No snow on the ground or falling right now. The 2026/27 season is planned to open on 12 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): 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 →
The Narihira run from Quad Lift 9 follows a ridge, and on clear days the Tanigawa range lines the view. The steep Eagle run has stretches too sharp to groom. There is also a tree-run area, where helmets are required and skiing alone is not allowed. Sources: hodaigi.jp (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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fujiwara Snow&Spa Resort | 2.7 km | 291 cmsame grid cell | 514 |
| Minakami Kogen Ski Resort | 2.9 km | 291 cmsame grid cell | 514 |
| Tambara Ski Park | 5.4 km | 423 cm | 144 |
| Kawaba Ski Resort | 6.6 km | 423 cm | 144 |
| Okutone | 7.5 km | 198 cm | 1164 |
Compare side by side with Fujiwara Snow&Spa Resort and Minakami Kogen 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.
67% 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 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.
Footage remains the copyright of each operator. JAPANSNOWLINE neither stores nor redistributes it.
Minakami webcams & snow report — all 8 ski areas →
Total snowfall from December to March recorded at the 藤原 weather station — 4.2 km from this ski area, 386 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 | 3.7 km | 73℃ hot | 7.1 neutral | simple |
| 湯の小屋 | 4.7 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Yagisawa Dam矢木沢ダム | Nature | 9.2 km |
| Doai Station土合駅 | Landmark | 10.3 km |
| Tanigawadake Ropeway谷川岳ロープウェイ | Nature | 10.8 km |
| Mount Tanigawa谷川岳 | Mountain | 13.7 km |
| Oze尾瀬 | Nature | 19 km |
| Nagurumi Castle名胡桃城 | Historic site | 19.7 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.
19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| シャレー ラ・ネージュ<群馬県> | ¥10,800 | 4.80／5 164 reviews | 0.5 km | 関越道水上I.Cよりお車で30分。JR上越線水上駅、もしくは、上越新幹線上毛高原駅よりバス。バス停まで送迎有。(要予約) |
| Earthboat Minakami Hodaigi | ¥17,467 | — | 0.8 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 |
| 貸切風呂と地産地消 樹林-kirin- | ¥3,500 | 4.44／5 23 reviews | 1.6 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 |
| animal lodge ^ | ¥12,760 | — | 1.8 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 | 1.9 km | 水上駅/関越高速 水上ICより車で20分 |
| ペンション らいらっく | ¥6,500 | 3.50／5 10 reviews | 2.5 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 |
| 藤左ヱ門の宿/民泊 | ¥20,672 | — | 2.5 km | 湯檜曽駅から車で約17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 | 2.7 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 |
| 水上温泉郷 水上高原ホテル200 | ¥11,550 | 4.13／5 2302 reviews | 2.7 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) |
| Earthboat Minakami Fujiwara | ¥17,467 | — | 2.7 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 |
| 大沢荘<群馬県> | ¥7,800 | 4.00／5 30 reviews | 3.0 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 |
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)
We have no facility list for the 12 km around here yet — search the booking sites below.
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
Ski Resorts Near Tokyo 2026/27: The Nearest Get the Least SnowDay trips from Tokyo, compared: Karuizawa (an hour by Shinkansen) averages 9 cm of December snow on our model, GALA Yuzawa (75 minutes) 170 cm. Fifteen ski areas, with 2026/27 opening dates and day-ticket prices.
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