Your First Winter in Niseko (Kutchan): Snow Rules and Getting Ready — Tyres, Snow, Parking, Roof Falls

Your first winter in Niseko (Kutchan) gets a lot easier if you sort out two things early: getting your car and your home ready for snow, and learning the local snow rules. Switch to winter tyres before the first snow, by November at the latest. Keep snow off the road, never park on the street. Kutchan has clear rules for living safely in a place that gets this much snow.

This article was checked against Kutchan Town's official pages on 7 October 2026. Snow-clearing practice and the weather change by year, so confirm the latest with the linked pages or the town office. If the first job on your list is the move-in paperwork, read moving to Niseko without regrets alongside this to get the order right.

Here is what to do before you arrive, or before the snow really starts.

1. Switch to winter (studless) tyres, by November, and check the tread and age 2. Get a snow shovel, winter wiper blades and de-icer spray 3. Check how snow comes off your building, and where you can put the snow from your entrance 4. Ask your landlord whether you can use a snow-melting gutter, and how rubbish and kerosene delivery work 5. Read Kutchan's snow rules once (no snow on the road, no street parking)

Winter tyres by November: the first snow comes in late October

In Hokkaido you change to winter tyres before the first snow. Sapporo's first snow falls around the end of October in a normal year, and inland Shiribeshi, which includes Kutchan, can settle into lasting snow even earlier. If you wait until it has piled up, the tyre shops get busy and you wait days, so book in October.

Check the condition of the tyres when you change them. The Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) says a studless tyre can no longer be used for winter once the remaining tread drops below half of new (about 5 mm), and that it is finished once the "platform" indicator touches the ground (source: JAF tyre-inspection Q&A). Old tyres grip poorly, so judge by both age and tread. The price of the tyres and the fitting fee vary by shop and size, so ask for a rough figure when you book. A freshly fitted set of studless tyres needs about 100 km of running in before the grip settles, which shows on hard braking and on hills. Keep a shovel, winter wipers and de-icer spray in the car and a sudden snowy day will not catch you out. On winter roads the basics are a wider gap to the car ahead, care at intersections and on bridges where ice forms, and no sudden steering or braking.

Keep snow off the road: Kutchan's snow rules and the melting gutters

Kutchan Town has a snow bylaw, with rules that residents are expected to follow. The most important one is not to push your cleared snow onto the road. The town states plainly that "the road is not a snow dump," and throwing snow across to the far side is dangerous and not allowed. The snow from your own lot is dealt with on your lot or at a designated place (source: living comfortably through Kutchan's winter, Construction Division Heavy Snow Office, 0136-56-8011).

Around town there are "snow-melting gutters" (ryusetsuko) that carry snow away in running water. Where you can use them they are handy, but you have to keep to the set times for putting snow in, not shovel it in all at once by machine (that blocks the channel), and never remove the iron frames inside the gutter. Follow the patrol staff's instructions. Whether your home can use a melting gutter depends on the district, so check with your landlord or management company when you move in, and you will not be stuck for somewhere to put the snow once winter starts.

Watch for snow falling off roofs: snow guards and your entrance

The thing newcomers to snow country miss is snow sliding off roofs. Kutchan Town warns that every year, snow falling from roofs injures people on foot or blocks the way. Roof snow is most likely to slide when the temperature is roughly between minus 3 and plus 3 degrees. Before you move in, look at whether the house has solid snow guards, and whether people or cars pass under the eaves (source: watch for falling snow).

Keep your entrance and emergency exits clear so you can always get out. You wake up to a white window, and the day starts by digging out the front door. That is a normal Kutchan winter. Do not let children play under the eaves or on the road, where falling snow is a risk. If you rent an empty house or a shed, check on it often and clear the roof.

Do not park on the street: it blocks snow clearing and ambulances

Street parking in winter is clearly banned in Kutchan. Leave a car on a road the plough runs along overnight and the snow cannot be cleared, so the road stays narrow. Emergency vehicles like ambulances and fire engines can be blocked too. When you rent a flat or a condo, check before you sign that winter parking is secured. Sorting it out after you arrive is genuinely hard in a Kutchan winter. If you are coming for winter work by car, check the dorm and parking conditions first in winter resort jobs in Niseko, and you will not slip up on where you live. If you still need a place, you can look for a room with parking in find a home or room.

FAQ

When should I change to winter tyres?

Before the first snow, by November at the latest. Sapporo's first snow is around the end of October in a normal year, and inland Kutchan can be earlier. The tyre shops get busy once it piles up, so booking in October means no wait.

Where do I put the snow from my entrance?

Not on the road. It is dealt with on your own lot or at a place set for your district. If your district has a melting gutter, you can put snow in it within the set times and rules. Whether you can use one varies by district, so check with your landlord or the town's Construction Division.

Can I park my car on the road?

Winter street parking is banned. It blocks snow clearing and emergency vehicles. Check before you sign that your rental includes winter parking.

Your home for the first winter, parking included, starts here.

— Niseko Hub Editorial Team