Where Does It Snow Most in Japan? Snowfall by Region Compared

David

The snowiest places in Japan are in Tohoku and along the Niigata and Nagano border, not in Hokkaido. Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) averages for 1991 to 2020 give Sukayu, in Aomori's Hakkoda mountains, 1,706 cm of snowfall a year. Kutchan, the town below Niseko, averages 921 cm. Hokkaido's advantage is temperature: its snow falls colder, so it is lighter and drier. Among cities, JMA averages give Aomori 567 cm a year, more than Sapporo (479 cm), while Tokyo gets 8 cm and Fukuoka 2 cm.

How much snow falls in each region?

The table uses JMA's 30-year averages (JMA normals) for weather stations close to well-known ski areas. "Snowfall" is the total of new snow over a year. "February depth" is the average of each February's deepest snow on the ground.

Most of these stations sit in villages, not on the slopes. Resorts usually get more snow higher up, and the totals resorts advertise are measured at different heights, so they are hard to compare. The station figures are useful because they are measured the same way everywhere.

Which cities get the most snow?

City weather stations rank differently from the mountain villages above. These are JMA averages for 1991 to 2020. "Deepest snow" is the average of each year's deepest snow on the ground.

Sources: JMA normals for Aomori, Asahikawa, Sapporo, Yamagata, Niigata, Tokyo and Fukuoka.

Of these seven cities Aomori gets the most, followed by Asahikawa and Sapporo. Niigata Prefecture has deep snow in its mountains, but Niigata city on the coastal plain averages only 139 cm. Tokyo and Fukuoka average single figures.

Why does the Sea of Japan side get so much snow?

In winter, cold air from Siberia crosses the Sea of Japan, picks up moisture and drops it as snow when it hits the mountains on Japan's west coast. That is why the snowiest stations are all on the Sea of Japan side of the main ranges. Tokyo and the Pacific coast stay mostly dry and sunny. For how this snow compares with the Alps, see Alps vs Japan for skiing.

Hokkaido: less snow, colder and drier

Kutchan averages 921 cm a year and about 1.8 m on the ground in February. The figures are lower than the Niigata border towns, but February averages -4.9°C in Kutchan and -7.4°C in Furano, against roughly 0°C in Niigata. Snow that falls this cold is lighter, and it stays light for longer after a storm.

Furano gets less snow (628 cm in town) but is the coldest station in this list, so the snow it does get stays dry. Start with Niseko Hirafu, Rusutsu and Furano, and see today's depths on the Hokkaido snow report.

Niigata: the deepest snow near Tokyo

Tsunan averages 1,301 cm a year and holds JMA's fifth-highest depth record, 419 cm on February 24, 2022 (JMA records). Yuzawa, the Shinkansen town for GALA and Naeba, averages 1,054 cm and recorded 358 cm in January 2006. Sekiyama, at the foot of Myoko, averages 1,061 cm.

The trade-off is temperature. February in these towns averages around 0°C, so the snow is wetter than Hokkaido's, and a warm spell can bring rain at village level. Takada, on the coastal plain in Joetsu, averages 2.7°C in February and gets far less snow than the mountains a short drive inland. Higher resorts such as Lotte Arai and Kagura hold their snow better. See the Niigata snow report.

Nagano: big snow in the north, less in the valleys

Nozawa Onsen averages 1,087 cm a year and about 2 m on the ground in February, close to the Niigata figures. Hakuba's station, on the valley floor, averages 655 cm, which is about half that. The Hakuba resorts reach far higher than the village, so the slopes get much more than the station shows, but the valley-floor number explains why lower runs can be thin in a poor year.

Nozawa Onsen and Hakuba Happo-one are the usual starting points. Current depths are on the Nagano snow report.

Tohoku: the most snow of all

Sukayu, in the Hakkoda mountains of Aomori, has the highest annual snowfall in the table at 1,706 cm. Its average February depth is 373 cm, and it holds Japan's second-highest depth record, 566 cm on February 26, 2013. Only the historic 1927 record on Mount Ibuki in Shiga is higher. Hijiori in Yamagata averages 1,469 cm and reached 445 cm in 2018.

Sukayu is also cold, at -6.9°C in February, so Hakkoda's snow is both deep and dry. The downside is weather: strong winds and storms close upper lifts more often than at sheltered resorts. Tohoku is also where the "snow monsters" (frozen trees) form at Zao and Hakkoda; see our snow monsters guide.

Gifu and Hokuriku: more snow than its reputation

Shirakawa in northern Gifu averages 972 cm a year, more than Kutchan, with about 1.7 m on the ground in February. Temperatures are close to Niigata's, so the snow is heavier than in Hokkaido. These resorts are mostly visited by skiers from Nagoya and Osaka, which keeps them quieter on weekdays. Dynaland and Takasu Snow Park are two of the better-known resorts. See the Gifu snow report.

Which region should you pick?

• For the lightest snow, choose Hokkaido, where February averages -5°C or colder.
• For the deepest snow within reach of Tokyo, choose Niigata or northern Nagano. Echigo-Yuzawa is about 70 to 80 minutes from Tokyo by Shinkansen.
• For the biggest totals and fewer crowds, choose Tohoku, but expect wind holds.
• For short trips from Nagoya or Osaka, choose Gifu.

Averages say little about a single week. Check the snow forecast before you book and again a few days out. For a longer look at the north and south, see Hokkaido vs Honshu snow. To choose a resort on more than snowfall, see the best ski resorts in Japan compared. Late-season trips follow different rules. Spring skiing in Japan lists closing dates and where to ski in April, May and June.

FAQ

Where is the snowiest place in Japan?

Among JMA stations, Sukayu in Aomori has the most snowfall, averaging 1,706 cm a year from 1991 to 2020. The deepest snow ever recorded was 1,182 cm on Mount Ibuki in Shiga in 1927.

Does Hokkaido get more snow than Honshu?

Not at town level. Kutchan, near Niseko, averages 921 cm a year, while Tsunan in Niigata averages 1,301 cm and Nozawa Onsen 1,087 cm. Hokkaido's snow is colder and drier.

Does it snow in Tokyo?

JMA averages for Tokyo are 8 cm of snowfall a year and 6 cm of deepest snow. The nearest heavy-snow area is Yuzawa in Niigata, about 70 to 80 minutes away by shinkansen.

Which month has the most snow?

January brings the most new snow at almost every station in the table. Snow on the ground usually peaks in February, and at Sukayu it stays near its peak into March.