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 →
The Kogen No.1 slope looks down over the Sea of Japan. Shikanomata Lodge, at the foot of the Kazakura slope, is known for its Genghis Khan grilled-lamb set meal, a dish the prefectural tourism association also singles out when it writes about the area. Sources: tainairesort.jp, niigata-kankou.or.jp (sources read 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ninox Snow Park | 9.1 km | 567 cm | 54 |
| Yokone | 21.0 km | 446 cm | 114 |
| Mikawa Onsen | 33.0 km | 363 cm | 243 |
| Tenoko Ski Area | 41.0 km | 312 cm | 439 |
| Sannokura | 42.0 km | 384 cm | 201 |
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 48% of the vertical on the runs descends to the north or east. The most common direction is north (44%).
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 26% 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 61 cm, more than the median of 46 cm.
Across the 12 winters measured, the average is 629 cm, and 4 of them fell short of it. The leanest was 2015/16 with 261 cm; the biggest was 2024/25 with 914 cm (3.5 times as much).
Snowfall each winter (December–March total). The dashed line is the average; the numbers mark the leanest and the biggest winter.
This ski area does not put a camera on its own slopes. The nearest live view is the road below.
Footage remains the copyright of each operator. JAPANSNOWLINE neither stores nor redistributes it.
Total snowfall from December to March recorded at the 下関 weather station — 11.2 km from this ski area, 374 m below its mid-slope.
| Three-season average | 397 cm |
| 2023/24 | 259 cm |
| 2024/25 | 502 cm |
| 2025/26 | 431 cm |
The figure calculated on this page is 717 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 25.6 °C).
| Source | Distance | Temperature | pH |
|---|---|---|---|
| 胎内 | 2.3 km | 25.6℃ lukewarm | 8.8 alkaline |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Tainaigawa Dam胎内川ダム | Nature | 5.5 km |
| Oppo-ji Temple乙寶寺 | Temple | 15.8 km |
| Suwa Shrine (Shibata)諏訪神社 (新発田市) | Shrine | 16.4 km |
| Shibata Castle新発田城 | Historic site | 16.5 km |
| Shibata Castle Ruins Park新発田城址公園 | Historic site | 16.6 km |
| Shimizu-en清水園 | Park | 16.8 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: tainairesort.jp · 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 新胎内温泉 ロイヤル胎内パークホテル | ¥11,400 | 4.51／5 470 reviews | 2.2 km | 電車:東京駅⇒中条駅 最短約3時間 中条駅より無料送迎約20分(要予約) 車:中条ICより国道7号線経由で約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)
2 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.
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.
Climate and the future · 17 Aug 2026
Snow Quality or Snow Quantity: Why Japan's Snowiest Ski Areas Are Not Its BestJapan's snowiest ski areas see rain on more than one winter day in four, and the wettest of them on two in five. We rank all 397 of them on a quality measure that ignores how much falls and scores what falls: temperature on snowing days, how often it dumps, and penalties for rain and wind. It disagrees with the snowfall ranking almost completely.