Independent snow and weather reporting from the Nozawa Onsen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 20cm Snowfall at base this season 410cm Posted on Wednesday 24th January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Nozawa Now report can be found here . Did you see that news about the eruption over in Kusatsu yesterday?! Yikes. Nozawa is unaffected - more on that situation below. Anyway, you want snow news don't you? Here it is: The resort is reporting around 20cm of fresh snow since yesterday morning across the mountain and that is pretty much what I have measured too. So a nice new layer - perhaps not as much as we expected. But the forecast remains snow, snow and more snow over the next few days. So we continue to expect some big numbers. Conditions should be good this morning; visibility somewhat limited on the upper parts of the resort. More snow news tomorrow. Nozawa Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Wednesday 24th January 2018 Total snowfall at base 410cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 31 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 53cm (27th December) November 2017 snowfall 21cm reported on 2 days December 2017 snowfall 217cm reported on 16 days January 2018 snowfall 172cm reported on 13 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 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 Madarao region of Nagano New snowfall at base 19cm Snowfall at base this season 503cm Weather overview Cloud, light snow Wind Light Temperature - Visibility Fair Posted on Wednesday 24th January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Madarao Now report can be found here . Good morning. Nice snow falling last night and there's a good fresh layer of snow outside this morning - close on 20cm - with more lined up over the coming days. Hopefully heavier still ahead of us; though with the quality of snow remaining light and powdery of course. It's good and cold this morning so wrap up well and get out there to enjoy it. Just light snow for the moment and visibility looks fairly decent. Is that even a bit of sunshine peeking through? (Personally I'd prefer full on heavy snow). --- About the volcanic eruption at Kusatsu-Shirane-san in Gunma Prefecture on 23rd January 2018 As you may have heard, yesterday morning there was a limited volcanic eruption followed by an avalanche in western Gunma Prefecture, close to the border with northern Nagano Prefecture. The eruption at Motoshirane happened close to the more famous Kusatsu-Shirane-san - and also the slopes of the Kusatsu Kokusai ski resort. Around 80 skiers were evacuated to an area near the upper area of Kusatsu-Shirane with some trapped in the gondola and on lifts for a while. Very sadly, as a result of this event there was one fatality and a number of injuries, apparently due to flying rocks and the avalanche. As far as we can tell there have been no further eruptions since yesterday morning. Our thoughts are with everyone involved and caught up in this. This incident made the international news with some people visiting Japan asking if their ski resort will be safe, and so we thought we would add this information to our daily reports this morning. The only ski resort affected by this event is Kusatsu Kokusai in Gunma Prefecture. It is currently unclear how this will affect the top area of the resort, but it seems that the lower slopes of Kusatsu Kokusai will remain open today – those slopes are quite a distance from the affected area. (And perhaps this is a good example of how Japanese people are used to living with the threat of earthquakes and volcanos!) The ski resorts in Shiga Kogen (Nagano) and Manza Onsen (Gunma) are the other closest ski resorts, but they are outside of the 2km restricted area -- and are unaffected. And of course, ski resorts that are further away than that are also totally unaffected. The central part of Kusatsu town itself is about 7km away from the volcano and so also unaffected. We hope this information helps. Madarao Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Wednesday 24th January 2018 Total snowfall at base 503cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 27 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 58cm (on 27th December) November 2017 snowfall 60cm reported on 3 days December 2017 snowfall 280cm reported on 13 days January 2018 snowfall 163cm reported on 11 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 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 21cm Snowfall at base this season 750cm Posted on Wednesday 24th January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Gunma Prefecture is a very long way from Niseko, but still some people have even asked me about the volcano that happened down there yesterday, so please do read the message below about that situation and be assured that Hokkaido is 100% unaffected by that unfortunate event. Back up here in Niseko. ...and it is a morning when I can say a hearty (or is that 'heartful') hurray! I have 21cm of fresh snow to report at base. And I'm confident that there'll be a good layer more than that up on the mountain. What's more, the silly strong winds that we had to put up with from yesterday evening have seemingly calmed down. Well, down here anyway. Those winds will have mixed things up out there though so be aware of avalanche danger and be sure to play safe - take care out there. It's surely going to be a fantastic morning here. Good amount of nice fresh snow with cold conditions. The sun is out, just a bit of cloud. Mt Yotei looking particularly beautiful (and wearing a funny little hat). Ace. The forecast still has consistent snowfall lined up over the coming week though, so these early morning weather conditions may not last. Good to get them while you can and indeed the early queues for first lifts shows that there are lots of people thinking the same. Clever folk, people who come to Niseko. ;) --- About the volcanic eruption at Kusatsu-Shirane-san in Gunma Prefecture on 23rd January 2018 As you may have heard, yesterday morning there was a limited volcanic eruption followed by an avalanche in western Gunma Prefecture, close to the border with northern Nagano Prefecture. The eruption at Motoshirane happened close to the more famous Kusatsu-Shirane-san - and also the slopes of the Kusatsu Kokusai ski resort. Around 80 skiers were evacuated to an area near the upper area of Kusatsu-Shirane with some trapped in the gondola and on lifts for a while. Very sadly, as a result of this event there was one fatality and a number of injuries, apparently due to flying rocks and the avalanche. As far as we can tell there have been no further eruptions since yesterday morning. Our thoughts are with everyone involved and caught up in this. This incident made the international news with some people visiting Japan asking if their ski resort will be safe, and so we thought we would add this information to our daily reports this morning. The only ski resort affected by this event is Kusatsu Kokusai in Gunma Prefecture. It is currently unclear how this will affect the top area of the resort, but it seems that the lower slopes of Kusatsu Kokusai will remain open today – those slopes are quite a distance from the affected area. (And perhaps this is a good example of how Japanese people are used to living with the threat of earthquakes and volcanos!) The ski resorts in Shiga Kogen (Nagano) and Manza Onsen (Gunma) are the other closest ski resorts, but they are outside of the 2km restricted area -- and are unaffected. And of course, ski resorts that are further away than that are also totally unaffected. The central part of Kusatsu town itself is about 7km away from the volcano and so also unaffected. We hope this information helps. --- Wednesday 24th January 2018 Resort specific information (operations subject to change): Niseko Grand Hirafu & Niseko HANAZONO Resort Lifts scheduled to be operating: - All lifts apart from King Number 2 are generally operating - 'Early Morning' services from 8:00am until 8:20am (Ace Number 2 Center Four quad lift). Until 28th January. 500 yen special ticket required. Official snow depth: - Top: 385cm - Base: 180cm Niseko Annupuri Kokusai Lifts scheduled to be operating: - All lifts are generally operating - Top Jumbo lift will be delayed Official snow depth: - Top: 290cm - Base: 170cm Niseko Village Lifts scheduled to be operating: - All lifts apart from the Country Road Chair lift should be operating - 'Early Gondola' service from 7:30am until 8:30am (Niseko Gondola). January 27th-28th; February 3rd-4th. 1,400 yen special ticket required. Official snow depth: - Top: 290cm - Base: 170cm Niseko Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Wednesday 24th January 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 750cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 57 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 38cm (21st December) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 406cm reported on 27 days January 2018 snowfall 156cm reported on 19 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 Naeba region of Niigata New snowfall at base 16cm Snowfall at base this season 637cm Posted on Tuesday 23rd January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Naeba Now report can be found here . Good morning from Naeba! It's a beautiful start to the day today, with the mountain and snow-covered trees being lit up by a pink sunrise. We had a total of 16cm of new snow in the past 24 hours, which has topped up the pistes well. The skiing conditions on piste today will be fabulous, particularly due to Naeba's world-class grooming having tidied up the fresh snow nicely. Confusingly, the forecast indicates that we should expect the snow to continue throughout today, however as previously mentioned we have started the day with clear skies and no wind. It looks as though we should expect the wind to pick up significantly later in the day, swinging from a southerly to a northerly and blowing in some more storm clouds. Temperatures today are expected to remain just below 0°C. With the sun, this will feel pleasant, but if the snow clouds do arrive as predicted, it will feel much cooler this afternoon. Looking forwards, it looks as though "Storm Finn" proper will strike tomorrow, particularly overnight. Temperatures are expected to drop to around -10°C tonight and stay around there until at least Sunday. As for snow, we should expect moderate to heavy snow throughout Wednesday and Thursday. The wind will be picking up significantly later today, dropping again overnight, and raising again on Wednesday night. I'm pleased to announce that we are continuing with our track record of every new day added to the forecast, the snow predictions continue. Kōrudo! Naeba Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Tuesday 23rd January 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 637cm Number of days snowfall observed 30 days Most snowfall observed on 1 day 79cm (reported on 14th December) November 2017 snowfall 46cm observed on 2 days December 2017 snowfall 400cm observed on 18 days January 2018 snowfall 191cm observed on 10 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 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 Shiga Kogen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 12cm Snowfall at base this season 505cm Posted on Tuesday 23rd January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Shiga Kogen Now report can be found here . Original morning report Morning from Shiga Kogen. Moderate snowfall as we approach 9am and the kind that feels like it is going to be building up nicely. Bit of a wind. Cold, but not crazy cold. But yes, it feels like this might be the start of the storm we're all expecting lots from. Anyway for now there's 12cm to report... Hopefully lots more over the next few days. The forecast is still good for lots of snow. And I will of course let you know. Update early afternoon: Kusatsu Shirane eruption It is starting to make international news so you might be hearing about this. There was a volcanic eruption at Mt Shirane this morning and with an associated avalanche there have been some injuries over at the Kusatsu Kokusai ski resort. Mt Shirane and the Kusatsu Kokusai ski resort are geographically close Shiga Kogen, though not connected. The nearest ski resort area of Shiga Kogen is Yokoteyama in the southern area. There does not seem to be any disruption over on this Shiga Kogen side of the mountain. And with the wind blowing from a westerly direction, any ash or rocks have been going over towards Kusatsu rather than Shiga Kogen. I did not feel anything either. Anyway, thoughts with anyone involved in this situation and I hope to bring you further information in my report tomorrow. Shiga Kogen Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Tuesday 23rd January 2018 Total snowfall at base 505cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 44 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 47cm (4th January) November 2017 snowfall 47cm reported on 6 days December 2017 snowfall 276cm reported on 21 days January 2018 snowfall 182cm reported on 17 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 Nozawa Onsen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 9cm Snowfall at base this season 390cm Posted on Tuesday 23rd January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Nozawa Now report can be found here . Did you see the images from the Kanto area last night with all that snow falling in Tokyo? It's amazing how just 5-10cm or so can cause so many problems. Or is it amazing how we can cope with such a lot of snow when it arrives. Of course, for us here in Nozawa 10cm is on the lower end of a decent delivery of snowfall and we can cope with metres in a week. Talking of which... We also have 9cm here since yesterday but this morning curiously started with generally fine weather. Some low cloud and fog covering lower base areas still, but there was a bit of sun up top earlier - though it is already clouding over. And we do have that snow set to start again soon. And most importantly the forecast still shows heavy snowfall over the next few days with snow clouds remaining over Nozawa through the weekend. A nice consistent 30-40cm of light dry fluffy flakes each day please. I'll update you again tomorrow. Nozawa Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Tuesday 23rd January 2018 Total snowfall at base 390cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 30 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 53cm (27th December) November 2017 snowfall 21cm reported on 2 days December 2017 snowfall 217cm reported on 16 days January 2018 snowfall 152cm reported on 12 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 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 Madarao region of Nagano New snowfall at base 7cm Snowfall at base this season 484cm Weather overview Cloud, snow Wind Light Temperature - Visibility Fair to limited Posted on Tuesday 23rd January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Madarao Now report can be found here . Good morning. It's snowing. Not mad yet, but the forecast is still there and looking good. So strap yourself in and let's get snowed on! I look forward to writing the next few reports. Madarao Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Tuesday 23rd January 2018 Total snowfall at base 484cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 26 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 58cm (on 27th December) November 2017 snowfall 60cm reported on 3 days December 2017 snowfall 280cm reported on 13 days January 2018 snowfall 144cm reported on 10 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 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 1cm Snowfall at base this season 729cm Posted on Tuesday 23rd January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning and welcome to a special Tokyo Now! report and I have around 10cm of fresh snow to report to you with lots of problems being caused by this 'heavy' snowfall. Hope that things get back to normal quickly down there. And now, onto Niseko Now! and I have 1cm of snow to report to you. Doh! Yes, it's one of those rare cases when Tokyo got more fresh snowfall than us up here in Niseko. Just a dusting here - I feel just about justified in awarding the reports 1cm this morning. But not to fear. Because by the end of today we should be into heavy snow (and likely also strong winds, unfortunately). So while the start of the day is seeming pretty decent, things are due to change. We are still due to get regular snow over the coming week, so fingers crossed for a lot. I have to get my report up there a little early this morning - top lifts probably affected at the start of today. Available info updated below. Take care, wherever you are! --- Some more comments, observations and questions answered This rather long message is being posted on all the daily ‘Now’ report pages on SnowJapan today, so it does not apply to any one report section. Long-time readers may well remember a similar message posted last season. This is a modified and updated re-write of that message. As we head into what looks set to be a very exciting and snowy week in Japan, we wanted to share some comments and respond to some more frequently asked questions regarding the daily reports on SnowJapan. Many people rely on our reporting to find out how the Japan winter season is shaping up. We take that responsibility very seriously and the integrity of our reports is extremely important to us. The individuals who post the reports are told that it is fine to get very excited when conditions are excellent and there’s lots of snow falling. And hopefully you’ll see that in action this week! But at the same time, we believe that it is essential to also report things that are less exciting; like crusty spring-like snow conditions in mid-January or nasty rain. That kind of reporting is not ‘being negative’ - it’s simply reporting what is happening. Whatever is happening, that is what should be in the reports. Even if none of us particularly like it. Forgive us for saying it again, but it’s important: one of the things that makes SnowJapan unique is the fact that we are not here to convince you to visit any one region of Japan. We’re not here to ask you to book accommodation, or to join tours, or to take ski lessons. We’re not asking you to buy anything. Rather, we are here to provide independent and correct information from around Japan – information that is free from the inevitable pressures of having to sell and market specific services. Some people would seemingly prefer everyone believe that snow conditions are always close to what the marketing blurb says, whatever the actual reality is. By ignoring things when they are less than perfect or publishing information that is misleading, at best. There was one good example yesterday. We were really disappointed to see a popular ski resort classifying their base area snow conditions as “powder” – after a week of almost no fresh snowfall, some rain and generally mild conditions. While it is absolutely true that different people have different standards and levels of expectation, no-one could reasonably describe those conditions as “powder”. We’re not going to get into naming names, but we think that’s a pretty bad thing to do. We feel that (surely!) anyone visiting a ski resort would prefer to have honest reporting over something that just reads like a marketing brochure. So, we just want to take this opportunity once again to assure our readers that even with ever increasing pressures to do otherwise, we won’t be changing the thinking behind our reports. Each of our regional reports is written by a different person. So, it is natural that each has its own personality or character. Some of the reports are longer than others. Some of the reports are shorter than others. Some of the reports are more light-hearted in nature. Some of them cover one ski resort - like Madarao, Naeba, Furano. Some of them cover a much wider region - like Niseko, Hakuba and Yuzawa. Posting a daily report every day through the season is a considerable commitment. Reports may sometimes appear later than usual, or a report might be missed, or might be shorter than usual, etc… We are not claiming that our reports are perfect and know that we will never satisfy everyone with our output, but we do try to provide the best reports possible. ** More on that kind of thing here. ---- While we are at it, here are a few other quick points that we made in our season end message last year. About the SnowJapan ‘observed fresh snowfall’ data The ‘observed fresh snowfall’ that we publish on each of our reports is the amount of snowfall that our reporters see with their own eyes and measure every day. It is taken from base area levels. Why base areas? The reason for that is because it is the only place where a reliable measurement can be taken on a consistent basis every day throughout the season. Does more snow fall at higher elevations on mountain than at base? In most cases - absolutely. And in some regions/resorts, much more so than others. Within the text of our reports we try to report any fresh snowfall data that the ski resorts themselves are reporting from the mountain each morning - another reason why we want to wait for that information in a morning. But it would be impossible for us to report from ‘higher up’ every day. Issues include the ability to get up top every morning (lifts might be closed); where exactly to take measurements from; how we would go about measuring ‘fresh snowfall’ over the period of 24 hours at a location. Remember, we’re not a ski resort. So, the only place that we can reliably and consistently report from each morning is base. ”You under-report snow!” or ”You over-report snow!” No, we really don’t. Our reporters report what they see with their own eyes and measure themselves. Yes, there will be more (or less) snow falling in areas nearby. Nature doesn’t evenly distribute snowfall. Someone visiting the same ski resort may well experience something slightly different. And actually, both may well be correct. Microclimates and the like. That’s nature for you. Our measurements are coming to you from the same spot every day - generally very close to ski resort base lifts - and they are being reported by the same trusted individual who is not inclined to exaggerate. Note: If you do feel something in our reports is wildly off the mark, please do let us know and we will certainly look into it. “Why don’t you report more about actual quality of the snow?” Different people have greatly different expectations and different points of reference when it comes to snow conditions so unless things are indisputably excellent or indisputably rubbish, we feel it’s probably best to avoid going into that kind of detail every day. “Why is there more snow being reported on the ‘A Now’ report than ‘B Now’ report?” That will be because more snow is being observed at base in ‘A’ than in ‘B’. It’s as simple as that. Snowfall at higher elevations may well be a different matter - so please read the reports for such details... We recommend you don’t spent much time comparing the snowfall numbers between regions We totally understand the temptation to directly compare the snowfall numbers for the different areas, but we recommend that you don’t. If you must though, at least be sure to look beyond just the headline numbers. Some regions simply get less snow at base than other regions - but base snowfall is far from being the full story. If you are contemplating visiting one of the regions covered by our reports, we highly recommend that you spend time looking beyond just the headlines and read the full reports - including our archive reporting from previous seasons. Only that way will you get a true and detailed picture of what is happening and get an idea of how the snow falls in each of the regions and what to expect on-mountain. --- This week looks like it is going to be a big week of snow in many regions. That’s what we all want. So here’s to some fresh deep conditions over the coming days, weeks and months. Thank you for reading! If you want to contact us, you can do so here. --- Niseko Avalanche Report: Niseko base 6am: -5℃, no snowfall. Moiwa 800m: -13.8℃, E6.9m/s, quick development of snowdrifts due to easterly wind. Annupuri 1150m: -9℃, E15m/s, snow. Hirafu1250m: -9℃, E15m/s with drastic snowdrift development. Coastal data: Benkei cape SW3m/s, Kamui cape ENE8m/s, 1003hPa, 0.6m waves. A strong easterly wind is blowing towards a small low pressure on the Sea of Japan. Stormy condition above 1000m elevation. Snowdrifts from low-pressure snowfall are growing, and easily slides from Jan 22nd layer (about 20cm thickness). The wind will momentarily settle down, however a westerly-wind storm is forecasted to pick up through tomorrow. The avalanche risk will drastically rise as the storm picks up. 500+ people hiked up to the Annupuri peak yesterday. The patrol and avalanche institute team is relieved that no major accidents happened. We are grateful to everyone that respects the Niseko Rules. The Avalanche Report will pause for 2 days from tomorrow. There is no 100% safety in the winter mountains. Be flexible and plan according to the weather. Precaution is key to avoid accidents. --- Tuesday 23rd January 2018 Resort specific information (operations subject to change): Niseko Grand Hirafu & Niseko HANAZONO Resort Lifts scheduled to be operating: - All lifts apart from King Number 2 are generally operating - Top lifts on hold at the start of the day due to winds - 'Early Morning' services from 8:00am until 8:20am (Ace Number 2 Center Four quad lift). Until 28th January. 500 yen special ticket required. Official snow depth: - Top: 365cm - Base: 165cm Niseko Annupuri Kokusai Lifts scheduled to be operating: - All lifts are generally operating - Top lift on hold at the start of the day due to winds Official snow depth: - Top: 290cm - Base: 170cm Niseko Village Lifts scheduled to be operating: - All lifts apart from the Country Road Chair lift should be operating - Likely disruption to top lift early morning - 'Early Gondola' service from 7:30am until 8:30am (Niseko Gondola). January 27th-28th; February 3rd-4th. 1,400 yen special ticket required. Official snow depth: - Top: 290cm - Base: 170cm Niseko Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Tuesday 23rd January 2018 Total snowfall at base so far 729cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 56 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 38cm (21st December) November 2017 snowfall 188cm reported on 11 days December 2017 snowfall 406cm reported on 27 days January 2018 snowfall 135cm reported on 18 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 7cm Snowfall at base this season 425cm Posted on Monday 22nd January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . It is a cold morning and it won't get much warmer during the day. It is -9c now and will only rise up to -7c by midday, and just remember that is the temperature in the town so it will be a bit colder than that at the top of the resort. Furano received 12cm yesterday and this morning there has been a further top up of 7cm. It is certainly pretty heavy snow at the village level anyway. Looking up at the resort there is early morning cloud rolling down the slopes to the base level. This will probably lift later leaving a mainly overcast day. Kitanomine Zone open. Furano Zone open. Furano Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Monday 22nd January 2018 Total snowfall at base 425cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 48 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 28cm (5th December) November 2017 snowfall 125cm reported on 13 days December 2017 snowfall 206cm reported on 22 days January 2018 snowfall 94cm reported on 13 days Previous report Next report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Furano. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for. About SnowJapan.com About the daily reporting on SnowJapan.com

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Shiga Kogen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 4cm Snowfall at base this season 493cm Posted on Monday 22nd January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Shiga Kogen Now report can be found here . Hello and good morning from Shiga Kogen. It is cloudy at the moment but there is a thin layer of fresh snow to report since yesterday once those clouds moved in later in the day. Good to see a return to colder conditions and we are now expecting a week of cold and snow. Lots of it. If you are planning to be here this week - be prepared! Shiga Kogen Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Monday 22nd January 2018 Total snowfall at base 493cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 43 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 47cm (4th January) November 2017 snowfall 47cm reported on 6 days December 2017 snowfall 276cm reported on 21 days January 2018 snowfall 170cm reported on 16 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 Nozawa Onsen region of Nagano New snowfall at base 3cm Snowfall at base this season 381cm Posted on Monday 22nd January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Nozawa Now report can be found here . Good morning! After that clear start to the day yesterday, clouds did move in and... Snow! It's good to see fresh snow around this morning - not massive amounts, but we can wait another day or two for that. Think of this as a starter. The resort is reporting 5cm at lower Hikage and Karasawa areas and 15cm up on the top Yamabiko areas. So you know where to head this morning. Just cloudy skies at the moment and things are going to be keeping colder today - with a good chance of more snowfall later on today/tonight. And that forecast is still looking really promising. I can't wait to bring you news of big snow this week! Fresh snowfall since yesterday (as reported by the resort): - Yamabiko (1407m): 15cm - Uenotaira (1230m): 5cm - Hikage (660m): 5cm - Nagasaka (615m): 5cm - Karasawa (563m): -cm Official snow depth numbers: - Yamabiko (1407m): 245cm - Uenotaira (1230m): 190cm - Hikage (660m): 130cm - Nagasaka (615m): 120cm - Karasawa (563m): 90cm Lifts operations: - All scheduled lifts should be operating as normal - The Yunomine pair, Mizunashi triple, Challenge pair and Utopia pair lifts usually rested on weekdays The following courses either closed (or not fully available): - Challenge 39 - Grand Prix - Kandahar Nozawa Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Monday 22nd January 2018 Total snowfall at base 381cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 29 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 53cm (27th December) November 2017 snowfall 21cm reported on 2 days December 2017 snowfall 217cm reported on 16 days January 2018 snowfall 143cm reported on 11 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 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 Madarao region of Nagano New snowfall at base 8cm Snowfall at base this season 477cm Weather overview Cloud Wind Light Temperature - Visibility Fair Posted on Monday 22nd January 2018 This is an archived report. The latest Madarao Now report can be found here . Good morning. It is going to be a very good week. I can feel it. We have a modest amount of fresh snow on the ground this morning - the resort is reporting 10cm; I am measuring 8cm - but this is just the start of what looks set to be one of the snowiest weeks of the season. Once it starts snowing again later today, we're expecting it to pretty much continue right through until Saturday and at times it be coming down at a really fast rate. Sounds like Tokyo is going too get snow today. They aren't used to it like we are so there may well be transportation disruption depending on how that pans out. Anyway, expectations are very high - let's hope it lives up to them! Madarao Now 2017-2018 season Data as of Monday 22nd January 2018 Total snowfall at base 477cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 25 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 58cm (on 27th December) November 2017 snowfall 60cm reported on 3 days December 2017 snowfall 280cm reported on 13 days January 2018 snowfall 137cm reported on 9 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 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