No snow on the ground or falling right now. The 2026/27 season is planned to open on 19 Dec (the resort’s announcement; it moves with the snow). Snow depth and the seven-day outlook appear once snow is on the ground or forecast.
A weather-model figure, worked out the same way for every ski area, and lower than what actually falls. Use it to compare ski areas, not against the resort’s own totals. How we measure →
This season so far (1 Nov to 9 Nov): 9 cm. The average for these dates is under 10 cm, so we do not give a percentage yet. The average is over twelve winters on the same weather model. Across Japan →
Kishichiro Okura opened the Akakura Kanko Hotel in 1937 as an international resort hotel. The Hotel Main Slope, which spreads out in front of the building, dates from the hotel's founding years. From the start of the Champion B course, the view reaches from Lake Nojiri to the Sea of Japan. Sources: akr-hotel.com, niigata-kankou.or.jp, akr-ski.com, akakura.gr.jp (sources read 12 Oct 2026; reviewed by the editor)
Modelled from weather data the same way at all 3,069 ski areas we cover. These are not the resort’s own published figures.
The tick marks the median across every Japanese ski area we measure. All four bars run the same way — longer is better.
The quality score leaves out how much snow falls (it uses temperature, frequency, rain and wind).
Within 50 km in a straight line. Ski areas in the same weather-model cell (about 30 km across) get the same figure.
| Ski area | Distance | Seasonal snowfall | World rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akakura Onsen Ski Area | 1.1 km | 445 cmsame grid cell | 117 |
| Seki Onsen Ski Area | 1.7 km | 689 cm | 19 |
| Ikenotaira Onsen Alpen Blick Ski Resort | 1.9 km | 432 cm | 129 |
| Kyukamura Myoko | 2.4 km | 445 cmsame grid cell | 117 |
| Myoko Suginohara | 2.9 km | 357 cm | 268 |
Compare side by side with Akakura Onsen Ski Area and Seki Onsen Ski Area →
Counted from the runs and lifts drawn on OpenStreetMap, within the boundary of the ski area. These are not the resort’s own published figures.
92% of the vertical on the runs descends to the north or east. Those slopes get the least sun, so the snow lasts longer.
See past trail maps on Skimap.org ↗
Source: OpenSkiMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL 1.0). How finely ski areas are drawn varies by region, so treat the counts as indicative. Vertical is the difference between the highest and lowest points of the mapped runs and lifts.
Official figures: 9 runs, longest 1,700 m, 1 gondola, 5 chairlifts, 11% beginner, 56% intermediate, 33% advanced. Source (checked 2 Oct)
The most snow falls in January. March brings 42% of January’s snowfall. That is a steeper fall than the median for ski areas in Japan (52%): the snow here is concentrated early in the season. For skiing, though, the amount matters more than the share: March brings 64 cm, more than the median of 46 cm.
Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 445 cm, and 5 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2015/16 with 273 cm; the biggest was 2021/22 with 560 cm (2.1 times as much).
Snowfall each winter (December–March total). The dashed line is the average; the numbers mark the leanest and the biggest winter.
Footage remains the copyright of each operator. JAPANSNOWLINE neither stores nor redistributes it.
Myoko and Joetsu webcams & snow report — all 11 ski areas →
Total snowfall from December to March recorded at the 信濃町 weather station — 9.7 km from this ski area, 203 m below its mid-slope.
| Three-season average | 545 cm |
| 2023/24 | 550 cm |
| 2024/25 | 683 cm |
| 2025/26 | 403 cm |
The figure calculated on this page is 466 cm.
A weather station is not a ski slope. We picked one at a similar elevation, but it stands in a valley or a village. More snow falls on the mountain above it. We have not tried to guess how much more.
Source: Japan Meteorological Agency historical records
7 hot spring sources with published analyses lie within 5 km of this ski area, nearest first (the hottest is 92 °C).
| Source | Distance | Temperature | pH | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 白滝白瀧温泉 | 1.4 km | — | — | simple |
| 関河原湯 | 1.7 km | 52℃ hot | 6.7 neutral | — |
| 燕北地獄谷 | 2.3 km | 47.5℃ hot | 6.7 neutral | — |
| 赤倉・新赤倉元湯 | 2.9 km | 53.5℃ hot | 6.4 neutral | simple |
| 妙高・池ノ平南地獄谷A | 3.5 km | 92℃ hot | 5.6 mildly acidic | — |
These are analyses of hot spring sources, not a list of baths you can visit. They date from 1910 to 2005, many from decades ago, so today’s temperature and chemistry may differ. Names are as recorded in Japanese. Temperature and pH bands follow Japan’s standard for analysing hot springs.
Source: processed from the hot spring analysis data in the Geothermal Information Database (GRES-DB), Geological Survey of Japan, AIST
Video we shot ourselves, with a note from the day (sound removed).
9 February 2026
Even after 9 a.m. the ticket office had a long queue. It seems to get more popular every year.
The site operator
Within 20 km in a straight line, nearest first. Some lie over a pass that is closed in winter.
| Place | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Tsubame Onsen燕温泉 | Hot spring town | 1.7 km |
| Mount Myōkō妙高山 | Mountain | 4.1 km |
| Mount Kurohime黒姫山 (長野県) | Mountain | 9 km |
| Lake Nojiri野尻湖 | Nature | 9.1 km |
| Mount Togakushi戸隠山 | Mountain | 16.3 km |
| Togakushi Shrine戸隠神社 | Shrine | 17.7 km |
Chosen from the places most read about on Wikipedia, favouring those with an English article. Based on the Japanese Wikipedia lists of sights in each prefecture, as compiled in travel-log-data (CC BY-SA 4.0). English names from Wikidata (CC0). The content of this section is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Getting there
Source: akr-ski.com · checked 1 Nov 2026. Shuttle days and times change with the season; check the official site before you go.
Checked on the official site (12 Oct 2026) · Source. “Not checked” means we have not looked yet. Compare with other ski areas →
Contains advertising. Property names and Rakuten Travel’s booking pages are in Japanese.
92 properties on Rakuten Travel lie within about 3 km of this ski area. The table shows the nearest 12 with a listed price.
| Property (links to Rakuten Travel) | Lowest listed (per person, tax incl.) | Rating | Distance | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 赤倉温泉 赤倉観光ホテル | ¥38,500 | 4.88／5 654 reviews | 0.6 km | 電車◆しなの鉄道・えちごトキめき鉄道-妙高高原駅から無料送迎バス(予約制)あり/車◆上信越道- 妙高高原ICより10分 |
| 赤倉温泉 旅館 清水屋 | ¥5,500 | 4.14／5 89 reviews | 1.5 km | JR 妙高高原駅から車で10分/上信越道 妙高高原ICより車で10分 |
| 赤倉温泉 赤倉ワクイホテル | ¥5,555 | 4.63／5 243 reviews | 1.5 km | 上信越自動車道 妙高高原ICよりお車にて10分。 |
| 赤倉温泉 お宿 ふるや | ¥8,800 | 4.32／5 151 reviews | 1.6 km | JR 妙高高原駅よりお車にて10分 ※妙高高原駅までの送迎をご希望の方は「送迎希望」とご記入ください。 |
| 赤倉温泉 癒し温泉の宿 遠間旅館 | ¥8,950 | — | 1.6 km | 妙高高原駅よりお車にて約10分 |
| 赤倉温泉 赤倉ホテル | ¥10,450 | 3.93／5 367 reviews | 1.6 km | 妙高高原駅より車で10分、妙高高原ICより車で10分。国道18号線の信号「豊橋」より左上に曲がって、赤倉温泉街へ・・ |
| 赤倉温泉 スターホテル 赤倉 | ¥4,500 | 4.29／5 171 reviews | 1.7 km | 妙高高原駅・妙高高原ICより車で10分★ |
| 関温泉 登美屋旅館 | ¥5,500 | 4.25／5 53 reviews | 1.7 km | JR 関山駅よりお車にて15分/バスにて25分 |
| 赤倉温泉 エホー旅館 | ¥7,100 | 4.33／5 15 reviews | 1.7 km | JR妙高高原駅よりお車にて約10分 |
| ホテルモック | ¥7,350 | 4.00／5 32 reviews | 1.7 km | 北陸新幹線上越妙高駅から車で約30分。えちごトキメキ鉄道妙高高原駅下車タクシー約5分。上信越自動車道妙高高原IC約5分。 |
| 新赤倉館 | ¥8,300 | — | 1.7 km | 妙高高原駅より車で約10分、バスで約20分 |
| 上杉謙信の隠し湯 関温泉 朝日屋旅館 | ¥11,350 | 4.63／5 130 reviews | 1.7 km | JR信越本線 関山駅より車で15分 |
Prices are the lowest Rakuten Travel lists; a property name, or “Pick dates and guests” above, shows prices and rooms for your dates.
Contains advertising. Property names and Rakuten Travel’s booking pages are in Japanese. · Property data by Rakuten Travel (Supported by Rakuten Developers)
21 places within 12 km of the slopes, as mapped on OpenStreetMap, many of them small inns and pensions. Many are not on booking sites — open the name for the website or the map.
Accommodation data: OpenStreetMap
Other booking sites: Booking.com ↗ · Agoda ↗ · Rakuten Travelad ↗
“ad” marks links that pay us a commission if you book. Links without it are not affiliated.
Planning a trip · 1 Oct 2026
How Japan's Early-Bird Lift Tickets Work: At Hakuba Happo-One, Eight of the Nine Need a Japanese ID CardHakuba Happo-One opened early-bird sales at 10:00 on 1 October. A day costs ¥6,400 against ¥9,800 at the window, 35% off. But every ticket on the list except one needs a My Number Card and a Japanese phone app. A visitor from abroad can buy exactly one of them, at 15% off.
Planning a trip · 24 Oct 2026
Japan in the Australian School HolidaysWhere the snow falls · 2 Oct 2026
Myoko's Eleven Ski AreasWhere the snow falls · 28 Sep 2026
A Singapore Fund Is Spending ¥200 Billion on Myoko. We Measured What It Bought.Planning a trip · 15 Sep 2026
Japan Lift Ticket Prices for 2026/27