Japan ski areas see bumper season as heavy snow draws visitors
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A month of heavy snowfall has revived Japan’s ski resorts after a slow start to the season, drawing renewed interest from Americans and other overseas visitors in search of fresh powder.
PHOTO: PIXABAY
JAPAN – A month of heavy snowfall
Some ski areas are experiencing their best snow depth in more than a decade, according to data from SnowJapan.com, an independent website that tracks conditions.
One city in the northern prefecture of Aomori had its deepest snow
“We’ve constantly seen some fresh powder every day,” said SkiJapan.com marketing manager Soji Kato. The travel agency offers packages for tourists in resort areas such as Niseko and Hakuba.
While it is good news for ski resorts, the intense snowfall has created hazardous conditions across parts of western and northern Japan.
More than two dozen people have died over the last two weeks due to harsh conditions and snow-related accidents, according to public broadcaster NHK. Snowstorms have also affected air travel, causing flight delays and cancellations.
Total snowfall in Niseko, on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, was near a record in January, according to a recent update on SnowJapan.com. The website also observed a noticeable increase in visitors in January, said founder Andrew Lea.
The increased precipitation in Japan is offering an alternative for ski-slope enthusiasts from other regions that have seen a dearth of snow.
There has been “an unusually high number of last-minute bookings this season, with people pivoting from United States and Canadian resorts due to a lack of snow”, said Ms Marnie McLaren of The Snow Concierge, an Australia-based agency that offers trips to Japan.
Overall, inquiries related to Japan for this season have doubled from 2025, driven largely by client interest from North America, Ms McLaren added. Already, customer interest for next winter is up 27 per cent compared with the same time last year, she said.
Accommodation in Niseko is almost full, said Mr Alister Buckingham, marketing manager at travel agency Japan Ski Experience, who is based in the area. “There are more Americans here now than there have been in previous years,” he added.
Perhaps counterintuitively, climate change may be one driver of the high snow volumes, according to a preliminary analysis published recently by the Japan-based Weather Attribution Center.
The researchers found that January’s heavy snowfall along the coast of the Sea of Japan was in part due to global warming, with higher temperatures increasing the volume of water vapour in the atmosphere. That creates the conditions for heightened precipitation when combined with a powerful cold front.
More snow is on the way, with forecasts pointing towards significant snowfall as a frigid air mass pushes towards Japan. BLOOMBERG
