Country

Japan

Famous for deep, frequent powder, especially on Hokkaido and the Sea of Japan side of Honshu.

Japan snow forecast

Snow is expected at 9 of 18 places in Japan in the next 7 days.

Most snow in Japan in the next 7 days
Rank	Place	Snow in the next 7 days	Confidence
1	Hakuba ValleySki resort, Japan	25–95 cm10–37 in	Likely
2	FuranoSki resort, Japan	0–25 cm0–9 in	Possible
3	Niseko UnitedSki resort, Japan	0–25 cm0–10 in	Possible
4	OtaruCity, Japan	0–20 cm0–7 in	Possible
5	RusutsuSki resort, Japan	0–20 cm0–6 in	Possible
6	AsahikawaCity, Japan	0–15 cm0–5 in	Possible
7	Shiga KogenSki resort, Japan	2–15 cm0–5 in	Likely
8	Nozawa OnsenSki resort, Japan	0–10 cm0–4 in	Possible
9	HakodateCity, Japan	0–5 cm0–2 in	Possible

Snow in Japan

Japan gets more snow than any other ski country. Cold air pouring off Siberia crosses the Sea of Japan, picks up moisture and dumps it on the first mountains it meets, so the resorts on Hokkaido and the Sea of Japan side of Honshu see snow most days in midwinter. Niseko, Rusutsu and Furano are the Hokkaido names; on Honshu, Hakuba Valley and Shiga Kogen in Nagano and Nozawa Onsen further north are the big areas. The cities of Sapporo, Aomori and Niigata are among the snowiest in the world.

In our record the Japanese resorts average about 20 snowy days at mid-mountain in January and 19 in December, roughly twice the figure for the Alps, and Hakuba’s record shows 23 in January. The trade-off is altitude and cold: Hokkaido’s resorts top out well under 1,500 m, and the snow is light because the air is so cold, not because the mountains are high.

When it snows

Most resorts open in late November or early December. Hokkaido’s snow is heaviest from December to February and tails off quickly in March; Honshu’s higher resorts, such as Shiga Kogen, run into May. Spring brings sun and heavier snow.

Getting there

New Chitose airport near Sapporo serves Hokkaido, with Niseko about two to three hours away. Tokyo’s airports serve Nagano, and the Hokuriku Shinkansen reaches Nagano city in under two hours, with buses on to Hakuba, Shiga Kogen and Nozawa Onsen.

Regions

AkitaNorthern Honshu prefecture on the Sea of Japan coast with long, snowy winters.1 place AomoriThe northern tip of Honshu, where Sea of Japan storms make Aomori city one of the snowiest cities in the world.1 place HokkaidoJapan's northernmost main island, known for light powder snow.7 places IshikawaSea of Japan coast prefecture whose capital, Kanazawa, sees regular winter snow.1 place IwateNorthern Honshu prefecture with cold, snowy winters, especially inland around Morioka.1 place NaganoA mountainous prefecture in central Honshu and host of the 1998 Winter Olympics.4 places NiigataJapan's classic snow country on the Sea of Japan coast, with deep, wet snow through the winter.1 place ToyamaSea of Japan coast prefecture below the Tateyama mountains, known for heavy winter snow.1 place YamagataNorthern Honshu prefecture whose inland basins and mountains fill with snow each winter.1 place

Mountains

Hida MountainsAlso known as the Northern Japanese Alps.1 place