Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 4cm Snowfall at base this season 18cm Posted on Sunday 6th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here I may have had a number of months off my daily Niseko reporting duties, but I was thinking that I would have a bit more time to re-charge in this first part of November - but the weather is thinking differently. I'm not complaining. So, yesterday we ended up being rained on. And quite heavily at times too. Boo! But, this morning I have woken to another 4cm of snow on the ground here at base. Hurray! Strong winds as well at the moment. They should calm down as the day goes on and we might get to see some sunshine tomorrow, and a day or two of slightly warmer conditions. It's shaping up to be an interesting pre-season. --- We are now less than 3 weeks away from the first ski lifts opening in Niseko. Below are the planned dates for the four main resorts: Niseko Grand Hirafu: Wednesday 23rd November 2016 until Sunday 7th May 2017 Niseko Annupuri: Saturday 26th November 2016 until Sunday 7th May 2017 Niseko Hanazono: Saturday 3rd December 2016 until Sunday 2nd April 2017 Niseko Village: Thursday 1st December 2016 until Sunday 2nd April 2017 Night skiing is planned from Saturday 10th December until Monday 20th March 2017 at the Annupuri, Grand Hirafu and Village resort areas. Niseko Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Sunday 6th November 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 18cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 3 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 11cm (5th November) November 2016 snowfall 18cm 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 11cm Snowfall at base this season 14cm Posted on Saturday 5th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Hello everyone from here in Hirafu... and I'm actually quite excited this morning. Last night the snow started to fall once again and this morning there's 11cm of it outside my place with more snowy conditions forecast for the day today, with it easing off by early tomorrow morning. Without giving too much away, once the new SnowJapan updates go online it will be very easy for you to compare snowfall in recent seasons. Last season it looks like it was the later part of November before we got any proper numbers, so we are enjoying a positive start this season. Let's hope it continues that way. We are now less than 3 weeks away from the first ski lifts opening in Niseko. Below are the planned dates for the four main resorts: Niseko Grand Hirafu: Wednesday 23rd November 2016 until Sunday 7th May 2017 Niseko Annupuri: Saturday 26th November 2016 until Sunday 7th May 2017 Niseko Hanazono: Saturday 3rd December 2016 until Sunday 2nd April 2017 Niseko Village: Thursday 1st December 2016 until Sunday 2nd April 2017 Night skiing is planned from Saturday 10th December until Monday 20th March 2017 at the Annupuri, Grand Hirafu and Village resort areas. Niseko Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Saturday 5th November 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 14cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 2 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 11cm (5th November) November 2016 snowfall 14cm 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 Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 3cm Snowfall at base this season 3cm Posted on Friday 4th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Good morning everyone, and I have some more snow to report this morning - 3cm of it in fact, down here at base. Things were looking green and brown once again during the day yesterday, but the snow started falling last night and this morning we're back to white once again. I wonder how much there is higher up there on the mountains... More snowfall is forecast on and off over the next few days along with some cold temperatures but it looks like it should get a bit warmer early next week. --- We are now less than 3 weeks away from the first ski lifts opening in Niseko. Below are the planned dates for the four main resorts: Niseko Grand Hirafu: Wednesday 23rd November 2016 until Sunday 7th May 2017 Niseko Annupuri: Saturday 26th November 2016 until Sunday 7th May 2017 Niseko Hanazono: Saturday 3rd December 2016 until Sunday 2nd April 2017 Niseko Village: Thursday 1st December 2016 until Sunday 2nd April 2017 Night skiing is planned from Saturday 10th December until Monday 20th March 2017 at the Annupuri, Grand Hirafu and Village resort areas. --- 'Where are those SnowJapan updates?', I hear you asking! Well, as far as I can tell they are going to be coming very soon as the guys make their final preparations. It's all very complex by the sounds of it, and I can believe it with the major changes being made. Hopefully the launch of the new content will go smoothly. Keep your eyes on the main site for the latest news. I will be back here with some more Niseko Now reports with news of snow as we approach the opening of the season. Niseko Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Friday 4th November 2016 Total snowfall at base so far 3cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 1 day Most snowfall observed in 1 day 3cm (4th November) November 2016 snowfall 3cm reported 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 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 13cm Posted on Friday 4th November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . Although we have had a taste of wintery weather on and off up until now it seems this time the real winter weather has arrived. Yesterday turned very cold and it started snowing midway through the day. The difference this time was that the ground temperatures have dropped and the snowfall settled on the road easily. By early evening there was an accumulation of 7cm in the village and reports of substantially more on the mountain itself. This morning the cold weather remains with us and a check of the thermometer reveals it is still a chilly 0c at 9am. The roads remain frozen from overnight and are very white and icy this morning. It continues to snow now and the forecast is for more snow throughout today, with a further 6cm expected and then on top of that a whopping 18cm predicted at mid mountain level throughout Saturday. The start to winter in Furano is looking very positive. Furano Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Friday 4th November 2016 Total snowfall at base 13cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 2 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 7cm (4th November) November 2016 snowfall 13cm 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 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 Furano region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 6cm Snowfall at base this season 6cm Posted on Tuesday 1st November 2016 This is an archived report. The latest Furano Now report can be found here . Well, it is that time of year where we are in the run up stage to the 2016-17 ski season. Wintery weather has definitely set in and house heating systems are cranked up to compensate for the fall in temperatures outside. First snowfalls have been early in Furano this year which is a really promising sign for a good winter. Over the past month there have been several dustings of snow to village level. None of these settled on the roads but there were some accumulations on lawns around town. The ski area has retained its whiteness for some time now. It is actually a really picturesque time of year with the golds, reds and browns of autumn mixed in with the fresh whiteness of winter. Sunday morning was the first snowfall that accumulated on the roads in the village and we awoke to find a very respectable 6 centimetres. Winter has started! Furano Ski Area has set a target opening date of 26 November 2016 subject to snow and weather conditions being suitable. This is actually just over 3 weeks out from today which is pretty exciting. It is time to go searching through the house for all the equipment and clothing I need for opening day. Today is cloudy with the weather drifting between light snow flurries and drizzle. Morning temperatures were siting right on 0c at 8am this morning in Kitanomine. From here on, any significant snow and weather events will be reported on Furano Now. Stay tuned... Furano Now 2016-2017 season Data as of Tuesday 1st November 2016 Total snowfall at base 6cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 1 day Most snowfall observed in 1 day 6cm (1st November) November 2016 snowfall 6cm reported on 1 days 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 0cm Snowfall at base this season 533cm Weather overview Cloud with light rain/sleet Wind Strong Temperature 2C base / -2C top Visibility Fair Posted at 9:14am on Sunday 30th December 2012 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here No new snow to report. And light rain (sleet higher up). Not the best start to a report that, is it? Rewind a bit to yesterday though and we enjoyed some wonderfully clear skies and weather conditions. Anyway, it is a rather warm morning in Niseko. Earlier on when I first got up, +1C and now +2C in the village and a high of around +4C possible. As of 7:30am, Niseko Village was reporting a temperature of -7C on it's upper slopes. It's also windy and the winds are affecting lifts this morning. The top lift at Annupuri is closed early on and at Niseko Village the Niseko Gondola, Country Road and top Wonderland lifts are waiting on conditions. At the time of writing the lifts operating at Niseko Grand Hirafu are the Ace Family, Ace Number 1, Holiday Number 1 pair and King Number 2 lifts. Hopefully the Ace Number 2 Center Four will soon be moving. The gondola and other lifts are not open (yet) due to the windy conditions on mountain. Probably best to check the resorts most recent lift information before heading out, though I think today some people may well decide to do other things and wait for the coming fresh snow. Tomorrow I should hopefully have colder temperatures and some fresh snowfall to report, but there is a good chance that the strong winds will still be with us. Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Sunday 30th December 2012 Total snowfall at base so far 533cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 37 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (10th, 11th, 19th December) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 415cm reported on 26 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 536cm Weather overview Cloud with light snow Wind Varied Temperature -2C base / -7C top Visibility Fair Posted at 10:14am on Monday 31st December 2012 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Yesterday didn't turn out to be much fun at all. The rain ended up being pretty bad and dampening spirits with it. But the good news is that it is colder this morning and we have a few cm of fresh snow in the village. Not enough to cover up the rain damage on the slopes, and so extra care is needed out there this morning - it may still be Niseko, but conditions aren't the deep fluffy kind we know so well here today. 3-4cm of snow this morning and light snow falling as I write this. It's very windy again, affecting lift operations which are limited this morning - basically only the lower lifts are open across the mountain resorts. The Hirafu Gondola is the only Gondola managing to move early on. With stronger winds forecast for later on, I suspect that some of the New Year parties will be starting a little early today! It should be lively evening and look out for the New Year fireworks as well, if the weather conditions allow of course. We do have decent snowfall lined up and so hopefully we'll be back to Niseko-like conditions pretty soon. In the meantime, hope you have fun wherever you are in the world tonight - have a safe one and see you in 2013. Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Monday 31st December 2012 Total snowfall at base so far 536cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 38 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (10th, 11th, 19th December) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 418cm reported on 27 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 5cm Snowfall at base this season 533cm Weather overview Clear and sunny blue sky Wind Varied Temperature -6C base / -11C top Visibility Excellent Posted at 9:18am on Saturday 29th December 2012 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here It's not quite as cold this morning and only 5cm or so of snow to report since my last report. The sun is out. Yes, it's one of those days in Niseko. The skies have cleared and we are being treated to beautiful views of the surroundings and a lovely contrast of the blue on the white. Time to get out there and enjoy those things for a change. All operations on the lift open as normal. It looks like the Country Road lift at Niseko Village will be moving today from 10am (first time this season?) no doubt helping out with more and more people on the mountain. New Year is just around the corner now and so it's going to be another very lively few days. Hope you got your reservations in the restauraunts sorted out otherwise you will be out of luck. Actually, that applies for lots of days now here in Niseko! Luckily there's a good choice of fine places to dine and so it's usually worth it. Just going back to the forecast for the next few days. Tomorrow is going to be a mild one. Even a chance of rain (noooo!), but it should soon be snowing again and from Monday temperatures set to drop back to where they should be once again. Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Saturday 29th December 2012 Total snowfall at base so far 533cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 37 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (10th, 11th, 19th December) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 415cm reported on 26 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 30cm Snowfall at base this season 493cm Weather overview Cloud, light snow Wind Windy Temperature -9C base / -15C top Visibility Generally poor Posted at 9:26am on Wednesday 26th December 2012 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Another 30cm of fresh snow to report this morning from Niseko and another extremely cold morning. -10C out there... actually slightly colder than it was earlier on! The snow started falling in style in the evening yesterday and it is still coming down now though has been easing off. Wind, cold and poor visibility do not make this the friendliest of days conditions-wise, but the snow should be very fine. Just take care out there. The wind blowing about on the mountain is affecting resort operations on the mountain this morning with all of the resorts reporting that their top lifts are not operating early on. Similar weather conditions forecast for tomorrow as well before the snow perhaps easing up Friday and then a relatively mild weekend. Just one point I'd like to explain that someone asked us about. The 'official snow depth' numbers shown in the table above and information below are the snow depth numbers coming from the resort. It doesn't necessarily mean that when we have 30cm of snow fall here overnight that those official numbers will jump by the same 30cm. More often than not they won't for a number of reasons (snow gets compacted, melts, etc.) The 'new snowfall' that I am reporting is the new snowfall observed in the village to give you an idea of how much snow has actually fallen. Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Wednesday 26th December 2012 Total snowfall at base so far 493cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 34 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (10th, 11th, 19th December) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 375cm reported on 23 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 0cm Snowfall at base this season 463cm Weather overview Cloud with blue sky Wind Light Temperature -9C base / -13C top Visibility Excellent Posted at 8:13am on Tuesday 25th December 2012 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here Happy Christmas from Niseko. There may well be a few sore heads out there early on this morning, but the cold conditions might help snap some people out of it and the the ski lifts will be going about their job as normal. We have just a slight dusting of snow overnight after that lovely day that we had yesterday with clear blue skies all day. Overnight it was very cold indeed with temperatures closing in on -20C. There's a few more clouds around this morning but lots of blue sky again as well, so it should be another fine morning here at least. Snow is never going to be far away though and the forecast is telling us to expect it to be falling before the day is over with no let up in the cold temperatures as well. If anything it is going to dip further before getting milder once again around the weekend. Strong winds likely tomorrow but for today it's a calm start and lifts at the resorts should be operating as normal. Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Tuesday 25th December 2012 Total snowfall at base so far 463cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 33 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (10th, 11th, 19th December) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 345cm reported on 22 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 15cm Snowfall at base this season 528cm Weather overview Cloud, snow easing off Wind Varied Temperature -8C base / -14C top Visibility Fair Posted at 9:20am on Friday 28th December 2012 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here I'll never get bored of reporting 15-20cm of new snow in a morning, so this morning I very happily once again report another 15-20cm of new snow in the village area of Niseko since my last report! So yesterday the winds did affect lift operations with a few closed, but this morning there is less wind and lifts seem to be operating as planned from the get go. Snow is still falling, but the forecast tells us to expect the snow to ease off and for us to end up seeing the sun today. That will make for a change! It is a cold -8C outside. Tomorrow we might even get to see more of the sun actually, though it should remain cold. After that, back to snow on Sunday. The JMA (Japan Meteorological Agency) snowfall statistics for Kutchan town in December 2012 so far is currently standing on 287cm. We are still just over 60cm off last years December numbers, but the current number is already more than the snowfall in the previous five Decembers. Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Friday 28th December 2012 Total snowfall at base so far 528cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 36 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (10th, 11th, 19th December) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 410cm reported on 25 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 20cm Snowfall at base this season 601cm Weather overview Cloud, light snow Wind OK Temperature -10C base / -16C top Visibility Fair Posted at 9:40am on Friday 4th January 2013 This is an archived report. The latest Niseko Now report can be found here It's a cold start to the day this morning, around -11C earlier on and outside it says -10C now. Expect temperatures down to -16C or even -18C as Annupuri are reporting this morning on upper areas of the mountain. Yesterday the winds messed around with lift operations on the mountain. Some lifts were open and closed a few times during the day. For example the King 4 and Ace 4 lifts at Niseko Grand Hirafu opened mid-morning but then closed again before noon due to the persistent winds. The Hirafu Gondola closed around 12:30pm only to open again an hour or so later - apparently 'mechanical adjustment' being the reason, not the need for a lunch break! This morning is much calmer in Niseko. The winds have eased off and just light snow is falling now allowing most lifts on the mountain to be moving as normal. Top lifts all operating this morning. There's still a moderate wind at times over on the Annupuri and Niseko Village areas, less so on the Grand Hirafu and Hanazono side. Visibility fair, poor in places as the mountain is covered in cloud, but much better out there without the wind. Should be some fine dry powder to find as well, though I doubt you'll need to go searching... The forecast is for maybe not so cold conditions tomorrow and an easing off of the snow clouds for a bit before returning in time for Sunday. It looks like in the coming week the snow is never going to be far away. Just how we like it, with perhaps a bit of sun every now and again for some bluebird photo opps. I forgot to mention in yesterdays report what the JMA snowfall 'target' for January 2013 is. Last season (January 2012) there was 290cm of snowfall in Kutchan town, and 420cm in January 2011. The 2011 number sounds like a good one to try and hope for, don't you think?! Niseko Now 2012-2013 season Data as of Friday 4th January 2013 Total snowfall at base so far 601cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 42 days Most snowfall observed in 1 day 40cm (10th, 11th, 19th December) November 2012 snowfall 118cm reported on 11 days December 2012 snowfall 418cm reported on 27 days January 2013 snowfall 65cm 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