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.
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 in 40 years on a recent weekend, data from the Japan Meteorological Agency showed.
“We’ve constantly seen some fresh powder every day,” said Soji Kato, marketing manager for SkiJapan.com, a travel agency that offers packages for tourists in resort areas like Niseko and Hakuba.
While 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 snarled 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 last month, 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 US and Canadian resorts due to a lack of snow”, said 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 last year, driven largely by client interest from North America, McLaren said. Already, customer interest for next winter is up 27% compared with the same time last year, she added.
Accommodation in Niseko is almost full, said Alister Buckingham, marketing manager at travel agency Japan Ski Experience, who is based in the area. “There’s more Americans here now than there have been in previous years,” he said.
Perhaps counter-intuitively, climate change may be one driver of the high snow volumes, according to a preliminary analysis published recently by the Japan-based Weather Attribution Centre.
The researchers found that January’s heavy snowfall along the Sea of Japan coast 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 toward significant snowfall this month as a frigid air mass pushes toward Japan. – Bloomberg
