Independent snow and weather reporting from the Madarao region of Nagano New snowfall at base 3cm Snowfall at base this season 3cm Weather overview Lovely Wind Light Temperature - Visibility Very good Posted on Saturday 24th November 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Madarao Now report can be found here . I promised a report with any snow news. And we got some snow yesterday (which is being logged in this report). Not a huge amount, but this morning the mountain is looking white and frosted early on, and there is a beautiful blue sky background and the sun is out. It looks fantastic. Quite a bit of sunshine on the forecast for the next week or so actually along with some milder conditions. And not much fresh snow. We are still three weeks from the planned opening date - 15th December 2018. I'll be back with you with more soon... Madarao Now 2018-2019 season Data as of Saturday 24th November 2018 Total snowfall at base 3cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 1 day Most snowfall observed in 1 day 3cm (on 24th November) November 2018 snowfall 3cm 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 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 Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 19cm Snowfall at base this season 50cm Posted on Saturday 24th November 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning from Niseko. And it most certainly is a good morning. The snow has continued since my last report yesterday morning and I have measured 19cm of fresh to add to the 25cm I reported yesterday. Very nice! And as I mentioned in my excite noon update yesterday (did you see that?), today is officially the first day of the 18/19 ski season here in the Niseko region with the Niseko Grand Hirafu resort area opening this morning, and the Niseko Annupuri resort will be following on from tomorrow. Niseko Grand Hirafu themselves are this morning reporting 95cm of snow depth at peak and 65cm at base. Terrain wise, what is available is very limited (details below). But with the fresh that has been delivered over the last few days I imagine conditions should be really good for some fine first turns of the season. Keep in mind that this suddenly-arrived snowfall is will essentially be our base for the season; the fresh snow is settling in and getting into place. And still not deep enough to cover everything up properly in places. Perhaps good that only a limited area will be open. Expect some snow on and off today on the mountain (note: I can actually see blue skies away from the mountain currently), and then some milder conditions for a few days. There may even be some rain mixed in there. Anyway, if you are lucky enough to be here for the opening this weekend, I hope that you can have fun and take care. I will see you tomorrow. ---- Niseko Grand Hirafu Open from this morning Ski lifts operating: - Ace Number 2 Center Four Lift (8:30am until 3:10pm) * transport to the open area - Ace Number 3 Pair Lift (8:40am until 3:30pm) - The last quad lift down is at 4:00pm Courses open: - Center Course 1 day lift tickets (until 30th November): - Adults: 2,000 yen - Children and seniors: 1,000 yen - Ticket valid only at Niseko Grand Hirafu Niseko Annupuri Open from Sunday 25th November 2018 Ski lifts operating: - Annupuri Gondola (8:30am until 3:00pm) * transport to the open area - Jumbo Number 3 Pair Lift (8:45am until 3:15pm) - The last Gondola down is at 3:30pm Courses open: - Utopia Course 1 day lift tickets (until 30th November): - Adults and seniors: 2,400 yen - Children (up to 12): 1,400 yen - Ticket valid only at Niseko Annupuri --- Niseko Village Niseko HANAZONO Resort Both Niseko Village and Niseko HANAZONO areas plan to open from Saturday 1st December. Niseko Now 2018-2019 season Data as of Saturday 24th November 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 50cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 5 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 25cm (23rd November) November 2018 snowfall 50cm 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 10cm Snowfall at base this season 29cm Posted on Friday 23rd November 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Geto Kogen Now report can be found here . Note: this is a backdated report to record snowfall on Friday 23rd November 2018 The first main report of the season is on 4th December 2018 Geto Kogen Now 2018-2019 season Data as of Friday 23rd November 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 29cm Number of days snowfall observed 2 days Most snowfall observed on 1 day 19cm (on 22nd November) November 2018 snowfall 29cm 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 Zao region of Yamagata New snowfall at base 4cm Snowfall at base this season 4cm Posted on Friday 23rd November 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Zao Now report can be found here . Good evening all and welcome back to the reports. I am actually away from Zao at the moment but my trusted friend has filled me in on around 4-5cm of fresh snowfall in the village area early this morning along with a temperature of around -1C. Not a whole lot more to expect in the coming week as temperatures look set to rise a bit and there might be quite a bit of sunshine. I'll update you again when there is more snow to report. Zao Now 2018-2019 season Data as of Friday 23rd November 2018 Total snowfall at base 4cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 1 day Most snowfall observed in 1 day 4cm (on 23rd November) November 2018 snowfall 4cm observed on 1 day Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Zao 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 Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 5cm Snowfall at base this season 17cm Posted on Friday 23rd November 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . Yesterday there was some light snow falling through the day but it didn't really accumulate on the ground. Today was a bit better with colder temperatures allowing a build up of around 5cm in Kitanomine. The good news is that it seems the resort will open tomorrow as planned. The open courses will be the upper part of the Sailer Course and Shirakaba Course, which are around 750-800m in length each. Great to see the season kick off on schedule. Furano Zone expected to open 24 November. Furano Now 2018-2019 season Data as of Friday 23rd November 2018 Total snowfall at base 17cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 3 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 7cm (21st November) November 2018 snowfall 17cm 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 Hakuba region of Nagano New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm Posted on Friday 23rd November 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Hakuba Now report can be found here . There's some fresh snow on them there hills. It's not quite down to village level but getting the closest yet. Come on down! It is still snowing higher up but due to ease off. Four resorts are waiting for more snow to get those first lifts open. The forecast isn't showing much chance of snow in the coming week beyond today, so I think we are going to need to be patient for the moment. Official planned ski resort opening dates: As soon as there is enough snow (earliest 23rd November) Hakuba 47 Hakuba Happo-one Hakuba Goryu Tsugaike Kogen Friday 14th December 2018 Hakuba Iwatake Snow Field Saturday 15th December 2018 Hakuba Cortina Hakuba Valley Kashimayari Mid December 2018 Hakuba Norikura Onsen Friday 21st December 2018 Hakuba Sanosaka Hakuba Now 2018-2019 season Data as of Friday 23rd November 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 0cm November 2018 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 Nozawa Onsen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 2cm Snowfall at base this season 2cm Posted on Friday 23rd November 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Nozawa Now report can be found here . The first snowfall down to village! It is always great to see that first snowfall down to the base and today is the day. It is more than likely not going to last long, but it has arrived. Right now there is just a thin layer at base, but there will be more higher up and hopefully the resort might report on that today and I will be able to give you more info tomorrow. As I mentioned yesterday, Nozawa has postponed opening so no lifts are planned to be moving this morning. Snow/sleet/(maybe rain) might continue today but clearer skies are likely from the weekend. So this is not destined to be a prolonged bout of snow; we are going to have to wait for that. Please note that it is always the top section of the resort that opens first, not the whole mountain. Nozawa Now 2018-2019 season Data as of Friday 23rd November 2018 Total snowfall at base 2cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 1 day Most snowfall observed in 1 day 2cm (23rd November) November 2018 snowfall 2cm 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 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 Naeba region of Niigata New snowfall at base 1cm Snowfall at base this season 1cm Posted on Friday 23rd November 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Naeba Now report can be found here . Good afternoon from Naeba. 25 days later than last year, we have the first snowfall of the season here in the base areas. Just a bit around base areas and the village, more as you get higher up of course. Autumn has been very colourful but it is good to see some white. Everyone is of course hoping that the upcoming season will deliver in terms of lots of regular (and heavy) snowfall. Fingers crossed. Naeba plans to open for the season on Saturday 8th December. Kagura was hoping to open today but has delayed due to lack of snow. Just in as I am writing this: ---- Kagura will open from tomorrow, Saturday 24th November! :) The Yuzawa Now report will be updated (probably/mostly) daily from now, so please check that over the next few weeks before Naeba gets going. Naeba Now 2018-2019 season Data as of Friday 23rd November 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 1cm Number of days snowfall observed 1 day Most snowfall observed on 1 day 1cm (reported on 23rd November) November 2018 snowfall 1cm observed on 1 day Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Naeba. 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 25cm Snowfall at base this season 31cm Posted on Friday 23rd November 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Excite update at 12:00pm: Drop your toast! Niseko Grand Hirafu will be open tomorrow. Details as I have them: * The Ace Number 2 Center Four Lift will be open from 8:30am until 3:10pm - for transport up to open area only * The Ace Number 3 Pair Lift will be open from 8:40am until 3:30pm * Only the Center Course will be available A special lift ticket will cost 2,000 yen for adults and 1,000 yen for children and seniors. No official word yet from Annupuri, but they may well get going as well. More details tomorrow morning. Any fresh snowfall since my original report this morning and my upcoming report tomorrow morning will be reported in my report tomorrow morning. I hope that makes sense! --- Original report posted early this morning: Good morning everyone. I have very good news for you this morning. There is lots of snow on the ground. Oh yes. I measured just slightly over 25cm of fresh snowfall on the ground which is a very nice showing and of course there will be more than that at higher elevations. Remember, I take my readings close to the base of Hirafu. Snow is still falling (some patches of blue sky showing away from the mountain), and the forecast is generally looking nice and regular. What all this means for ski lifts is not clear as yet - it's only 7:30am - but I wanted to convey the good news as early as possible. If anything does happen today, I will try to update this report. If not, I will see you tomorrow! --- Niseko Grand Hirafu 6-day snow and weather forecast --- The official planned opening dates of the ski resorts are as follows: - Niseko Grand Hirafu: as soon as there is enough snow - Niseko Annupuri: as soon as there is enough snow - Niseko Village: Saturday 1st December 2018 - Niseko Hanazono: Saturday 1st December 2018 Actual opening dates will depend on snow conditions. Niseko Now 2018-2019 season Data as of Friday 23rd November 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 31cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 4 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 25cm (23rd November) November 2018 snowfall 31cm 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 Myoko region of Niigata New snowfall at base 5cm Snowfall at base this season 5cm Posted on Friday 23rd November 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Myoko Now report can be found here . It's not going to last (I think), but the first real snowfall at base level deserves a report! The weather report were saying there was a good chance for today, so we got the bamboo poles up (to mark where driveways and obstacles are under the snow, for snow throwing later on, the boats into the garage and (most of) the hydrangeas and bushes tied up. Snow tires are on one of two cars... A normal November first snow, in short. Things will probably melt over the weekend, but it's always fun when everything turns white for the first time. There's also that sudden drop of the temperature, that smell of the snow. Gets things going for the season that's now less than a month away! Myoko Now 2018-2019 season Data as of Friday 23rd November 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 5cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 1 day Most snowfall observed in 1 day 5cm (23rd November) November 2018 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 Myoko. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 1cm Snowfall at base this season 6cm Posted on Thursday 22nd November 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here As expected, ski lifts opening tomorrow at Hirafu and Annupuri is not going to happen and both resorts have confirmed this. They will basically just open as soon as there is enough snow. The good news is that it is currently snowing and there's a little more on the ground. It does look like we can expect snowfall over the next few days, so we can feel positive and excited about what is to come. Hirafu are officially reporting 30cm of snow up top and 5cm at base this morning. --- Now, I don't make a habit of looking at blogs and other stuff that people in Niseko say - it's definitely best that way - but I had to laugh yesterday when I read something about massive amounts of snow falling. Some people just cannot take off that marketing hat. I'm definitely happy that I don't have the pressure of owning such a hat. --- The official planned opening dates of the ski resorts are as follows: - Niseko Grand Hirafu: as soon as there is enough snow - Niseko Annupuri: as soon as there is enough snow - Niseko Village: Saturday 1st December 2018 - Niseko Hanazono: Saturday 1st December 2018 Actual opening dates will depend on snow conditions. Niseko Now 2018-2019 season Data as of Thursday 22nd November 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 6cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 3 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 3cm (21st November) November 2018 snowfall 6cm 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 Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 3cm Snowfall at base this season 5cm Posted on Wednesday 21st November 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning everyone from my secret Hirafu base. I am happy to be able to bring you some snowy news. Hurray! I have measured 3cm of the lovely stuff here at Hirafu base and of course there will be more of that higher up on the mountain. Just how much - I don't know. If and when I hear anything on that I will of course let you know. Hirafu and Annupuri are hoping to get some lifts open from Friday. We will need more snow for that to be able to happen, but the forecast is looking pretty decent over the coming week (especially from tomorrow evening). So even if they are not able to opening on Friday, perhaps they might be able to open soon after. I will of course keep you updated as best I can. --- The official planned opening dates of the ski resorts are as follows: - Niseko Grand Hirafu: Friday 23rd November 2018 - Niseko Annupuri: Friday 23rd November 2018 - Niseko Village: Saturday 1st December 2018 - Niseko Hanazono: Saturday 1st December 2018 Actual opening dates will depend on snow conditions. Niseko Now 2018-2019 season Data as of Wednesday 21st November 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 5cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 2 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 3cm (21st November) November 2018 snowfall 5cm 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