Japanese mountain villages like Niseko are cashing in on their fabulous snow, high-tech infrastructure and reasonable prices to thrive as snowbound boom towns.
Certifying its winter sports pedigree, Japan has twice hosted the Winter Olympics and offers some 620 ski resorts. While the country lacks the high peaks of Europe or North America (Mount Fuji is the tallest mountain at only 12,385-feet) it has no shortage of good snow.
Niseko : Located on Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido at a latitude of Siberia, Niseko is routinely buffeted by sub-Arctic winds that storm across the icy Sea of Japan and drape the countryside in snow. Niseko’s main draw is its consistent blankets of deep, dry powder, averaging 45 feet a year. It remains open until the first week of May.
In Niseko alone, the number of visitors from mainland Asia rose fivefold to 13,000 from 2001 to 2005, and the ranks of Australians descending on its sister town of Hirafu exploded from barely 200 to 7,600. In 2005, the number of South Korean skiers landing in Japan tripled to 15,000 from the year before.
Hirafu showcases the skiing culture of japan. English permeates everything from restaurant menus and bus schedules to ski classes. Meanwhile, an adult one-day ski pass to Mount An’nupuri’s 61 runs, 38 lifts and 29 miles of groomed slopes costs $42.
Today japan offers a world-class skiing resorts and a bonus is a unique cultural experience when you come here for skiing.
Source: CNN
