Industry News
If you’re planning a ski trip to Japan this year to experience the famous powder snow known as “Japow,” the best weeks for snowfall have been revealed in a new analysis conducted by Snow Season Central. The study analyzed the daily recorded snowfall at five of Japan’s most popular resorts over the last 10 winter seasons (from 2012/13 to 2022/23) to determine which weeks are predicted to be the snowiest over the coming winter season (2023/24).
The analysis found that the week of December 31, 2023, to January 6, 2024 is expected to be the snowiest on average when looking at all resorts in the study. However, there is a large variation from resort to resort given the geographical size of the country. Below is the weekly annual snowfall by each resort :
Niseko, Hokkaido
If you’re planning to ski in Niseko, located on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, and are hoping to experience the best of Japan’s powder, the week of December 24, 2023, to December 30, 2023, is predicted to record the largest amount of snowfall this season, followed closely by the week from January 7-13, 2024 and December 17-23, 2023.
Hakuba, Honshu
Hakuba Valley is located on the main island of Honshu in the northwestern Nagano Prefecture. The area is home to 10 different resorts and was one of the ski areas that hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics. The week of December 7-13, 2023, is predicted to be the snowiest week of the season for Hakuba, having historically received 41.9cm (16.5 inches) on average over the last 10 seasons during that time of year. The week of January 21-27, 2024, is a close second with 41.8cm (16.4 inches) in historical snowfall, followed by the week prior, January 14-20, 2024, with an average of 40.7cm (16.0 inches) over the past 10 years.
Other Popular Resorts in Japan
- For Nozawa Onsen, also in the Nagano Prefecture, the best week of the season by a margin of more than 10% is New Year’s week, which this season will fall on December 31-January 6. An impressive 89.2cm (35.1 inches) on average falls in this week over the recorded period. In second place came the week of February 4-10, 2024 with an average of 75.8cm (29.8 inches), followed by December 24-30, 2023, with 73.8cm (29.1 inches).
- Myoko, one of Japan’s largest ski resorts consisting of three connected resorts (Akakura, Myoko Suginohara, and Ikenotaira Onsen), was found to have recorded the greatest weekly snowfall in multiple weekly periods. Historically, December 31, 2023 – January 6, 2024, has been the snowiest, recording a huge 138.4cm (54.5 inches) on average over the last ten winters. The week from February 4-10, 2024 has historically brought 123.0cm (48.4 inches), while December 10-16, 2023, is closely behind with 122.1cm (48.1 inches). However, note that Myoko Kogen’s resort opening is usually mid to late December.
- Central Hokkaido’s Furano ski resort was also analyzed. Once again, New Year’s week is expected to be the best week of the season based on the last 10 winters, with an average weekly snowfall of 49.7cm (19.6 inches). The week of December 3-9, 2023, is second with 48.9cm (19.3 inches), followed by Christmas week from December 24-30, 2023 with an anticipated 47.6cm (18.7 inches).
“As an international ski destination, Japan is undeniably one of the most exciting and unique options available to snowsports enthusiasts. Not only can visitors expect world class cuisine and authentic culture, but it is also famed for its fantastic quality and quantity of snowfall. This analysis not only shows the steer amount of snow which falls on a weekly basis in Japanese resorts, but should act as a tool to help plan holidays around snowfall. Due to the size of the country, there are large differences in weekly snowfall performance, and this should be considered when booking a trip.”— Ed Raine, Snow Season Central Director
