Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm Hello everyone! Here I am in early September posting a Niseko Now report. That is very unusual for me, of course, as I’m usually still in deep hibernation at this point. But I wanted to check out the new site and I just thought I’d say haro. Firstly, congratulations to SnowJapan on the new site! I knew what the aim was – lighter, simpler, faster, but deeper. A complicated balance to achieve. Mission accomplished, by the looks. I got to look at it a few days before it was launched and have been spending some time over recent days trying to discover it all. There’s certainly a lot to take in. I want to take this opportunity to mention a few things that may not have got people’s attention yet, but I find quite excite. This being Niseko Now, I’m particularly fond of the fun new visualisations using my daily observed snowfall numbers. This one in particular tickles my fancy. From the Niseko Now main page, which will of course be your new 'base' going forward, you can find links to various visualisations as well as season data and individual archive reports dating back to 2012. Let’s hope there are some good snowfall numbers to report in the upcoming season. (Obviously). The new Insights section as a whole is a lot of fun to explore. Looking at those different charts and graphs (and the new map on the main Hokkaido prefecture page; link directly to the Hokkaido map here) really does make Hokkaido stand out. Not just by having the largest number of ski areas in Japan, but the way they are spread right across the island and the fact that so many of them are so small. Hokkaido certainly has a different feel compared with most other prefectures. Fascinating. (On the subject of maps, the interactive one showing every ski area in Japan is both very interesting and truly mad). The graphs showing the opening and closing dates of ski areas around Japan is a very useful resource. Here's the one for the 2025-2026 season. I see there are going to be regular updates from October tracking early ski area openings here. Yey. Over in the Guides section, I recommend having a look at the FAQ. Some interesting stuff in there. Anyway, there’s much to find, so I recommend digging deep and discovering for yourself. Reading through the About section to get an idea of what the SnowJapan project is all about is a good starting point. For me, I’m now going to have my fill of toast and go and have a long post-hibernation ‘lie-in’. Don’t expect to hear from me again for at least another month! But I will, of course, be back in the run up to the winter season and look forward to telling you all about it every morning once things get started. Niseko Now reports will appear in this new section. The usual photos and more info will be added once the reports start. There will be all sorts of weather things to talk about in the coming months, but it’s way too early for me to be thinking about it all for now. Enjoy autumn. Niseko Now 2026-2027 season Data as of 8th September 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 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 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.

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Niseko region of Hokkaido New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm Good morning from Niseko. It is a lovely morning. Some sun, some cloud, and lots of beautiful mountain scenery. Temperatures continue to drop into single digits overnight, and there's that general 'winter is coming' exiting feeling starting to take hold. The four ski areas of Niseko United (Hirafu, Hanazono, Village and Annupuri) all plan to open on Saturday 28th November. Just over 7 weeks away! I'll be back more regularly now with various news and thoughts as the ski season approaches. I wonder when I'll be able to tell you about the first snowfalls... For now, it's time to fill up on toast and then get out and enjoy this fine weather. Niseko Now 2026-2027 season Data as of 9th October 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 days Previous report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in 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.

Independent snow and weather reporting from Furano in Hokkaido New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm Well, well! Welcome back to winter, and welcome back to Furano Now! Thankfully, it wasn’t a hot summer here, rarely breaking 30 C (86 F). Now with the temps cooling and the leaves exploding with color, thoughts inevitably turn to winter. To skiing. To snow. To Powder, baby!!! For that reason, fall is my favorite season. I love the sights, the smells, the weather, and even though there is no snow or skiing involved, the preparation and anticipation is delightful. Isn’t that true of so many things in life? The love of the not-yet-known? Who knows what the season will be like? It could be anything!! One thing is for sure; we will have mucho snow. The last two years have been down close to 40% from our average, but we still managed to get 5 meters. That’s a lot of centimeters, and waaaay better than Oz was this last “winter”, or Yurrup has been the last several years. So, on to news about Furano. Well, day lift ticket prices were raised to 9,000 yen. At today’s weak yen rate, that’s only $80 AUD/$57 USD/50 Euros. Amazing. And remember, kids up to 12 ski free. Put that into your budget hopper! Hmmmm….what else? Looks like the Kitanomine Gondola got a new cable. That’s probably good, and was quite the interesting operation. I’ve heard that the iconic Rojo Coffee trailer at the gondola base is gone, and the resort has decided they will try and make coffee themselves! We’ll see how that goes. Kinda like the government thinking they can do stuff better than a private company, but I digress! There will supposedly be a few more food trucks fooding around. Construction has begun on the new Westin Hotel, but that will take 3 years. Couple of other major projects happening. Other than that, we’re raring to go! Bring it on! I’ll leave you with a quick story that should get the powder hounds drooling. Several years ago, I had occasion to talk with a group of workers from the Big Sky resort in Montana. I’ve always wanted to ski there. When they found out I lived in Furano, they asked me what a good powder day was for me. I had asked them the same question a few days before, and received the answer that sometimes it gets up to their boot tops. Ooooo…OK? Kind of like Colorado I guess, not as much snow as Utah, but very good quality. Anyway, knowing that, I asked whether they really wanted to hear my answer. They said yes. So, I shrugged my shoulders and said, “OK, for me, anything up to my knees is just farting around. I’m just practicing different kinds of turns, but still fun. For me, a good powder day is about mid-thigh, an awesome powder day is waist deep, and an epic powder day is up to my armpits, and I’ve had EPIC.” They asked, “You’re not joking, are you?” I said, “I’m sorry, but I’m not.” They said, “We’ve got to go to Hokkaido.” Yes, you do. When I got back to Furano, I double-checked with my local homies to make sure I hadn’t gotten carried away with my description, and they all said I was spot-on. And, it’s not just the quantity, it’s the quality. You can’t make a snowball with this stuff. It’s too dry. When it’s on, you’ll never ski better powder in your life. Think snow. Furano Now 2026-2027 season Data as of 9th October 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 days Previous 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.

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Shiga Kogen region of Nagano Prefecture New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm A general message from SnowJapan: Welcome back to Shiga Kogen Now! If you've visited SnowJapan before, you'll notice that the website looks rather different. Welcome to the new version of SnowJapan. There is a lot to discover, but we suggest starting with our new About and News sections. Our daily Now reporting will once again be here throughout the 2026-2027 Japanese snow season. If you're wondering whether anything has changed, don't worry – apart from their appearance and how information is presented, the Now reports themselves will remain the same. That means daily, on-the-ground reporting without any hype and, all being well, reports of lots of snow. (We need nature to co-operate for that last bit!) Until then, please do explore the new Data & archives section of Shiga Kogen Now. Over there you can find statistics and individual archived daily reports dating back to 2012. There is plenty there to keep you occupied until our precious snow returns. The latest Shiga Kogen Now report will always be available on this page, so if you wish to bookmark Shiga Kogen Now, this is the page to bookmark. Thank you for visiting, and we look forward to reporting from Shiga Kogen again this season. Look out for regular updates from November 2026. Shiga Kogen Now 2026-2027 season Data as of late August 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 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 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.

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Shiga Kogen region of Nagano Prefecture New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm Welcome back to the Shiga Kogen Now reports. It has been a while! I love this time of year. The heat of summer has all but disappeared and we start to feel chilly at times. Nature rewards us with beautiful autumn colours over the coming weeks as we patiently wait for the winter season. As much as I am excited about the winter, I'd like time to slow down now so we can just enjoy this very pleasant season. Talking about winter, two of the ski areas here in Shiga Kogen - Yokoteyama and Kumanoyu - plan to open on Saturday 14th November... less than 6 weeks away! I'll be back with news on how the weather is changing over the coming weeks. Shiga Kogen Now 2026-2027 season Data as of 7th October 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 days Previous report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base 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.

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Nozawa Onsen region of Nagano Prefecture New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm Good morning from Nozawa. After a long and hot summer I am personally very happy that temps are now much more comfortable (liveable!). It's such a relieft every year when the heat eases off. It might not be a very nice day, as you can see from the webcam image below, but I'll happiy take the cool 16C. As you can see, SnowJapan has changed a lot since I was last here. I'm still getting used to it all and will need a bit of practice with my reports over the coming weeks before winter. I'll copy a few of my other reporters and point out a few things that I particularly like: Interactive Nagano map Interactive Japan map Insights section - let's nerdy data! There's more. Go take a look while we wait for winter. There is lots of talk of El Nino and annoying 'warmer than usual temperatures' headlines, but I choose to remain entirely positive and excited about the prospect of heavy snow coming our way. Perhaps we can will it to happen. Anyway, this is just an early 'hello'. Regular updates will become a thing once we get into November, though I might be back from time to time before then... Nozawa Now 2026-2027 season Data as of 6th October 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 days Previous 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.

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Hakuba region of Nagano Prefecture New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm Greetings from Hakuba! We are still a few months away from the ski season, but it always feels much closer once we get into October. Actually, I have just heard that Goryu appears to be planning/hoping on opening on 21st November, with the help of some shiny new snow-making machines. That's next month! Exciting! It is gradually getting cooler, especially in the evenings and early mornings, and today the sun is out. Hakuba is looking good. And it looks like we might enjoy a spell of clear and sunny weather. I'll be posting my reports regularly from next month, and then daily once the season gets going, but I thought I'd just say hi and also contragulate SnowJapan on the new site. I know a lot of work went into it and feel it shows. Nice job! I look forward to settling into my new 'home' here over the winter months. While we wait, I recommend checking out what SnowJapan has done with all the snowfall data from previous seasons. It's really interesting... Hakuba Now Fingers crossed I will be able to report a lot of snow during the 2026-2027 season. That link above is basically 'Hakuba Now Central', and the best one to 'bookmark' if you plan on reading my reports. There'll be a link to the most recent report at the top of that page as well as easy access to all the other stats, charts and archive reports dating back to 2012. See you again soon! Hakuba Now 2026-2027 season Data as of 1st October 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 days Previous 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.

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Hakuba region of Nagano Prefecture New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm A general message from SnowJapan: Welcome back to Hakuba Now! If you've visited SnowJapan before, you'll notice that the website looks rather different. Welcome to the new version of SnowJapan. There is a lot to discover, but we suggest starting with our new About and News sections. Our daily Now reporting will once again be here throughout the 2026-2027 Japanese snow season. If you're wondering whether anything has changed, don't worry – apart from their appearance and how information is presented, the Now reports themselves will remain the same. That means daily on-the-ground reporting without any hype and, all being well, reports of lots of snow. (We need nature to co-operate for that last bit!) Until then, please do explore the new Data & archives section of Hakuba Now. Over there you can find statistics and individual archived daily reports dating back to 2012. There is plenty there to keep you occupied until our precious snow returns. The latest Hakuba Now report will always be available on this page, so if you wish to bookmark Hakuba Now, this is the page to bookmark. Thank you for visiting, and we look forward to reporting from Hakuba again this season. Look out for regular updates from November 2026. Hakuba Now 2026-2027 season Data as of late August 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 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 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.

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm Good morning everyone. After the long and hot summer we seem to have had a lot of unsettled weather over the last few weeks. Personally, I’m looking forward to some lovely autumn weather as we continue with our updates to the site. There isn’t much news to report just yet. Kagura has announced that it plans to open on Saturday 28th November (arguably one week later than usual), and GALA Yuzawa has announced that its Southern Area will not be operating this coming season. More on that here. If you plan on following the Yuzawa Now reports, this is the page to bookmark: Yuzawa Now That is where you’ll find a link to the latest report, along with all of the archive data and the snowfall data visualisations. If you haven’t already checked it out, do take a look. I don’t have a full list of planned opening dates yet, but if you’d like to get an idea of when ski areas usually open, you can find previous opening dates on individual ski area listing pages, as well as on these handy charts from the last few seasons: 2025-2026 season 2024-2025 season 2023-2024 season It’s still very early, and even bordering hot on some days. Updates to the site are ongoing. Winter is coming... but let's enjoy autumn in the meantime! When the reports get going properly there will be webcam images added and temperature data, etc. I’ll be back later this month with more updates. Yuzawa Now 2026-2027 season Data as 1st October 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 days Previous report All snowfall data presented on this page is the snowfall measured and observed at base/town level by our reporter based in Yuzawa. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for.

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Yuzawa & Minamiuonuma region of Niigata New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm A general message from SnowJapan: Welcome back to Yuzawa Now! If you've visited SnowJapan before, you'll notice that the website looks rather different. Welcome to the new version of SnowJapan. There is a lot to discover, but we suggest starting with our new About and News sections. Our daily Now reporting will once again be here throughout the 2026-2027 Japanese snow season. If you're wondering whether anything has changed, don't worry – apart from their appearance and how information is presented, the Now reports themselves will remain the same. That means daily on-the-ground reporting without any hype and, all being well, reports of lots of snow. (We need nature to co-operate for that last bit!) Until then, please do explore the new Data & archives section of Yuzawa Now. Over there you can find statistics and individual archived daily reports dating back to 2012. There is plenty there to keep you occupied until our precious snow returns. The latest Yuzawa Now report will always be available on this page, so if you wish to bookmark Yuzawa Now, this is the page to bookmark. Thank you for visiting, and we look forward to reporting from Yuzawa again this season. Look out for regular updates from November 2026. Yuzawa Now 2026-2027 season Data as of late August 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 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 Yuzawa. The 'new snowfall' number represents the amount of snow measured since the previous report. All opinions are those of the individual reporters. Information regarding ski area operations is manually checked every morning and is believed to be correct at the time of the report. SnowJapan is an entirely independent operation. Our daily reports are not posted on behalf of ski areas or any other business or organisation. Since first going online in 1999, the integrity of this website has always been our top priority, and it is something we are not prepared to compromise. All content is carefully created and written by humans who share a passion for the subject and what SnowJapan stands for.

Independent snow and weather reporting from the Zao Kogen region of Yamagata Prefecture New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm A general message from SnowJapan: Welcome back to Zao Now! If you've visited SnowJapan before, you'll notice that the website looks rather different. Welcome to the new version of SnowJapan. There is a lot to discover, but we suggest starting with our new About and News sections. Our daily Now reporting will once again be here throughout the 2026-2027 Japanese snow season. If you're wondering whether anything has changed, don't worry – apart from their appearance and how information is presented, the Now reports themselves will remain the same. That means daily on-the-ground reporting without any hype and, all being well, reports of lots of snow. (We need nature to co-operate for that last bit!) Until then, please do explore the new Data & archives section of Zao Now. Over there you can find statistics and individual archived daily reports dating back to 2012. There is plenty there to keep you occupied until our precious snow returns. The latest Zao Now report will always be available on this page, so if you wish to bookmark Zao Now, this is the page to bookmark. Thank you for visiting, and we look forward to reporting from Zao again this season. Look out for regular updates from November 2026. Zao Now 2026-2027 season Data as of late August 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 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 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.

Independent snow and weather reporting from Furano in Hokkaido New snowfall at base 0cm Snowfall at base this season 0cm A general message from SnowJapan: Welcome back to Furano Now! If you've visited SnowJapan before, you'll notice that the website looks rather different. Welcome to the new version of SnowJapan. There is a lot to discover, but we suggest starting with our new About and News sections. Our daily Now reporting will once again be here throughout the 2026-2027 Japanese snow season. If you're wondering whether anything has changed, don't worry – apart from their appearance and how information is presented, the Now reports themselves will remain the same. That means daily, on-the-ground reporting without any hype and, all being well, reports of lots of snow. (We need nature to co-operate for that last bit!) Until then, please do explore the new Data & archives section of Furano Now. Over there you can find statistics and individual archived daily reports dating back to 2012. There is plenty there to keep you occupied until our precious snow returns. The latest Furano Now report will always be available on this page, so if you wish to bookmark Furano Now, this is the page to bookmark. Thank you for visiting, and we look forward to reporting from Furano again this season. Look out for regular updates from November 2026. Furano Now 2026-2027 season Data as of late August 2026 Total snowfall at base so far 0cm Number of days snowfall observed at base 0 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.