No snow on the ground or falling right now. Not open yet for 2026/27. We have not yet found an official opening date. 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): 3 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 →
In the woods on the grounds stands Kuki Shrine, where the object of worship is the air itself. The slopes are cut at the foot of Mount Oasahi, the main peak of the Asahi range. The cottages beside the slopes were renovated in May 2026. Sources: yamagatakanko.com, shizenkan.jp (sources read 12 Oct 2026; an AI draft the site operator has not yet checked)
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doshojidaira Ski Area | 25.0 km | 273 cm | 602 |
| Mount Gassan Ski Resort | 25.0 km | 655 cm | 25 |
| Tenoko Ski Area | 34.0 km | 312 cm | 439 |
| Zao Sarukura | 35.0 km | 253 cm | 704 |
| Zao Onsen | 35.0 km | 258 cm | 673 |
Compare side by side with Doshojidaira Ski Area and Mount Gassan Ski Resort →
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.
72% of the vertical on the runs descends to the north or east; plenty of the terrain faces the sun as well, so the lean is modest.
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.
The most snow falls in January. March brings 38% 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 55 cm, more than the median of 46 cm.
Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 419 cm, and 7 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2019/20 with 311 cm; the biggest was 2014/15 with 564 cm (1.8 times as much). For 63% of the 397 ski areas in Japan the leanest winter was 2015/16; here it was a different one.
Snowfall each winter (December–March total). The dashed line is the average; the numbers mark the leanest and the biggest winter.
This ski area does not put a camera on its own slopes. The nearest live view is the road below.
Footage remains the copyright of each operator. JAPANSNOWLINE neither stores nor redistributes it.
Total snowfall from December to March recorded at the 大井沢 weather station — 10.8 km from this ski area, 123 m below its mid-slope.
| Three-season average | 920 cm |
| 2023/24 | 779 cm |
| 2024/25 | 1088 cm |
| 2025/26 | 894 cm |
The figure calculated on this page is 431 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
1 hot spring sources with published analyses lie within 5 km of this ski area, nearest first (the hottest is 19.8 °C).
| Source | Distance | Temperature | pH | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 五百川石田淵 | 4.6 km | 19.8℃ cold | 8.9 alkaline | alkaline simple |
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
Within 20 km in a straight line, nearest first. Some lie over a pass that is closed in winter.
| Place | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Tohoku University Botanical Gardens東北大学学術資源研究公開センター植物園 | Museum | 9.4 km |
| Roadside station Shirataka-yanakoen道の駅白鷹ヤナ公園 | Park | 10.4 km |
| 山形県県民の森 | Park | 14.8 km |
| Sagae Dam寒河江ダム | Nature | 16.7 km |
| Ankoku-ji Temple安国寺 (山形県山辺町) | Temple | 17.5 km |
| 山形県野球場 | Leisure | 19.1 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: shizenkan.jp · 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.
1 properties on Rakuten Travel lie within about 3 km of this ski area. The table shows the nearest 1 with a listed price.
| Property (links to Rakuten Travel) | Lowest listed (per person, tax incl.) | Rating | Distance | Getting there |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asahi自然観 | ¥7,905 | 1.00／5 121 reviews | 0.2 km | JR 左沢駅よりお車又はバス |
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)
2 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.
Nearest: 0.5 km
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 · 28 Sep 2026
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