courses will be D1 (800m) and D2 (740m). At this stage is not possible to ski back the base area, so you will be required to use the Ropeway to return to the base area. Furano Now 2020-2021 season Data as of Friday 27th November 2020 Total snowfall at base 37cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 5 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 11cm (5th and 24th November) November 2020 snowfall 37cm reported on 5 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Furano. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 5cm Snowfall at base this season 54cm Posted on Tuesday 24th November 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here There's slightly over 5cm of snow to report to you from base this morning. There is lots of cloud around and visibility is limited as it continues to snow lightly. It's a bit windy too with a moderate westerly wind right now. I get the feeling that it won't be too long now before you have to put up with me every day as there looks to be regular snow on the forecast over the coming week. Let it be so! I'm ready. --- Planned opening dates: Niseko Annupuri: Saturday 28th November 2020 Niseko Grand Hirafu: Saturday 5th December 2020 Niseko Hanazono: Saturday 5th December 2020 Niseko Village: Tuesday 1st December 2020 Niseko Now 2020-2021 season Data as of Tuesday 24th November 2020 Total snowfall at base so far 54cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 5 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (10th November) November 2020 snowfall 54cm reported on 5 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Kutchan/Niseko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 11cm Snowfall at base this season 36cm Posted on Tuesday 24th November 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . More snow is needed before Furano Ski Area can open for the 2020-21 winter season. Last week was unusually warm and melted most of the existing snow on the mountain. This week we are back into more wintery weather and the 10cm at town level today will help the resort move closer towards being able to open. The rest of week looks very promising with daily snow forecast for the next few days. Furano Now 2020-2021 season Data as of Tuesday 24th November 2020 Total snowfall at base 36cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 4 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 11cm (5th and 24th November) November 2020 snowfall 36cm reported on 4 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Furano. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 1cm Snowfall at base this season 49cm Posted on Monday 23rd November 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning all. Just a little sprinkling of snow to report to you this morning. The lower slopes of Hirafu are looking speckled (not a complete white cover) and I can just about justify 1cm for the report. I'll take note of a few mm in there for a future report when there's just over a certain amount of cm. This week should remain colder and hopefully there will be some regular snow to report; just how much we'll have to see. First lifts are due to open at Annupuri this coming Saturday. --- Planned opening dates: Niseko Annupuri: Saturday 28th November 2020 Niseko Grand Hirafu: Saturday 5th December 2020 Niseko Hanazono: Saturday 5th December 2020 Niseko Village: Tuesday 1st December 2020 Niseko Now 2020-2021 season Data as of Monday 23rd November 2020 Total snowfall at base so far 49cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 4 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 32cm (10th November) November 2020 snowfall 49cm reported on 4 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Kutchan/Niseko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Geto Kogen region of Iwate New snowfall at base 55cm Snowfall at base this season 70cm Posted on Thursday 12th November 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Geto Kogen Now report can be found here . Good morning from Geto Kogen. It is a beauty this morning. Blue skies all around and the sun is shining down on us. While we have had a decent amount of snow fall since my report last week, this fine weather since yesterday means that a fair chunk has since melted. But it is of course early days yet. Apologies for it all appearing together in one report but from 9th-11th November over 55cm of snow fell around base areas, probably more than that in places - perhaps as much as 70cm. But I am going to be conservative here and log my number in this report. The resort is currently reporting 50cm at base and 70cm higher up. Geto Kogen plans to open from Saturday 28th November 2020. 2 weeks to go! Geto Kogen Now 2020-2021 season Data as of Thursday 12th November 2020 Total snowfall at base so far 70cm Number of days snowfall observed 2 days Most snowfall observed on 1 day 55cm (on 12th November) November 2020 snowfall 70cm observed 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 Geto Kogen. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

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

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 5cm Snowfall at base this season 25cm Posted on Wednesday 11th November 2020 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . There is a further 5cm of fresh snow to report this morning. The temperature is a wintery -3c and the high will only make it to +1c today. The next few days will see significantly warmer temperatures through the day, and on Friday it looks like we will have rain rather than snow. With blue sky and sunshine, along with fresh white snow, the area is looking very picturesque. Furano Now 2020-2021 season Data as of Wednesday 11th November 2020 Total snowfall at base 25cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 3 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 11cm (5th November) November 2020 snowfall 25cm reported on 3 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Furano. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

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

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