Ski Japan - Nagano

When you ski Japan you’re on the slopes of one of the world’s leading ski nations and the main ski country in Asia. There are more than 500 Japanese ski resorts spread across the country – a number only matched by Austria, Germany and the United States.

The ski centres stretch across the country and have a reputation of excellent snowfalls, particularly on the northern island of Hokkaido where annual snow accumulations are normally among the deepest in the world, officially only beaten by Mt Baker in Washington State just across the Pacific in the USA.

Skiing in Japan also has the longest history of downhill winter sports in the continent, with the sport introduced by famous Austrian pioneer Hannes Schneider from the Arlberg who popularised skiing in early films and books all over the world and is now commemorated in a dedicated ski museum in Nozawa Onsen, one of the country’s best known resorts where Schneider taught skiing in the early 1920s.

Most of the resorts are comparatively small in extent but in some cases up to a dozen small areas are inter-linked or at least very close together, such as the many sectors of 1998 Winter Olympic venue Nagano – one of two Olympics staged in Japan, the only country outside Europe and the US to stage a winter games.

The evolution of wintersports in Japan is a unique one and reflects both economic and consumer trends.

While in most first world countries with a long history of skiing the sport gradually grew and matured and has remained relatively stable for two or three decades now, interest in skiing among the Japanese population peaked in the 1980s and then dramatically dropped at the start of the 1990s after a collapse of the Japanese economy coincided with growth in interest in other activities, particularly computer gaming. Skier numbers declined from 20 million a year to around a third of that number, although they have now recovered to about 10 million.

During the boom years Japan was known for having very crowded slopes – there are almost no drag lifts in the country and multiple chairlifts deposited Japanese skiers en masse at the top of slopes. As Japan is a very polite and respectful society, this rarely caused the kind of bad temper, pushing and shoving it might in Europe or North America and instead everyone made space. Many ski areas were efficiently accessed by rail from the country’s cities too and skiers would arrive in the early hours of the morning to ski through the small hours as ski areas operated nearly 24 hours a day to cope with demand.

Another consequence of the 1980s popularity of skiing was that in its early years, snowboarding was largely banned on the country’s slopes, with resort managers seeing no reason why they should complicate matters by allowing boarders on their ski runs. There was also little of the Western model of diversification in activities and resort facilities. There were basic hotels, ski runs only, childcare facilities were rare and while most skiing nations have a mix of nationalities on their slopes, non-Japanese skiers very rare too. This was partly due to the lack of any languages being spoken or signage other than Japanese and partly as the Yen was riding high making skiing very expensive.

The ski boom also led to Japan being a pioneer of indoor skiing with one of the world’s earliest centres opened in the 1950s and in the modern era a dozen indoor centres opening in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including what is still the biggest ever built – the SSAWS dome in Tokyo harbour with a 500m long, 100m wide slope built on earthquake absorbing piles to save the centre from the potential danger of an indoor avalanche. This centre was eventually demolished to make way for Japan’s first IKEA store, having never repaid its construction costs.

Indeed the 1990s saw many Japanese ski areas mothballed. Japanese business ownership rules meant it was generally better to close a ski centre down and leave it potentially operational rather than dismantle it.

Seeking to re-invent itself, the country’s major ski areas have, particularly in the last decade, followed Western business models far more, diversifying their resort activity range, dining and accommodation options.

None has been more successful in doing so than Niseko which has risen to worldwide fame as a cult free riding resort attracting powder hounds from around the world and particularly Australia, as Aussies have realised they have a shorter trip and no jet lag travelling to Japan than their traditional choices of Canada and to a lesser extent the US and the Alps. This has allowed Niseko to have far more English language information than other resorts, making the resort instantly more attractive to the global market.

A main attraction is the remarkable snow conditions, but visitors have also found that modern Japan also offers great food in its restaurants and relatively affordable prices. Service standards are also very high and the local population friendly and respectful in their welcome. Japan also has several unique attractions including the hot spring onsen baths found at many resorts and eternally popular karaoke bars for après ski.

It comes as a surprise to many freeriders that much of Japan’s extensive off piste terrain often buried metres deep is off limits as well as off piste and if skied or boarded can result in prosecution and certainly loss of lift ticket. Some resorts, including Niseko do have off piste zones available however.

Another point to be kept in mind is that Japanese snowfall can be unremitting. Photos of snow banks towering above tour buses can only result from periods where snowfall has lasted for weeks when a cycle of dry air sweeping in from across the vast Siberian plains sucks up moisture as it passes out over the Sea of Japan, depositing it all once it hits the mountains.

Japan’s ski areas are also frequently subject to earthquakes and resort facilities and buildings are designed to cope with this. Fukushima, where the nuclear power plant was damaged by the 2011 Tsunami, is a popular ski region where radiation level reports are now posted along side snow conditions. read more...

Ski resorts of Japan - Nagano, alphabetically

Resort	Webcam (click to zoom)	Top and bottom snow depth	On-piste	Off-piste	Forecast snow in next 3 days (click for forecast)	Weather forecast for 3 days ahead Weather report	Last snow
Asama 2000 Park					5 cm	A light covering of new snow mostly falling on Sun morning
Blanche Takayama					0 cm	A dusting of new snow
Echo Valley					0 cm	A dusting of new snow
Forester Shibu Toge					9 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Fujimi Kogen					0 cm	Mostly dry
Fujimi Panorama					0 cm	A dusting of new snow
Gorin Kogen					14 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Hakuba 47					9 cm	A light covering of new snow mostly falling on Sun morning
Hakuba Cortina Kokusai					9 cm	A light covering of new snow mostly falling on Sun morning
Hakuba Goryu					9 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Hakuba Iwatake					7 cm	A light covering of new snow mostly falling on Sun morning
Hakuba Norikura					8 cm	A light covering of new snow mostly falling on Sun morning
Happo One					10 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Higashitateyama					15 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Hijiriyama Panorama					5 cm	A light covering of new snow mostly falling on Sun morning
Ichinose Family					14 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Iizuna Kogen					10 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Iizuna Resort					10 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Ina Ski Resort					0 cm	A dusting of new snow
Kaida Kogen Mia					8 cm	A light covering of new snow mostly falling on Fri afternoon
Karuizawa Prince Hotel					3 cm	A light covering of new snow mostly falling on Sun morning
Kiso Fukushima					6 cm	A light covering of new snow mostly falling on Fri afternoon
Kisokoma Kogen Shinwa					1 cm	A dusting of new snow
Kita Shiga Ryuo					15 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Kitashiga Kogen Komaruyama					14 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Kitashiga Yomase					12 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Kitashinshu Kijimadaira					12 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Kitashinshu Kitashiga Takaifuji					9 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Kitashinshu Makinoiri Snow Park					11 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Koumi Riekkusu Ski Valley					0 cm	A dusting of new snow
Kurohime Kogen					10 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Kurumayama Kogen					0 cm	A dusting of new snow
Madarao Kogen					12 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Nishidateyama					15 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Norikura Kogen Igaya					7 cm	A light covering of new snow mostly falling on Fri afternoon
Norikura Kogen Onsen					8 cm	A light covering of new snow mostly falling on Fri afternoon
Nozawa Onsen		385 cm 260 cm	Packed		14 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning	on 9 Feb
Okushiga Kogen					8 cm	A light covering of new snow mostly falling on Sun morning
Ontake					8 cm	A light covering of new snow mostly falling on Fri afternoon
Ontake Ropeway					8 cm	A light covering of new snow mostly falling on Fri afternoon
Pilatus Tateshina					0 cm	A dusting of new snow
Sakae Club					14 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Shiga Kogen Giant					15 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Shiga Kogen Ichinose Yamanokami					15 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Shiga Kogen Kumanoyu					14 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Shiga Kogen Sun Valley					14 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Shiga Kogen Yakebitaiyama		230 cm 160 cm	Packed		15 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning	on 31 Jan
Shiga Kogen Yokoteyama		250 cm 250 cm	Wet		10 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning	on 6 Feb
Shinshu Nomugitoge					6 cm	A light covering of new snow mostly falling on Fri afternoon
Shirakaba 2 in 1					0 cm	A dusting of new snow
Shirakaba Kogen Kokusai					0 cm	A dusting of new snow
Shirakaba Resort					0 cm	A dusting of new snow
Shirakabako Royal Hill					0 cm	A dusting of new snow
Sugadaira					9 cm	A light covering of new snow mostly falling on Sun morning
Sun Alpina Hakuba Sanosaka					6 cm	A light covering of new snow mostly falling on Sun morning
Sun Alpina Kashimayari					7 cm	A light covering of new snow mostly falling on Sun morning
Sun Alpina Keikyu Aokiko					6 cm	A light covering of new snow mostly falling on Sun morning
Takamagahara Mammoth					12 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Tangram Ski Circus					12 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Terakoya					12 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Togakushi					11 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Togari Onsen					11 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Tsugaike Kogen					10 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Yabuhara Kogen					5 cm	A dusting of new snow
Yachiho Kogen					0 cm	A dusting of new snow
Yamaboku Wild Snow Park					14 cm	A moderate fall of snow, heaviest on Sun morning
Yanaba					6 cm	A light covering of new snow mostly falling on Sun morning
Yatsugatake Sailer Valley					0 cm	Mostly dry