When is the best time to ski in Japan?

Go between mid-January and the end of February if you want powder on Honshu, and keep clear of the New Year week and the holiday weekends inside that window. January brings the most new snow at all ten JMA stations we keep near ski areas, and the snow lying on the ground peaks in February at every one of them. New snow falls away in March, when Hakuba's normal drops to 110 cm from 216 cm in January, and several resorts switch to cheaper spring tickets. The high areas run into May. Gassan opens in April as most others wind down, and in 2026 its ski season lasted until 14 June.

We built this calendar from the 2026/27 opening and closing dates each resort has published, the ticket periods that mark its busy weeks, JMA's 1991–2020 normals for the valley stations below the lifts and the 2027 holiday list from Japan's Cabinet Office. It covers Honshu and Tohoku. Hokkaido belongs to our sister site, and Ride Hokkaido's snow season guide walks through its months.

How does the season run month by month?

Month	New snow at Nozawa Onsen (JMA normal)	What's open in 2026/27	Crowds and holidays	Ticket periods
November	16 cm	Hakuba Goryu's Toomi slope from 21 Nov; Kagura, Nozawa Onsen, NEKOMA's North Area and Geto Kogen from 28 Nov, snow permitting	Quiet	Early-season prices
December	223 cm	Most resorts open between 5 and 19 Dec	New Year rush from 28 Dec; NSW school holidays start 18 Dec	Happo-one's peak period starts 19 Dec
January	366 cm	Everything that opens	New Year to 3 Jan; Coming of Age weekend 9–11 Jan; Nozawa's fire festival 15 Jan	Mt.T caps entry from 9 Jan
February	282 cm	Everything that opens	Lunar New Year 6 Feb; holidays on 11 and 23 Feb	Zao's second peak runs 30 Jan–28 Feb
March	170 cm	Madarao and Myoko Suginohara close 28 Mar, Cortina 29 Mar	Snow Machine fills Hakuba 2–7 Mar; three-day weekend 20–22 Mar	Spring prices from 10 Mar at Mt.T and 23 Mar at Akakura Kanko
April	35 cm	Naeba and Mt.T close 4 Apr; Gassan opened 10 Apr in 2026	Golden Week starts 29 Apr	Shiga Kogen's spring day costs ¥7,500, Zao's ¥4,800
May	0 cm	Happo-one, Nozawa Onsen, Zao and Shiga Kogen run to 5 May; Kagura to 16 May; Gassan into June	Golden Week ends 5 May	Spring prices throughout

The snow column comes from JMA's station beside Nozawa Onsen village at 576 m. It's a valley figure, and the slopes above it get more. Every opening date in the table is the resort's own plan, and most carry the words "snow permitting".

When do Japan's ski resorts open?

The first lifts turn in late November, and most of Honshu is open by the third week of December. Hakuba Goryu announced 21 November 2026 for its Toomi No. 1 lift. Kagura opens its Kagura and Mitsumata areas on 28 November, the day Nozawa Onsen starts its 2026/27 fare period and NEKOMA plans to open its North Area. Geto Kogen aims for 28 November at the earliest, running only its No. 1 gondola until 4 December.

The rest follow through December. Shiga Kogen's all-mountain ticket starts on 5 December. Zao Onsen and Madarao plan 12 December, and GALA Yuzawa, Myoko Suginohara, Arai and Mt.T open on 19 December. Early December is the gamble. Nozawa's JMA station averages 16 cm of new snow in November and 223 cm in December, so the base builds through the month, and a trip in the first week leans on the high slopes.

Why do January and February bring the most snow?

Cold northwesterly winds out of Siberia pick up moisture crossing the Sea of Japan and drop it as heavy snow on the mountains facing the sea. JMA describes that pattern on its climate pages, and its station normals show the result. Our guide to the snow and its nickname goes through the weather in more detail.

JMA station (height)	Resorts above it	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr
Sukayu (890 m)	Hakkoda	376 cm	454 cm	341 cm	234 cm	97 cm
Sekiyama (350 m)	Myoko Kogen	220 cm	385 cm	291 cm	159 cm	18 cm
Yuzawa (340 m)	Naeba, Kagura, GALA	210 cm	377 cm	288 cm	159 cm	20 cm
Nozawa Onsen (576 m)	Nozawa Onsen	223 cm	366 cm	282 cm	170 cm	35 cm
Minakami (524 m)	Mt.T, Hodaigi	187 cm	296 cm	241 cm	145 cm	30 cm
Hakuba (703 m)	Hakuba Valley	130 cm	216 cm	174 cm	110 cm	7 cm
Yamagata (152.5 m)	Zao Onsen	66 cm	103 cm	79 cm	35 cm	2 cm

Each figure is JMA's 1991–2020 normal for total new snow in the month. All seven stations sit on valley floors well below the lifts. Their deepest snow on the ground peaks in February, at 202 cm in Yuzawa and 97 cm in Hakuba, so late February rides on the fullest base of the winter.

When are the lifts busiest in 2026/27?

The New Year week from 28 December to 3 January is the busiest stretch of the winter, and resorts price it that way. Zao Onsen charges its peak ¥9,000 day from 26 December to 3 January. After that the crowds come in waves.

• 18 December to 27 January. New South Wales schools break from 18 December 2026 and Victoria's from 21 December, and both go back after 27 January 2027.
• 9–11 January. Coming of Age Day falls on Monday 11 January 2027, which makes a three-day weekend. Mt.T starts its 150-rider daily cap on 9 January.
• 15 January. The Dosojin fire festival fills Nozawa Onsen, and in 2026 only residents and overnight guests got entry tickets.
• 6 February. Lunar New Year falls on a Saturday in 2027.
• 11 and 23 February. National Foundation Day lands on a Thursday and the Emperor's Birthday on a Tuesday.
• 2–7 March. Snow Machine brings an electronic music festival to Hakuba.
• 20–22 March. The spring equinox holiday falls on Sunday 21 March, so Monday 22 March is a substitute holiday. Happo-one's and Tsugaike's peak and regular ticket periods end that day.
• 29 April to 5 May. Golden Week closes out the season at the resorts still running.

Weekdays between those dates are the quiet ones. In Hakuba the crowds gather at Happo-one and Goryu, and the shuttle reaches the quieter resorts at either end of the valley on the same ticket.

What is March like?

March keeps a deep base with fewer storms, and spring prices start partway through the month. Nozawa's normal snow depth is still 164 cm in March, against 199 cm in February, while its new snow falls to 170 cm from 282 cm. Mt.T drops to a ¥6,000 spring ticket from 10 March, and Zao charges ¥7,000 a day from 15 to 31 March. Akakura Kanko cuts its day ticket to ¥4,000 from 23 March.

A few resorts stop early. Madarao and Myoko Suginohara plan to close on 28 March and Hakuba Cortina on 29 March, so check the closing date before you plan a late-March week in Myoko.

How late can you ski in spring?

Into May at the high areas and into June at Gassan. Happo-one, Nozawa Onsen, Zao Onsen and Shiga Kogen sell tickets to 5 May 2027. NEKOMA's North Area and Arai run to 9 May, and Kagura keeps going until 16 May. In 2025/26 Shiga Kogen's Yokoteyama–Shibutoge area stayed open until mid-May.

Gassan shuts for the whole of winter and opens in April, on 10 April in 2026. Its 2026 ski season ran to 14 June, and the pair lift kept running for single and return rides after that. Mt. Gassan is one of the three Dewa Sanzan mountains of living Shugendo worship, with Gassan Shrine on its summit, so keep to every trail closure and treat the shrine as a place of worship. The road from Shizu Onsen up to the Ubasawa car park closes from 19:00 to 7:00 while there's a risk of ice. Gassan hadn't set its 2027 dates by 11 October 2026.

Spring is also when riding and skiing fit into one trip. The Shibu Pass road above Yudanaka reopens in late April, on the day Gunma's closure list gives, and Nagano's own note on the pass points to the snow walls lining the road just after it opens. Yokoteyama's lifts sit at the top of that climb. In the Hakuba area the flat Azumino Water Course makes an easy valley ride on a rest day while Happo-one is still open.

Will El Niño mean less snow in winter 2026/27?

Riding Japan publishes no snow forecast of its own, so read JMA's. Its seasonal outlook, issued on 18 September 2026 for December to February, gives a 50% chance of below-normal snowfall on the Sea of Japan side of eastern Japan. JMA counts Niigata, Nagano and Gunma in eastern Japan. Tohoku sits in its northern Japan region, where the outlook puts normal and below-normal snowfall at 40% each. The same outlook gives eastern Japan a 60% chance of a warmer winter than normal.

JMA's Tokyo Climate Center reported on 9 October 2026 that the El Niño running since spring 2026 reached its strongest on record in September, with sea temperatures in the NINO.3 region 4.0 °C above normal. That beat the previous record of +3.6 °C, set in December 1997. The El Niño outlook calls it virtually certain to last through the winter, and its next update is due on 10 November 2026.

An outlook gives odds for a three-month average, and a single week can still go either way. If your dates are fixed, book rooms you can cancel and read JMA's monthly update before you pay.

Quick answers

What is the best month to ski in Japan?

January and February are the best months for powder in Japan outside Hokkaido. JMA's 1991–2020 normals put the most new snow in January at all ten JMA stations we keep near ski areas, with 366 cm at Nozawa Onsen, and snow depth peaks in February.

When does the Japanese ski season start in 2026/27?

The 2026/27 ski season in Japan starts on 21 November 2026 at Hakuba Goryu's Toomi slope, snow permitting. Kagura and Nozawa Onsen follow on 28 November, and most Honshu resorts open between 5 and 19 December.

When are Japanese ski resorts most crowded?

Japanese ski resorts are most crowded from 28 December to 3 January. The 2027 peaks after that are the Coming of Age weekend of 9–11 January, Lunar New Year on 6 February, the holidays on 11 and 23 February and the 20–22 March long weekend.

Can you ski in Japan in May?

Yes. In 2027 Happo-one, Nozawa Onsen, Zao Onsen and Shiga Kogen sell tickets to 5 May, Arai and NEKOMA's North Area run to 9 May, and Kagura runs to 16 May. Gassan opens in April, and its 2026 ski season lasted until 14 June.

Will El Niño reduce Japan's snow in 2027?

JMA's outlook issued on 18 September 2026 gives a 50% chance of below-normal snowfall from December to February on the Sea of Japan side of eastern Japan, which includes Niigata and Nagano. JMA reports the strongest El Niño on its record and updates both outlooks monthly.