Snowball Japan

Snowball Japan Snowball Chalet is a boutique ski lodge at Madarao Mountain Ski Resort, Nagano Japan, just a 2 hour

Snowball Chalet is a boutique 10-room ski lodge in the heart of Madarao mountain village, just 100m from the ski slopes (and an easy 2hr trip from Tokyo). Built in stunning cedar wood, it has been lovingly restored with plush new carpets, designer fireplace, Japanese o-furo bathtubs, comfy couches, new bathrooms, drying room for your ski gear, quality furniture and lovely Japanese art, features & photography.

After a long white Winter, Sakura season in Japan colours the world and puts a spring in your step. Every time we see th...
27/05/2026

After a long white Winter, Sakura season in Japan colours the world and puts a spring in your step. Every time we see the cherry blossoms they offer something new to cherish.

Our first year was all about getting in close and filling our face with the tiny pink petals. Our hanami ju has developed over the years and 2026 was all about diversity.

We sought flowers at all stages of bloom, headed out for city night flourishes and treasured the blossoms grown lovingly in our very own garden. We were calmed by fallen blooms on a koi pond and obsessed with the local wild blossom trees in our gorgeous 'satoyama' scenery amongst the mountains.

There are many reasons people are enamoured by these delicate little blooms. To say nothing of the poetry of passing time and seasons, Japan’s cherry blossoms are just simply beautiful in a multitude of magnificent ways... 🌸💕🌸

https://www.snowballjapan.com/pages/cherry-blossom-bliss-2026

Our 9th season is done. What a ride!We always get a wonderful range of snow magic here at Madarao. Our biggest season wa...
04/05/2026

Our 9th season is done. What a ride!

We always get a wonderful range of snow magic here at Madarao. Our biggest season was 2022 — a whopping 22 metres on the Snowball Chalet lawn. Totally epic.

This year was a very different story. The full season total was just 6.4 metres. Compare that to our big seasons of 22 metres or our normal seasons of 11–13 metres and it doesn't sound like much.

But here's the thing — it was kind of brilliant.

We had around the same number of storms and most delivered more than 20 centimetres, making for near-perfect conditions. Once a storm exceeds 40 centimetres you're talking bottomless powder — the best snow just about anyone on the planet could hope for. Personally it's never too deep, but 3 metre storms aren't for everyone!

Because of the way the snow fell, almost every storm delivered and we had way more bluebird days than normal. I want it to go back to its normal of deeeeep snow every night but I can begrudgingly acknowledge that even our lowest snowfall season in 9 years was still pretty well perfect.

Snow dance choreography for next season has already begun. Not posting a pic of my snow dance outfit. Nobody needs to see me in my snowkini!

Our 10th Anniversary season is coming and we are planning something special to celebrate. Bring on 26-27!

Pic is my life long friend Ari who owns gorgeous YukiNoKi at Tangram Madarao which has just become a Snowball Japan property. Stay tuned for more!

https://www.snowballjapan.com/snow-reports/snowball-japan-season-9-snow-report-wrap-up

Andy and Emily are the powerhouse behind pretty much all of Snowball Japan. Together the run the show.Emily has just wra...
02/05/2026

Andy and Emily are the powerhouse behind pretty much all of Snowball Japan. Together the run the show.

Emily has just wrapped up her first full season having taken over Snowball Japan Guest Services and Operations, and what a season it was. From the moment guests arrived to the moment they headed home, she and her team went above and beyond to make sure every stay was seamless and every guest felt looked after. The feedback we received this winter was a real testament to the culture she has built around genuine hospitality. Her energy, dedication and attention to detail throughout were so impressive, and we couldn't be prouder of everything she achieved.

Many of you will know that Andy and I have moved into an exciting new chapter — rescuing and restoring beautiful old Japanese buildings that might otherwise have been lost forever. Japan has an extraordinary architectural heritage, and we feel incredibly lucky to be working alongside our skilled local carpenters to bring these structures back to life using traditional techniques. There is something deeply satisfying about seeing an old building transformed while still honouring the craftsmanship of the people who built it generations ago. Andy drives much of the design work, bringing a wonderful eye for blending the old with the new, and somehow, on top of all of that, manages to keep the entire Snowball Japan business running.

https://www.snowballjapan.com/pages/andy-and-emily-the-team-behind-snowball-japan

The views from the lounge at Mori Lodge are simply stunning. We look right over a lovely forest, West towards Mount Myok...
01/05/2026

The views from the lounge at Mori Lodge are simply stunning. We look right over a lovely forest, West towards Mount Myoko.

It is a masterpiece of a mountain and is partially responsible for the epic snow Tangram and Madarao get during the winter. When there is a North West storm (most of our storms) it funnels the snow laden cold air racing up the Joetsu plains directly at Madarao Mountain.

Thank you Myoko for the snow and the beautiful views. We are forever grateful!

https://www.snowballjapan.com/pages/mori-lodge-lounge-view-of-mount-myoko

We will do a proper Cherry Blossom post but just wanted to share the magic of one pic in the meantime.When the snow melt...
01/05/2026

We will do a proper Cherry Blossom post but just wanted to share the magic of one pic in the meantime.

When the snow melts I feel a major sense of loss but when the Cherry Blossom season starts it brightens my day. This year we went to Kanazawa for Hanami (花見 - Cherry Blossom Viewing), yep they have a word for it.

It was totally perfect weather and it couldn't have lifted our spirits more!

https://www.snowballjapan.com/pages/cherry-blossoms-and-the-castle-in-kanazawa

Well it's a little late for a season wrap but we had to go cherry blossom hunting and we did a few road trips to the hig...
01/05/2026

Well it's a little late for a season wrap but we had to go cherry blossom hunting and we did a few road trips to the higher mountains in spring as well, hiking up and riding fresh lines all the way to the bottom of the jar.

A fabulously fun season had by all our guests and so many great days. The snow fall was a little less than our typical average but we had a lot more blue bird days than normal as well. The conditions for the most part were pretty well prefect with cold temps and high snow quality. Madarao and Tangram resorts really shine in the seasons with less than average snowfall as we face pretty well directly North so a lot less sun strikes us than the other resorts in the area.

Madarao and Tangram have released their first trail map that shows perfectly the whole ski resort on one page. It is so good to see it like that because for the first time it kind of represents the brilliance of Mount Madarao.

https://www.snowballjapan.com/pages/season-wrap-up-2025-2026

21/01/2026

A few bad connections and horrible camera skills and I rabbit on but 63cm overnight makes the world a beautiful place!!!

The very amazing is playing the first of our Snowball Fireside Sessions on January the 11th from 4-7pm.Toshizo san is a...
09/01/2026

The very amazing is playing the first of our Snowball Fireside Sessions on January the 11th from 4-7pm.
Toshizo san is an incredible musician and we are very lucky to have him play.
He will also being doing other dates in the village at Madarao Mountain Lodge and Smokies.
If you like cocktails, great whisky, delicious sake, sensational wines and beautiful food in front of the fire place Snowball could be your jam!

Yesterday's snow was too good so burnt all my writing time by riding. Just the way it ought to be.It snowed all day long...
09/01/2026

Yesterday's snow was too good so burnt all my writing time by riding. Just the way it ought to be.

It snowed all day long yesterday the 8th of January. Early there was lots of wind but as the day went on the wind died and we just had perfect light dry snow falling from the heavens.

A total of 45 cm fell onto the lawn at Snowball and the resort just got better and better through the day. Everyone who got back from their day on the mountain was both exhausted and totally buzzing. It really was the stuff dreams are made of.

And then we wake up today the 9th to total blue bird, not a cloud in the sky, completely still and perfect fun.

The temperature this morning was minus 6 and we now have a cumulative snowfall of 350cm's. If you have been following along with this years snow reports you won't be surprised to hear there is a lot more snow in the forecast.

Today's pic Annemiek the co-founder of Japan Snow Sports in full attack mode in the back country. Japan Snow Sports is one of the best guiding outfits and know all our local mountains like the back for their hands so if you want to do amazing things like ski the Myoko Volcano they are your go to team to make that happen...

https://www.snowballjapan.com/snow-reports/promises-in-the-snow-report-for-madarao-and-tangram

Sorry everyone. I missed a brilliant snow day report so here it is from 2 days ago, January the 6th...Woke up early and ...
08/01/2026

Sorry everyone. I missed a brilliant snow day report so here it is from 2 days ago, January the 6th...

Woke up early and pushed a path through the 35cm's of snow on the Snowball front lawn. Got very variable readings from 29cm to 43cm so am calling it 35 :) Not very scientific but it is the best I can do.

The snow fell initially with wind so it wasn't the most super fluffy light powder but it was totally lovely anyway. We roamed the mountain riding first tracks pretty well everywhere we went. Local knowledge goes a long way on a pow day!!!

The season total so far is now 305cm's. For just about anywhere else in the world this is huge but fort us this is really feeling like an average year so far. We also haven't had an overnight Magic Madarao Metre and for us powder pigs it doesn't really feel real until that happens. I need to be chest deep in the pow.

Temp was a lovely minus 5 pretty well all day and the wind stayed away and it was more or less blue sky with the odd cloud all day.

Spoiler alert... There will be another report coming today - January 8 as it has been snowing heavily all day.

Pic today is your's truly having more fun in the trees. You must all be sick of seeing me in pow day after day but this one was pretty with the sun lighting up the rooster tail. Sorry not sorry. Also looking at this photo it is kind of funny for me to complain abou the snow not being powdery enough...

https://www.snowballjapan.com/snow-reports/118

住所

11492/331
Iiyama-shi, Nagano
389-2235

電話番号

+819045951999

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