It looks like nature is going to win out quicker than imagined, with the Shibutoge part of Yokoteyama-Shibutoge now planning to be open until next Sunday, May 17th. (So not until the end of the month and certainly not into next month either like they were hinting at a number of weeks back...)

This last weekend aside, generally very warm weather over the last few weeks has really seen snow melt away very quickly.

Right now it's only the one lift as well that is open - the Shibutoge pair lift. All of the Yokoteyama lifts are now closed for skiing as of the end of the day yesterday.

There's a early season typhoon on the way towards Japan at the moment and that may well affect things this week with strong winds forecast. If you are planning on coming to ski or board at Shibutoge, I highly recommend checking directly with the resort first just to make sure they will be open.

I'll keep an eye on the information available each morning and post if there is any news.

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Please note that Route 292 connecting Shiga Kogen with Gunma is open daily from 8am until 5pm.