Japan Weekly Snow Roundup #296
Weekly Snow News for Japan, updated 7 January 2026: Niseko and Kiroro see significant accumulation amid unsettled conditions and fluctuating freezing levels on Honshu.
- Kiroro posts 90cm fresh snow in three days.
- Niseko reports over two feet of powder.
- Nozawa Onsen nears 100% open terrain.
Japan Snow Report and Ski Conditions 2025/26
More New Year images from Furano
Some bitterly cold weather across Japanese snowfields this week, with plenty of fresh snowfall too. Nozawa Onsen (70/150cm / 28/60"), for example, recorded a 30cm (12") 24-hour accumulation on Sunday and is now close to fully open, with 93% of its slopes open.
Okuashiga Kogan | 2nd January
Japanese ski areas have also topped global snowfall tables for much of the first week of 2026 (as they did for most of the last months of 2025), with Kiroro (150/275cm / 60/110") posting 90cm (3 feet) of fresh snow over three days up to Tuesday. Niseko (80/160cm / 32/64") reported over two feet (65cm) in the same period.
Rusutsu | 6th January
Japan Forecast
Hokkaido remains cold and unsettled, with frequent snowfall throughout the week. Niseko starts with only a dusting and relatively mild base temperatures around -1 °C, but forecasts point to colder air and light to moderate new snow later in the week. Summit temperatures across Hokkaido’s major resorts generally range between –12 °C and –18 °C, with occasional fog and variable visibility.
Honshu will be a little milder: bases at Nozawa, Hakuba and Shiga Kogen often hover near or slightly above freezing mid-week, then cool, bringing more reliable snowfall on higher slopes. Winds may briefly disrupt upper lifts in exposed areas.
