No snow yet. 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 →
Fujiwara is run by the Hotel Sunbird at its foot, and the slopes begin just outside the door. Every run ends back in front of the hotel, so families never lose their meeting point. More than half the terrain is beginner or intermediate, on wide, gentle slopes. Sources: fujiwaraski.com (sources read 13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minakami Kogen Ski Resort | 1.2 km | 291 cmsame grid cell | 514 |
| Hodaigi Ski Resort | 2.7 km | 291 cmsame grid cell | 514 |
| Tambara Ski Park | 7.8 km | 423 cm | 144 |
| Okutone | 8.0 km | 198 cm | 1164 |
| Kawaba Ski Resort | 9.3 km | 423 cm | 144 |
Compare side by side with Minakami Kogen Ski Resort and Hodaigi 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.
Only 24% of the vertical on the runs descends to the north or east. The most common direction is south (38%).
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 53% of January’s snowfall.
Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 291 cm, and 7 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2015/16 with 183 cm; the biggest was 2024/25 with 374 cm (2.0 times as much).
Snowfall each winter (December–March total). The dashed line is the average; the numbers mark the leanest and the biggest winter.
Minakami webcams & snow report — all 8 ski areas →
Total snowfall from December to March recorded at the 藤原 weather station — 1.5 km from this ski area, 207 m below its mid-slope.
| Three-season average | 828 cm |
| 2023/24 | 686 cm |
| 2024/25 | 1072 cm |
| 2025/26 | 726 cm |
The figure calculated on this page is 307 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
2 hot spring sources with published analyses lie within 5 km of this ski area, nearest first (the hottest is 80 °C).
| Source | Distance | Temperature | pH | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 宝川第5号 | 2 km | 73℃ hot | 7.1 neutral | simple |
| 湯の小屋 | 2.8 km | 80℃ hot | 7.6 mildly 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Naramata Dam奈良俣ダム | Landmark | 3.5 km |
| Yagisawa Dam矢木沢ダム | Nature | 6.7 km |
| Doai Station土合駅 | Landmark | 9.3 km |
| Tanigawadake Ropeway谷川岳ロープウェイ | Nature | 9.7 km |
| Mount Tanigawa谷川岳 | Mountain | 12.5 km |
| Oze尾瀬 | Nature | 18.7 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.
Checked on the official site (13 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.
25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 大沢荘<群馬県> | ¥7,800 | 4.00／5 30 reviews | 0.3 km | 上越線水上駅よりバスにて40分/関越自動車道水上ICより湯の小屋方面へ25分 |
| 11種類の貸切露天風呂 水上高原/奥利根温泉 ホテルサンバード | ¥8,800 | 3.99／5 786 reviews | 0.3 km | 車で関越自動車道・水上ICから30分・JRで上越線 水上駅より 湯ノ小屋行きバスで藤原スキー場入口下車900M |
| Earthboat Minakami Fujiwara | ¥17,467 | — | 0.3 km | 水上ICから国道291号線→県道63号線を藤原 湯ノ小屋方面に約30分 |
| ペンション らいらっく | ¥6,500 | 3.50／5 10 reviews | 0.4 km | 水上駅よりバスで約50分、関越道水上ICより車で約50分 |
| 温泉ロッヂ たかね | ¥9,800 | 4.30／5 37 reviews | 0.7 km | 関越道 水上ICより35分 |
| 水上温泉郷 水上高原ホテル200 | ¥11,550 | 4.13／5 2302 reviews | 0.7 km | 関越自動車道「水上IC」から19km(30分)/上越新幹線「上毛高原駅」から送迎シャトルバス有(3日前までの要事前予約) |
| 貸切風呂と地産地消 樹林-kirin- | ¥3,500 | 4.44／5 23 reviews | 1.4 km | 上越線 水上駅から車で20分/上越新幹線 上毛高原駅から車で45分 |
| 湯の小屋温泉 民宿 やぐら | ¥11,500 | 5.00／5 19 reviews | 1.5 km | 上毛高原駅 水上駅/水上ICから車で30分 |
| animal lodge ^ | ¥12,760 | — | 1.5 km | 湯檜曽駅より車で17分 |
| ペンション パル<群馬県> | ¥9,000 | 3.00／5 34 reviews | 1.6 km | 水上駅/関越高速 水上ICより車で20分 |
| Earthboat Minakami Hodaigi | ¥17,467 | — | 1.9 km | JR上越線 水上駅から、バス・車で約30分。関越自動車道 水上ICから車で約30分 |
| 宝川温泉汪泉閣 | ¥13,000 | 4.21／5 1107 reviews | 2.0 km | JR上越線 水上駅から宝川温泉行きバス乗車35分 宝川温泉下車(終点)徒歩0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)
4 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: 0.3 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.
Where the snow falls · 1 Nov 2026
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