No snow on the ground or falling right now. The 2026/27 season is planned to open on 18 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): 1 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 R292 run follows National Route 292, closed to cars in winter. Linked from Aobayama via Onariyama down to Tenguyama, it makes one long descent. The Natsumichi run is named for the summer path that climbed from the hot-spring town to Mount Shirane before there were proper trails. The base is about five minutes by car from town. Sources: 932-onsen.com (sources read 13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shiga Kogen Shibutoge Ski Area | 5.9 km | 333 cm | 333 |
| Manza Onsen | 6.6 km | 255 cm | 692 |
| Shiga Kogen Yokoteyama Ski Area | 7.5 km | 333 cm | 333 |
| Shiga Kogen Kumanoyu Ski Area | 8.7 km | 333 cm | 333 |
| YAMABOKU Wild Snow Park | 11.0 km | 255 cm | 692 |
Compare side by side with Shiga Kogen Shibutoge Ski Area and Manza Onsen →
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.
94% 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 82% of January’s snowfall. That is a gentler fall than the median for ski areas in Japan (52%). In amount, March brings 61 cm, more than the median of 46 cm.
Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 252 cm, and 8 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2025/26 with 186 cm; the biggest was 2014/15 with 337 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.
Footage remains the copyright of each operator. JAPANSNOWLINE neither stores nor redistributes it.
Kusatsu and Manza webcams & snow report — all 5 ski areas →
More than we show here.
Total snowfall from December to March recorded at the 草津 weather station — 2.2 km from this ski area, 241 m below its mid-slope.
| Three-season average | 460 cm |
| 2023/24 | 650 cm |
| 2024/25 | 449 cm |
| 2025/26 | 280 cm |
The figure calculated on this page is 247 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 95 °C).
| Source | Distance | Temperature | pH | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 草津万代鉱 | 1.1 km | 95℃ hot | 2 acidic | 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
Within 20 km in a straight line, nearest first. Some lie over a pass that is closed in winter.
| Place | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Kusatsu Onsen草津温泉 | Hot spring town | 2.2 km |
| Mount Kusatsu-Shirane草津白根山 | Nature | 4.4 km |
| Jōshin'etsu-kōgen National Park上信越高原国立公園 | Nature | 4.5 km |
| Myōkō-Togakushi Renzan National Park妙高戸隠連山国立公園 | Nature | 4.5 km |
| Shiga Highlands志賀高原 | Nature | 10.2 km |
| Yanba Dam八ッ場ダム | Landmark | 14.9 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.
139 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 草津セゾニエ | ¥6,006 | 3.95／5 69 reviews | 1.4 km | JR 長野原草津口駅よりJR関東バス草津温泉行き終点下車「草津温泉」より徒歩約16分 |
| 草津高原ユースホステル | ¥3,700 | 3.80／5 33 reviews | 1.6 km | JR吾妻線 長野原草津口下車→JRバス「草津温泉行」で終点→徒歩20分/タクシーで約700円 |
| B/C HOTEL 草津 | ¥3,825 | 3.80／5 60 reviews | 1.6 km | JR長野原草津口駅→バス約25分→草津温泉BT→徒歩約10分 |
| 草津温泉ペンション 陽のあたる場所 | ¥6,000 | 4.65／5 218 reviews | 1.6 km | JR吾妻線 長野原草津口駅よりバスにて25分/関越道 渋川・伊香保ICより90分 |
| ペットと泊まれる宿 コンドミニアム フラットレット草津 | ¥7,605 | 4.38／5 104 reviews | 1.6 km | 関越道渋川伊香保ICよりR353、145、292経由で草津へ60km/JR吾妻線長野原草津口駅~バス25分 |
| 草津温泉 ペンション マイウェー | ¥3,000 | 4.42／5 110 reviews | 1.7 km | 長野原草津口駅から路線バスで約25分、草津バスターミナルから800m |
| 草津温泉 ホテルスパックス草津 | ¥9,900 | 4.16／5 1491 reviews | 1.7 km | JR長野原草津口駅からJRバスで25分(草津バスターミナル~ホテル間随時送迎あり)・渋川I.Cより車で90分。 |
| Rakuten STAY VILLA 草津温泉 | ¥8,000 | 4.29／5 31 reviews | 1.8 km | 草津温泉バスターミナルより車で6分/湯畑から車で5分 |
| 草津温泉 草津ホテル1913 | ¥12,100 | 4.32／5 1106 reviews | 1.8 km | 長野原草津口駅よりJRバスに25分乗車 徒歩8分(長野原までのシャトルバスはございません、最終バスは848pm発です) |
| 草津温泉宿 永田屋 | ¥13,460 | 4.58／5 171 reviews | 1.8 km | 草津温泉バスターミナルよりお車にて約2分 当館目の前に駐車場あり! |
| 草津温泉 湯宿 みゆき | ¥13,530 | 4.61／5 406 reviews | 1.8 km | JR長野原草津口駅から草津温泉までバス。必ずバスに乗換えて下さい。バス停から徒歩8分、渋川I.Cから90分。 |
| 草津温泉 綿の湯 草津ホテル別館 | ¥14,600 | 4.64／5 248 reviews | 1.8 km | 草津バスターミナルから徒歩で8分 送迎サービスはありません |
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)
62 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: 1.6 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
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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