North of Yuzawa, in rice country · Updated 10 Nov 2026
Minami-Uonuma Snow Cams & Snow Report
A string of modest ski hills runs along the western foot of Mount Hakkai, across Minamiuonuma and Uonuma cities. Travellers base themselves in Muikamachi or in Urasa, where the Joetsu Shinkansen stops. A local bus runs from Muikamachi Station up to the Hakkaisan ski area. To the north in Uonuma, Koide and Yakushi each have a day-use hot spring next to the slopes, and Yakushi can be rented out as a whole for a private group. Sources: city.minamiuonuma.niigata.jp, iine-uonuma.jp, city.uonuma.lg.jp (sources read 2026-10-13; an AI draft the site operator has not yet checked)
No new snow has fallen at Minami-Uonuma's ski areas in the last 48 hours.
Pictured: Koide Ski Area
Live cameras
1 of the 5 ski areas has an official live camera. Each link opens the operator's own page or YouTube stream.
- Muica Snow Resort
- Slope camera on the official ski page ↗muikamachi.com
No slope camera found yet: Hakkai Sanroku Ski Area, Koide Ski Area, Muikamachi Hakkaisan, Yakushi Ski Area
Footage remains the copyright of each operator. JAPANSNOWLINE neither stores nor redistributes it. Road cameras are listed on each resort’s page.
The season at a glance
| Ski area | Typical winter | Worst–best of 12 | Snow quality (of 397) | Adult day ticket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muikamachi Hakkaisan | 728 cm | 313–974 cm | 118 | ¥7,000 |
| Muica Snow Resort | 546 cm | 328–739 cm | 201 | — |
| Yakushi Ski Area | 532 cm | 306–727 cm | 323 | — |
| Hakkai Sanroku Ski Area | 451 cm | 239–676 cm | 273 | — |
| Koide Ski Area | 370 cm | 121–676 cm | 317 | — |
Typical winter is the December–March average over the last 12 winters (calculated). “Worst–best” is the leanest and the deepest of those 12 winters, which is the range a trip booked a year out has to live with. Ticket prices are checked on each resort’s own site; “—” means we have not checked one yet.
Compare Muikamachi Hakkaisan, Muica Snow Resort, Yakushi Ski Area →
When the snow falls
In Minami-Uonuma, the most snow falls in January. March brings 32% of January's, or about 60 cm. The one that keeps snowing latest is Muikamachi Hakkaisan, where March still brings 40% of January's snowfall.
Monthly averages over the last 12 winters, averaged across the ski areas in this area. This is what falls in each month, not how deep the base is.
The mountains themselves
| Ski area | Base to top | Vertical | Spread of the runs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hakkai Sanroku Ski Area | 212–415 m | 203 m | 1.1 km |
| Koide Ski Area | 129–258 m | 129 m | 0.9 km |
| Muica Snow Resort | 339–675 m | 336 m | 2.0 km |
| Muikamachi Hakkaisan | 358–1,168 m | 810 m | 2.6 km |
| Yakushi Ski Area | 136–257 m | 121 m | 0.5 km |
Elevations come from the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan and OpenStreetMap. “Spread” is the width of the area the runs cover, not the total length of piste.
Questions people ask
How much snow does Minami-Uonuma get in a typical winter?
From December to March, the most falls at Muikamachi Hakkaisan: about 728 cm. The least in the same area is at Koide Ski Area, about 370 cm. The figures come from weather-model grid cells about 30 km across, so neighbouring ski areas in different cells can differ widely. Calculated from the last 12 winters.
What happens in Minami-Uonuma in a bad winter?
Over the last 12 winters, Muikamachi Hakkaisan ranged from 313 cm in its leanest winter to 974 cm in its deepest, against a typical 728 cm, so a poor winter brought 43% of the usual amount.