Oct–NovSnow is 1h 20m from Tokyo on the Hokuriku Shinkansen. January and February bring snow monkeys, thatched villages lit in the snow, dinner in a snow hut, and crab, along one rail line.
From Tokyo, snow starts at Nagano: about 1h 20m, ¥8,450. Iiyama, the stop for Nozawa Onsen, is 1h 40m (¥8,890) and Kanazawa 2h 24m (¥14,600). Dated for 2026–27: Nozawa's Dōsojin fire festival on 15 January 2027, the Shirakawa-go light-up on 11, 17, 24 and 31 January (reservation only), Iiyama's snow-hut village from 22 January to 28 February, Kenrokuen's light-up on 6–10, 13, 20 and 27 February, and snow crab from 6 November to 20 March. The Alpine Route and the Kurobe Gorge Railway are closed. The coast is grey and wet, so choose your days.
Hokuriku has two winters. In Nagano and Niigata the snow lies deep and the skies are often blue. On the Sea of Japan coast the snow comes in waves off the sea, melts in between, and the sky stays low. The Shinkansen line crosses both, so one rail pass or a few tickets can take you from a monkey in a hot spring to a crab dinner in a week. Below: what is on each month, the weather numbers, eleven stops with dates, what is closed, and a 5-day and a 7-day loop from Tokyo.
| Place | December | January | February | March |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kanazawa | 3.5–10.2 °C · 24 cm | 1.2–7.1 °C · 67 cm | 1.0–7.8 °C · 53 cm | 3.4–11.6 °C · 13 cm |
| Toyama | 2.5–9.5 °C · 49 cm | 0.2–6.3 °C · 104 cm | 0.1–7.4 °C · 84 cm | 2.6–11.8 °C · 17 cm |
| Nagano | −1.5–6.9 °C · 30 cm | −3.9–3.8 °C · 63 cm | −3.7–5.3 °C · 50 cm | −0.5–10.3 °C · 17 cm |
| Nozawa Onsen (576 m) | −2.1–4.7 °C · 223 cm | −4.7–1.7 °C · 366 cm | −4.9–2.6 °C · 282 cm | −1.9–6.7 °C · 170 cm |
Average daily low to high, and snowfall as the total of each fall in the month, from JMA 1991–2020 normals. This is not depth on the ground: in the coastal cities snow melts between falls, while Nozawa keeps it. The ski slopes above Nozawa are colder than the village station. Kanazawa gets about 62 hours of sun in January and Toyama 68, against 193 in Tokyo.
Wild macaques bathe in a steaming valley pool, best from December to March, with snow-capped faces in January and February. Arrive at 9:00 to 10:00, wear micro-spikes, and stay in Shibu if you want the nine baths too. Entry is ¥1,000 from 1 December 2026 (¥880 online). Yudanaka and Shibu guide.
Thirteen free village baths and a ski hill at the top of the street. On Friday 15 January 2027 village men aged 25 and 42 defend a wooden shrine against burning torches. Rooms for that night go very early. A day lift ticket is ¥7,800 in the regular period (19 Dec to 28 Mar). Nozawa Onsen guide.
About 20 snow huts are built in a rice field and you eat a Shinshu-miso hot pot in one. The 2027 dates are 22 January to 28 February; 2027 prices are not yet out (lunch was ¥6,300 and dinner ¥6,800 in 2026), and weekend evenings fill within days of booking opening in December. Iiyama also has a temple walk and is the gateway to Nozawa. Iiyama guide.
Nine resorts and up to 13 m of snow a season, with Suginohara's 8.5 km top-to-bottom route, billed as Japan's longest. Powder days are January and February. Book the 28 December to 5 January weeks early. The season runs December to March. See every Hokuriku ski resort compared. Myōkō ski guide.
Ten resorts on one pass at ¥11,100 a day in 2026–27. The high resorts usually open in early December and powder is best from January to mid-February. Reached from Itoigawa on the Ōito Line, which the Arch Pass covers. Hakuba ski guide.
Four evenings, 11, 17, 24 and 31 January 2027, 17:30 to 19:30. Entry is by reservation only: a room, a car-park slot or a bus seat. Hokutetsu sells the Kanazawa bus from 14:00 on 13 October (for 11 Jan), then 19 Oct, 26 Oct and 2 Nov. Without a booking, go by day. Light-up guide.
The trawlers sail on 6 November. Female kōbako crab lasts about two months; males run to 20 March. Eat it at Omicho Market, at an Awara or Mikuni ryokan, or as cheaper red snow crab at Shinminato. January and February weekdays are the value; 29 December to 3 January is the peak. Snow crab guide.
The yukitsuri ropes hold up the pines from 1 November to mid-March, and the garden is lit on 6–10, 13, 20 and 27 February 2027. Winter hours are 8:00 to 17:00 (¥320). Hotels are cheapest in January. Add Omicho for crab and the museums for the grey days. Kanazawa by season, Kenrokuen.
The 25,000 LEDs of Aze no Kirameki on the Shiroyone terraces are back for winter 2026–27, from mid-October to mid-March, after a break following the 2024 earthquake. Wakura Onsen is reachable by train; Wajima needs a car and a booked bed. What is open in Noto.
On clear winter mornings the 3,000 m Tateyama range stands across the bay, and December to February is when the snow cover peaks. Himi's certified winter yellowtail runs November to February, fattest in December and January. The Himi Line is covered by the JR Pass and Arch Pass. Himi and Amaharashi.
The smaller UNESCO villages hold their own: Suganuma on 6–7 February (¥1,000 a car) and Ainokura on 20–21 February 2027, with no entry reservation for Ainokura. There are 4 buses a day and roads close in storms, so leave slack. Gokayama, Shirakawa-go alternatives.
| Item | Winter 2026–27 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route | Closed after 30 Nov 2026 | Reopened on 15 April in 2025 and 2026; the 2027 date is not announced. Snow walls are a spring sight. See the snow wall guide. |
| Kurobe Gorge Railway | Closed from 1 Dec | Reopened on 20 April in 2026. Unazuki Onsen itself stays open. |
| Kanazawa to Shirakawa-go bus | Runs all year | Does not stop in Gokayama from December to March, and heavy snow can delay or stop it. |
| Shirakawa-go on 11, 17, 24, 31 Jan | Reservation only, 17:30–19:30 | Day car parks take their last cars at 15:00 on those days and everyone without an event ticket must leave by 17:00. |
See the Alpine Route page and the Kurobe Gorge page for the spring dates once announced.
None of this is a reason to stay home. Each is a reason to build slack into the days.
Day 1: Tokyo to Nagano (1h 20m, ¥8,450), Nagaden to Yudanaka, night in Shibu. Day 2: monkeys at 9:00, back to Nagano, Shinkansen to Iiyama (11 min), bus to Nozawa (¥600), baths, night there (15 January is the fire festival). Day 3: skiing or baths, then back to Iiyama for the temple walk and the snow-hut dinner (22 Jan to 28 Feb). Day 4: Iiyama to Jōetsu-Myōkō (12 min) and a day at Myōkō. Day 5: Jōetsu-Myōkō to Tokyo (¥9,660). The two long legs cost ¥18,110 in tickets, plus the short hops. The 5-day JR East Pass (¥35,000) covers it but rarely pays.
Days 1 to 3 as above, ending the third night in Iiyama. Day 4: Iiyama to Toyama (about an hour), the Himi Line to Amaharashi and a sushi dinner. Day 5: Toyama to Kanazawa (18 to 23 min, ¥3,390), Kenrokuen and Omicho crab. Day 6: Shirakawa-go by bus (¥2,800 each way) or Noto. Day 7: Kanazawa to Tokyo (2h 24m, ¥14,600). Rail legs by ticket: ¥8,450 + ¥7,290 (Nagano to Toyama) + ¥3,390 + ¥14,600 = ¥33,730, plus the Iiyama stop. The Arch Pass is ¥35,000, so it pays only if you add extra Shinkansen hops.
Tokyo to Tsuruga, reserved seats included, covers Iiyama, Toyama and Kanazawa. Ticket fares for the 7-day loop above are ¥33,730, so it pays once you add hops. Worked fares.
Find on Klook ↗The Jigokudani monkeys and back in a day. Check the listing for what transport is included.
See on Klook ↗Snow on the thatch without the scramble. Any January day will do; this is not the light-up.
See on Klook ↗The JR East Pass stops at Jōetsu-Myōkō. The table says when each pass pays.
Rail pass hub →Prices are per person with dinner and breakfast for ryokan, and per room for the station hotel. They move a lot by date.
The 1936 Saigetsurō widely linked to Spirited Away, eight baths and a guests-only building tour at 17:30. Minimum two per room.
The village's grand ryokan, steps from Ōyu, with its own garden source cooled without adding water.
Top-floor hot-spring baths and a short walk to the Kagayaki platforms for early departures.
A restaurant-inn where the kaiseki dinner is the reason to stay, a short walk from Higashi Chaya.
Yes, if you want snow, onsen and crab, and no if you want clear skies or the mountain railways. Once New Year ends (about 3 January) the cities are at their quietest and hotels at their cheapest. Nozawa Onsen has its fire festival on 15 January 2027 and Shirakawa-go its light-up on 11, 17, 24 and 31 January. The Sea of Japan coast is grey: Kanazawa gets about 62 hours of sun in January, Tokyo 193. Avoid 29 December to 3 January.
In northern Nagano, on the Hokuriku Shinkansen. Nagano is about 1h 20m from Tokyo (¥8,450 reserved), Iiyama for Nozawa Onsen about 1h 40m (¥8,890) and Jōetsu-Myōkō for Myōkō's ski resorts about 2h (¥9,660). Nozawa Onsen averages 366 cm of snowfall in January (JMA 1991–2020, village station at 576 m).
Yes, but it comes and goes. JMA normals give Kanazawa 67 cm of snowfall in January and 53 cm in February, and Toyama 104 cm and 84 cm, counted as the total of each fall; much of it melts between storms. For snow that stays, go to Shirakawa-go, Gokayama or Nozawa. Kenrokuen's yukitsuri ropes stand from 1 November to mid-March, and its winter light-up is on 6–10, 13, 20 and 27 February 2027.
No. The Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route closes after 30 November 2026 and reopened on 15 April in both 2025 and 2026; the 2027 date is not announced. The Kurobe Gorge Railway is also shut over winter (it reopened on 20 April in 2026). In winter the Alps are for skiing at Hakuba and Myōkō, which open in December.
Usually not. A one-way run from Tokyo to Kanazawa is ¥14,600 in tickets. The 7-day Hokuriku Arch Pass (¥35,000) covers the whole Shinkansen line and pays once you add extra hops; the 5-day JR East Pass (¥35,000) stops at Jōetsu-Myōkō and is rarely worth it. See the pass comparison.
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