Snow in Japan – Quantity & Quality
If you’re a powder hound, one of the factors in deciding where to go skiing or snowboarding is to look at which ski areas or regions have the best snow in Japan. The current conditions and the snow forecast are important, but in planning ahead, here’s some information about which ski resorts usually have the best snow in Japan so you can increase your chances of scoring the famed Japow (Japan powder). It includes
statistics on Japan snow at the ski resorts with respect to volume, latitude, elevation, and the primary aspect which can impact on the quality of the Japow:
Japan Snow: Top 10 Snowiest Ski Resorts in Japan
Only some of the Japanese ski resorts report the average snowfall per season, so it’s not possible to compare the volume of snow across all the resorts, and the
Japan snow statistics that are reported don’t necessarily use a consistent methodology.
Proximity to the Sea of Japan plays a large part in snow volumes, and you can look at the map above to see the vicinity of ski resorts to the “lake” that is responsible for the “lake effect”. Storms from the NW often bring the biggest snowfalls, and depending on local mountain terrain profiles and aspect, some mountains do better out of northerlies or NNW storms, whilst others do well out of westerly storms.
The number one snowiest ski resort in Japan is
Gassan, with approximately 30 metres of snow per year, although it’s not known if this is for the top of Mt Gassan or at the ski resort elevation. Either way, it’s very snowy! It’s so snowy that the Gassan ski resort doesn’t open until April because there’s too much snow, and during winter there is only snowcat skiing and backcountry touring.
Various ski resorts in SW Hokkaido near the Sea of Japan receive abundant snowfall including
Kiroro,
Sapporo Kokusai,
Niseko and
Iwanai. The cold weather systems that move across the Sea of Japan from Siberia are responsible for the deep dry powder. Nearby
Rusutsu also receives abundant snowfall (14 metres), as does
Asahidake (14 metres).
At
Hakkoda in Aomori Prefecture, there are no buffering mountains between Hakkoda and the Sea of Japan, so Hakkoda cops the weather and snow in full force. Nearby Sukayu Onsen is supposedly the snowiest inhabited place on Earth, with an average yearly snowfall of 17.6 metres and it has a winter season record of 23.7 metres of snow.
The Akita ski resorts of
Ani and
Tazawako are also buffeted by raging storms that bring huge amounts of snow along with howling winds.
Some of the
Niigata ski resorts also receive large volumes of Japow.
Lotte Arai and
Seki Onsen (Myoko) get lots of snow, as do the other
Myoko ski resorts.
Charmant Hiuchi is even closer to the coast and probably gets more snow, although it’s generally not dry powder snow.
Okutadami Maruyama, also in Niigata, is famous for receiving a huge amount of snow, so much so that during the peak of winter it closes because it’s not feasible to keep the access road open.
Conversely there are some ski areas with little natural snowfall that rely on artificial snow such as
Karuizawa, which is better known for its proximity to Tokyo. There are also plenty of other Japanese ski resorts that we don’t mention on Powderhounds.com because they’re not renowned for their Japow.
Japan Snow Quality Considerations
As to be expected, there are lots of factors that play a part with respect to Japan snow quality, both in terms of the dryness of the powder that falls and how well the snow is retained. As outlined above, areas close to the west coast of Japan gets large volumes of snow and have a maritime snowpack. Conversely, ski areas further east tend to get less snow, but it’s drier. Gun powder (ie Gunma powder) is one example.
Naturally temperature and latitude also play a part. The latitude for the Hokkaido ski areas ranges from about 42 to 44 degrees N (see the Japan snow statistics below). This doesn’t sound particularly northerly, as it puts Hokkaido in line with northern USA (the lower 48). Nagano ski resorts sit about 36 to 37 degrees north, which is about the equivalent of Central California, yet the elevations of equivalent latitude USA ski resorts are much higher, whilst the Japan snow quality is often much better.
The
Hokkaido ski resorts in particular are not at high elevations, yet the quality of the snow is often superb due to cold temperatures in the height of winter. Even ski areas near the coast such as
Kiroro have high quality powder which is far far superior to Sierra Cement or Cascade Concrete. This is because of ocean currents. The Oya-shio or Kuril current and the Siberian high results in cold winds being drawn down across the Sea of Japan in a southeastward direction. The cold air masses from Siberia brings freezing temperatures, and moisture is picked up across the Sea of Japan, resulting in heavy snowfalls on the mountain ranges near the Sea of Japan.
Slope aspect in Hokkaido isn’t as critical as it is elsewhere in the world. In the middle of winter, it can be common not to see the sun for days and ski resorts such as Niseko often have amazing Japow despite having some solar aspects. As to be expected, aspect plays heavily on the quality of the snow in Japan during spring and also at lower elevation and more southerly ski areas. See the snow Japan statistics below for the primary aspect of the main ski resorts.
As with anywhere in the northern hemisphere, south facing slopes get baked when the sun comes out and don’t retain snow well. West facing slopes can also get affected by the afternoon sun when temps are a bit warmer, whilst slopes with an easterly aspect may fare OK in winter because the sun hits in the morning when temperatures tend to be the coldest.
The Japan snow season isn't as long as many areas in North America or Europe. When spring hits in Japan (ie 1st March) it can hit with vengeance. See the
when to ski in Japan page, but essentially if you're wanting to chase classic Japow, you'll want to head to Japan in winter. Or if you're wanting good snow in spring, you'll want high elevation and good aspects.
Best Snow in Japan
So where’s the best snow in Japan when taking into account quantity and quality? Lots of spots in Hokkaido have the best Japan snow and on our
best skiing in Japan awards we’ve ranked
Niseko,
Rusutsu,
Kiroro,
Asahidake,
Kurodake, and
Piyashiri as having the best. There are various other ski areas in Japan we’ve rated as 5/5 for snow, and plenty of others that we’ve also marked highly (see our
Japan ski resorts ratings for snow). Keep in mind that we can’t ski all areas in all possible conditions so you can also check out the
readers awards for the ski resort with the best snow in Japan.
It's worth noting that dry snow feels amazing to ski, it’s ego snow, and it certainly makes for impressive photos of over-the-head blower turns, but it requires big dumps to fully reset such that you can’t feel any tracks underneath. Sometimes slightly heavier powder is nice to ride and you don’t need as much snow for a powder reset.
Best Japan Snow Forecasts & Snow Reports
For Japan snow forecasts we typically use a combination of Windy.com, snow-forecast.com, OpenSnow.com (it’s worth signing up for long range and detailed forecasts) and JMA and then pick the one that gives us the best flake news! Don't just pay attention to forecast snow volumes, as wind direction and wind speed will be key in deciding where to ride in upcoming days.
For Japan snow reports,
do not use snow-forecast to give you snow volumes as these are estimated from the forecast and are not what actually happened. You can look at a snow report for each individual ski area website (note that many Japanese ski areas do not do a good job of this and if they have a snow report it's often released way after the lifts open!), or the relevant facebook page will give you snow volumes at the base. SnowJapan has a snow base estimate for many Japan ski resorts, but this is derived from a feed from each ski area which is often quite unreliable.
For Niseko, the best Niseko snow report is Nadare which gives snow, wind and avalanche information and an indication of backcountry gates that are likely to be open.
For broader avalanche reporting you can also try
Nadare but this can be quite limited. Many of the key guiding companies share avalanche forecast information amongst themselves and this is one of the advantages of having a guide.
Naturally having a guide has lots of advantages in terms of chasing powder in general because they know how to interpret the local weather forecasts and wind direction to know which lifts are likely to be running, where the powder has fallen and/or blown, and whether it’s best to bail on one ski area and head to another nearby ski area instead.
Japan Snow Statistics
Hokkaido, the north island of Japan, is ideally located in the path of consistent weather systems that bring the cold air across the Sea of Japan from Siberia. Many of the
Hokkaido ski resorts get dumped on with powder that is renowned for being incredibly dry.
Hokkaido Snow |
Ski Area |
Snow Per
Season (m) |
Primary
Aspect |
Latitude
°N |
Top
Alt (m) |
Base
Alt (m) |
Piyashiri |
* |
SSE |
44.40 |
673 |
193 |
Hinata |
* |
E |
44.27 |
405 |
178 |
Wassamu |
* |
SW |
44.03 |
347 |
154 |
Kokusetsu Horotachi |
* |
SE |
44.02 |
367 |
161 |
Pippu |
* |
WSW |
43.93 |
550 |
250 |
Canmore |
* |
W |
43.73 |
456 |
210 |
Kurodake |
* |
NNE to NE |
43.72 |
1,520 |
670 |
Kamui |
8 |
NW |
43.70 |
751 |
150 |
Asahidake |
14 |
SW |
43.65 |
1,600 |
1,100 |
Kamoidake |
* |
E |
43.53 |
467 |
216 |
Nukabira |
* |
N |
43.36 |
850 |
570 |
Furano |
9 |
E |
43.32 |
1,074 |
252 |
Tenguyama |
* |
NNE |
43.18 |
532 |
122 |
Sahoro |
8.7 |
E to NE |
43.17 |
1,030 |
420 |
Minamifurano |
* |
NE |
43.16 |
600 |
380 |
Asari |
* |
NE |
43.14 |
680 |
140 |
Sapporo Teine |
10.6 |
N to NE |
43.08 |
1,023 |
340 |
Sapporo Kokusai |
18 |
ENE to SE |
43.07 |
1,100 |
630 |
Kiroro |
18 |
NW to W |
43.07 |
1,180 |
570 |
Tomamu |
8 |
SE to S |
43.06 |
1,171 |
586 |
Mount Racey |
8.1 |
NW |
43.05 |
702 |
298 |
Iwanai |
15 |
N |
42.95 |
390 |
220 |
Fu's |
* |
NNE |
42.95 |
540 |
260 |
Hidaka Kokusai |
* |
NW |
42.89 |
754 |
254 |
Niseko Hanazono |
17 |
NE |
42.89 |
1,040 |
308 |
Niseko Hirafu |
17 |
E to SE |
42.86 |
1,200 |
260 |
Niseko Village |
18 |
SE to SSE |
42.85 |
1,170 |
280 |
Niseko Annupuri |
17 |
SW |
42.85 |
1,156 |
400 |
Niseko Moiwa |
12 |
SSW |
42.85 |
800 |
330 |
Rusutsu |
14 |
N to E |
42.75 |
994 |
400 |
Sunlaiva |
* |
E |
42.52 |
540 |
350 |
Pirika |
* |
N |
42.47 |
410 |
133 |
Hakodate Nanae |
* |
NW |
41.98 |
943 |
245 |
Niyama Kogen |
* |
SE |
41.93 |
630 |
110 |
* information not available
Aomori Prefecture is the most northern prefecture on the main island (Honshu). The
Aomori ski resorts boast some big snowfalls due to being directly in the path of big weather systems.
Iwate is growing in popularity as a powder chasing destination, in part due to the dry snow that falls in respectable volumes, and the lack of crowds.
Akita faces the Sea of Japan and it’s exposed to big storms that drop the motherlode of snow on the Akita ski resorts.
Akita Snow |
Ski Area |
Snow Per
Season (m) |
Primary
Aspect |
Latitude
°N |
Top
Alt (m) |
Base
Alt (m) |
Akita Hachimantai |
|
NW |
39.98 |
1,200 |
980 |
Ani |
* |
SW |
39.956 |
1,200 |
537 |
Tazawako |
* |
WNW |
39.762 |
1,186 |
578 |
Jeunesse Kurokoma |
* |
N to NW |
39.158 |
770 |
395 |
Yamagata is potentially the snowiest prefecture in Japan, largely due to its position next to the Sea of Japan. When cold air from the northwest passes over the sea and then hits the mountains, it dumps massive amounts of snow, in a similar fashion to the other westerly prefectures of Niigata and Akita.
Yamagata Snow |
Ski Area |
Snow Per
Season (m) |
Primary
Aspect |
Latitude
°N |
Top
Alt (m) |
Base
Alt (m) |
Akakura Onsen |
* |
N |
38.71 |
602 |
300 |
Yudonosan |
* |
NW |
38.57 |
700 |
530 |
Gassan |
30 |
SW |
38.53 |
1,600 |
700 |
Jangle Jungle |
* |
NW |
38.439 |
1,030 |
700 |
Asahi Shizenkan |
* |
SE |
38.305 |
760 |
440 |
Zao Onsen |
* |
W, varied |
38.170 |
1,661 |
780 |
Zao Sarukura |
* |
NW |
38.128 |
885 |
705 |
Zao Liza World |
* |
W |
38.124 |
1,446 |
1,060 |
Tengendai Kogen |
* |
N |
37.775 |
1,820 |
920 |
The Miyagi ski resorts typically receive modest amounts of dry snow compared to that of Yamagata Prefecture to the west. Most of the moisture has petered out by the time a storm gets to Miyagi. See the
Miyagi ski resorts page for elevation and aspect stats.
The Aizu ski resorts in Fukushima have reasonably good snow by international standards, but in can be somewhat variable.
Fukushima Snow |
Ski Area |
Snow Per
Season (m) |
Primary
Aspect |
Latitude
°N |
Top
Alt (m) |
Base
Alt (m) |
Grandeco |
* |
S |
37.697 |
1,590 |
1,010 |
Minowa |
* |
W to NW |
37.652 |
1,500 |
1,050 |
Nekoma (north) |
* |
NE to N |
37.627 |
1,338 |
1,027 |
Adatara Kogen |
* |
NE |
37.622 |
1,160 |
950 |
Nekoma (south) |
* |
S |
37.587 |
1,280 |
700 |
Inawashiro |
* |
SE |
37.576 |
1,255 |
700 |
Takatsue |
* |
SW |
37.110 |
1,650 |
955 |
The Niigata Prefecture border semi-encircles the northern tip of the Nagano Prefecture and there are some ski resorts very close to the Sea of Japan that get dumped on with coastal snow, and others near Yuzawa (snow country) that get slightly less snow but of better quality.
Niigata Snow |
Ski Area |
Snow Per
Season (m) |
Primary
Aspect |
Latitude
°N |
Top
Alt (m) |
Base
Alt (m) |
Hakkaisan |
10 |
SW |
37.109 |
1,147 |
355 |
Cupid Valley |
* |
NW |
37.054 |
960 |
430 |
Joetsu Kokusai |
* |
SE to E |
37.034 |
1,017 |
200 |
Charmant Hiuchi |
* |
NNW |
37.003 |
1,009 |
501 |
Arai |
16 |
E |
36.990 |
1,280 |
329 |
Maiko |
* |
NNW |
36.982 |
920 |
260 |
Ishiuchi |
* |
NE |
36.976 |
920 |
256 |
Gala Yuzawa |
* |
E |
36.951 |
1,181 |
358 |
Iwappara |
* |
SSE |
36.940 |
985 |
400 |
Yuzawa Kogen |
* |
N to NE |
36.939 |
1,170 |
330 |
Kandatsu |
11 |
N |
36.911 |
1,000 |
460 |
Myoko Seki |
16 |
E |
36.907 |
1,210 |
900 |
Myoko Akakura Onsen |
13 |
SE |
36.897 |
1,200 |
650 |
Kagura |
10 |
NE |
36.890 |
1,845 |
620 |
Myoko Akakura Kanko |
13 |
SE |
36.887 |
1,599 |
839 |
Myoko Ikenotaira |
13 |
SE |
36.873 |
1,500 |
760 |
Myoko Suginohara |
13 |
SE |
36.855 |
1,855 |
731 |
Naeba |
6 |
E |
36.791 |
1,789 |
900 |
There are so many
ski resorts in Nagano, and they are somewhat geographically dispersed so snow patterns vary significantly. Elevation stats for the Shiga areas can be found at the base of the
Shiga Kogen terrain page.
Nagano Snow |
Ski Area |
Snow Per
Season (m) |
Primary
Aspect |
Latitude
°N |
Top
Elevation
(m) |
Base
Elevation
(m) |
Togari |
* |
SE |
36.93 |
1,050 |
400 |
Nozawa Onsen |
10 |
N to W |
36.924 |
1,650 |
565 |
Tangram |
* |
NNW |
36.853 |
1,320 |
800 |
Madarao |
13 |
NNE |
36.852 |
1,350 |
910 |
Kurohime |
* |
E |
36.826 |
1,200 |
770 |
Kijimadaira |
* |
N |
36.818 |
1,271 |
475 |
Ryuoo |
8.4 |
W to NW |
36.788 |
1,930 |
850 |
Hakuba Cortina |
13 |
SE |
36.777 |
1,402 |
872 |
Hakuba Norikura |
11 |
SE |
36.765 |
1,598 |
850 |
Togakushi |
7.6 |
N to W |
36.754 |
1,750 |
1,200 |
Hakuba Tsugaike |
13 |
SE |
36.750 |
1,704 |
800 |
Iizuna |
* |
ESE |
36.739 |
1,500 |
900 |
Shiga Kogen |
10 |
varied |
36.738 |
2,307 |
1,325 |
Hakuba Iwatake |
11 |
SE |
36.716 |
1,289 |
750 |
Hakuba Happo |
11.7 |
ENE |
36.702 |
1,831 |
760 |
Hakuba 47 |
12 |
NE |
36.684 |
1,614 |
820 |
Yamaboku |
* |
SW |
36.668 |
1,774 |
1,500 |
Hakuba Goryu |
12 |
E |
36.663 |
1,676 |
750 |
Hakuba Sanosaka |
10 |
NE |
36.629 |
1,200 |
740 |
Hakuba Kashimayari |
9.5 |
SW |
36.598 |
1,335 |
830 |
Sugadaira |
* |
varied |
36.540 |
1,650 |
1,250 |
Karuizawa |
* |
N to NW |
36.340 |
1,155 |
940 |
Mt Norikura |
* |
NE |
36.112 |
2,000 |
1,490 |
Nomugi Toge |
* |
W to NW |
36.048 |
2,130 |
1,400 |
Gun powder (Gunma powder) is generally pretty dry compared to Niigata and Nagano because it is located further from the coast, and as to be expected, this is associated with lower snow volumes. Many of the
Gunma ski resorts sit in the snow shadows of big mountains around Yuzawa including Tanigawa-dake (where Tenjindaira is located), and much of the moisture is sucked out of the storms before they hit Gunma.
Gunma Snow |
Ski Area |
Snow Per
Season (m) |
Primary
Aspect |
Latitude
°N |
Top
Alt (m) |
Base
Alt (m) |
Oze Tokura |
* |
W to SW |
36.851 |
1,420 |
1,080 |
Houdaigi |
* |
NW to N |
36.837 |
1,400 |
830 |
Tenjindaira |
16.5 |
NE |
36.836 |
1,500 |
750 |
Iwakura |
* |
SW to NE |
36.816 |
1,703 |
1,006 |
Marunuma Kogen |
* |
WNW |
36.816 |
2,000 |
1,390 |
Oguna Hotaka |
* |
SE |
36.778 |
1,828 |
1,200 |
Kawaba |
* |
S to SW |
36.769 |
1,870 |
1,290 |
Manza Onsen |
7 |
S |
36.636 |
1,994 |
1,646 |
Kusatsu Onsen |
* |
SE |
36.629 |
1,600 |
1,245 |
Palcall Tsumagoi |
* |
E |
36.555 |
2,100 |
1,370 |
The jury is out on the Gifu snow. Like anywhere, a Gifu ski resort can be great on its day, but it’s probably not the spot that has good consistent Japow.
Gifu Snow |
Ski Area |
Snow Per
Season (m) |
Primary
Aspect |
Latitude
°N |
Top
Alt (m) |
Base
Alt (m) |
Hirayu Onsen |
* |
E |
36.184 |
1,860 |
1,310 |
Honoki Daira |
* |
N |
36.176 |
1,550 |
1,200 |
Takasu |
* |
NE to SE |
35.999 |
1,550 |
950 |
Dynaland |
* |
SE |
35.989 |
1,431 |
984 |
Meiho |
* |
SE |
35.942 |
1,602 |
902 |
Notes about definitions:
- Primary aspect is for the piste, which doesn’t necessarily represent the off-piste that drops off the sides of piste, or the sidecountry slopes
- Top elevation is lifted elevation, assuming that all lifts are operating which is never a given in Japan!
- Snow volumes – there’s no standard way of measuring this across the world and Japan is no different