Niseko 2026-27 Opens Nov 28; New Village Gondola in December

Niseko's four resorts plan to open on November 28

According to the official Niseko United page, all four resorts (Niseko Grand Hirafu, Niseko Hanazono, Niseko Village and Niseko Annupuri) plan to start the 2026-27 season on Saturday, November 28, 2026. Closing dates differ by resort.

Niseko Grand Hirafu and Niseko Annupuri: through Wednesday, May 5, 2027
Niseko Village: through Sunday, April 4, 2027
Niseko Hanazono: through Sunday, April 11, 2027

Night skiing is scheduled from December 12 to March 22, 2027. The official page notes that operating periods may change.

Lift pass pricing periods

The pricing periods for the All-Mountain lift pass are listed on the official page. According to the Niseko Village guide, November 28 to December 11 is Early season and March 23 to April 4 is Spring season.

Regular: December 12 to 23, and March 1 to 22
Peak: December 24 to February 28
Final: April 5 to May 5

New this winter: Niseko Village's "New Forest Gondola"

Niseko Village is building an eight-person "New Forest Gondola" (Mori no Gondola) to replace the Forest chairlift. Section 1, which runs up to about 670 m in elevation, is scheduled to open in December 2026. Section 2, up to about 930 m, is targeted for completion in December 2027. Capacity is expected to be about twice that of the current lift.

Section 1 is expected to open in December, which is separate from the November 28 opening day. Check Niseko Village's official announcements for when you can ride it.

According to press reports, at Niseko Grand Hirafu the Ace No. 3 lift will be replaced with a four-person lift with a hood. The Niseko Annupuri gondola is planned to be replaced with a ten-person model by the 2028-29 season.

This morning's observations: no snowfall nationwide

In this morning's observations on our site (6:30 on October 8), the 24-hour snowfall at every Japan Meteorological Agency AMeDAS station (its automated weather stations) was reported as "no snowfall." No location reached the 5 cm guideline we use for powder, and no ski resort is reporting a snow depth. No snowfall or snow depth figures are showing around Niseko either.

Asahidake had the first snow cap of the season in Japan on October 2, but it will be a while before snow settles on the slopes. If you are aiming for Niseko powder, the opening dates and new lift information above should help you plan.

Other early openings

Sayama Ski Resort, near the Tokyo area in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, opens on Friday, October 30. It is making snow around the clock every day, aiming for slopes with 70 cm of snow. Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort opens on Saturday, October 31, the earliest opening in Nagano Prefecture.

As the natural snow season approaches, check the site's snowfall ranking and live cams for the latest conditions.

Sources

Prepared with AI assistance from public sources. Always check each resort's official website for the latest information.