Not open yet for 2026/27. We have not yet found an official opening date. The snowfall below is a model figure and does not mean the slopes are skiable.
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): 21 cm, 189% of the average for the same dates. The average is over twelve winters on the same weather model. Across Japan →
Updated: 10 Nov 2026, 12:15
| Date | Weather | Snow (cm) | Low / high (°C) | Wind (km/h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tue 10 Nov | Snow showers | 1 | −16 to −3 | 8 |
| Wed 11 Nov | Snow showers | 0 | −15 to −2 | 9 |
| Thu 12 Nov | Snow showers | 0 | −4 to 4 | 15 |
| Fri 13 Nov | Drizzle | 0 | −2 to 7 | 12 |
| Sat 14 Nov | Fog | 0 | −4 to 6 | 13 |
| Sun 15 Nov | Fog | 0 | −4 to 5 | 12 |
| Mon 16 Nov | Snow showers | 2 | −8 to 1 | 15 |
The five add up to the 100-point Powder Score: more fresh snow, more on the way and colder air all push it up. How we measure
Nayoro Onsen Sun Pillar, a hot-spring hotel, connects directly to the slopes. The city of Nayoro notes that, with luck, sun pillars can be seen at the ski area. The Piyashiri Schanze ski jump, also in the Nisshin district, stages the first official jumping competition of each Japanese winter. Sources: nayoro.co.jp, city.nayoro.lg.jp (sources read 11 Oct 2026; an AI draft the site operator has not yet checked)
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 0% of the vertical on the runs descends to the north or east. The most common direction is south (100%).
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bifuka Ski Area | 15.0 km | 243 cm | 780 |
| Otoineppu Otoifuji | 40.0 km | 248 cm | 748 |
| Wassamu Higashiyama Ski Resort | 42.0 km | 217 cm | 978 |
Compare side by side with Bifuka Ski Area and Otoineppu Otoifuji →
The most snow falls in December. March brings 77% of January’s snowfall. That is a gentler fall than the median for ski areas in Japan (52%). In amount, March brings 48 cm, about the same as the median of 46 cm.
Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 234 cm, and 7 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2016/17 with 190 cm; the biggest was 2017/18 with 299 cm (1.6 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.
Total snowfall from December to March recorded at the 名寄 weather station — 6.3 km from this ski area, 350 m below its mid-slope.
| Three-season average | 438 cm |
| 2023/24 | 425 cm |
| 2024/25 | 474 cm |
| 2025/26 | 414 cm |
The figure calculated on this page is 220 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
Within 20 km in a straight line, nearest first. Some lie over a pass that is closed in winter.
| Place | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Kudo九度山 | Mountain | 0.8 km |
| SUNPILLAR PARK北海道立サンピラーパーク | Park | 4.8 km |
| Mount Piyashiriピヤシリ山 | Mountain | 6.2 km |
| Torokko Okoku Bifukaトロッコ王国美深 | Landmark | 16 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.
The weather map, and where it sits among nearby ski areas.
Checked on the official site (21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| なよろ温泉サンピラー<名寄市> | ¥6,350 | 3.68／5 58 reviews | 0.8 km | 【車】士別剣淵ICより車で50分【公共機関】JR宗谷本線 名寄駅より路線バスで30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)
13 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: 0.8 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.
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