No snow yet. The 2026/27 season is planned to open on 11 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 →
The resort now trades as Kandatsu Snow Resort. Its slopes face north-east, with a mogul run called Hercules and a tree run cut through the woods beside the C lift. The upper floors of the base building hold a large bath with an open-air tub and a hall of one-person tents for napping. Sources: kandatsu.com, e-yuzawa.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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASPA Ski Garden | 2.4 km | 618 cmsame grid cell | 36 |
| Ippon Sugi Ski Resort | 3.6 km | 695 cm | 12 |
| Yuzawa Kogen Ski Resort | 3.6 km | 618 cmsame grid cell | 36 |
| Nakazato Snow Wood Ski Area | 3.9 km | 712 cm | 6 |
| Yuzawa Nakazato Ski Resort | 4.1 km | 712 cm | 6 |
Compare side by side with NASPA Ski Garden and Ippon Sugi 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.
85% 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.
The most snow falls in January. March brings 39% 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 85 cm, more than the median of 46 cm.
Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 618 cm, and 5 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2015/16 with 328 cm; the biggest was 2016/17 with 774 cm (2.4 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.
Echigo-Yuzawa webcams & snow report — all 17 ski areas →
7 hot spring sources with published analyses lie within 5 km of this ski area, nearest first (the hottest is 61.5 °C).
| Source | Distance | Temperature | pH | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 神立高原ゴールデンスパ | 0.3 km | 43.1℃ hot | 8 mildly alkaline | — |
| 松川松川 | 2.6 km | 25.8℃ lukewarm | — | — |
| 佐工不動産佐工不動産 | 2.9 km | 35.2℃ warm | 8.8 alkaline | alkaline simple |
| 三俣せきれいの湯 | 3.1 km | 32.8℃ lukewarm | 8.9 alkaline | alkaline simple |
| 岩原岩原 | 3.8 km | 55.7℃ hot | — | simple |
| 湯沢第3配湯所 混湯 | 3.9 km | 61.5℃ hot | 8.3 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
Video we shot ourselves, with a note from the day (sound removed).
30 March 2025
Still plenty of snow in late March. Close to Tokyo by shinkansen, lots of snow, reasonably wide runs and clean facilities: my top pick for a day trip from Tokyo.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Yuzawa Kōgen Ropeway湯沢高原ロープウェイ | Nature | 4.1 km |
| Kiyotsu Gorge清津峡 | Nature | 8.8 km |
| Mount Naeba苗場山 | Mountain | 12.4 km |
| Mount Tanigawa谷川岳 | Mountain | 13 km |
| Tanigawadake Ropeway谷川岳ロープウェイ | Nature | 15.4 km |
| Doai Station土合駅 | Landmark | 16.1 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: kandatsu.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 (19 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.
21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 越後湯沢温泉 NASPAニューオータニ | ¥6,800 | 4.45／5 2085 reviews | 2.7 km | JR上越新幹線越後湯沢駅から車で3分(送迎バスあり/定時運行)、関越自動車道湯沢I.Cより5分 |
| 越後湯沢温泉ガーデンタワーホテル YRAXリゾート | ¥5,300 | 4.31／5 64 reviews | 2.8 km | JR越後湯沢駅より無料送迎バスにて約5分。関越自動車道湯沢ICより車で約5分。ナビご利用の方は住所設定をお薦めします。 |
| 有馬屋 ^ | ¥25,520 | — | 2.8 km | 越後湯沢駅から車で約10分 |
| 神楽ハウス | ¥3,500 | 5.00／5 26 reviews | 3.0 km | 越後湯沢駅よりお車 |
| ペンション レ・シャモア | ¥13,400 | 4.78／5 77 reviews | 3.2 km | 越後湯沢駅よりバスで約20分・タクシー約10分/関越自動車道 湯沢ICより約10分 |
| ゆとりろ越後湯沢 | ¥4,400 | 3.96／5 50 reviews | 3.6 km | JR上越新幹線・上越線・信越本線「越後湯沢」駅より車で約10分/越後湯沢駅からの無料送迎あり※要予約 |
| 越後湯沢温泉 温泉民宿 浦子の湯 高野屋 | ¥4,500 | 4.43／5 221 reviews | 3.7 km | 上越新幹線 越後湯沢駅下車 タクシー8分、関越自動車道 湯沢IC→2km 5分 |
| 越後湯沢温泉 ホテル 湯沢湯沢でんき屋 | ¥5,500 | 4.75／5 389 reviews | 3.8 km | 湯沢I.Cから車で約5分 越後湯沢駅より無料送迎あり(8:30~18:00まで)到着後要電話 |
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)
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.
Where the snow falls · 1 Nov 2026
Ski Resorts Near Tokyo 2026/27今週末10/25(土)・26(日) 神田スポーツ祭り2026開催 ▼ホームページはこちら https://sports-kanda.com/ksf2026/ 神立販売ブースではお得な早割券と豪華特典をご用意！ １．早割1 […]