Ever Wanted to Ski in Japan? This Is Your Year

Japan’s appeal for skiers was already strong before the weak yen started drawing more of them—what with some of the world’s best powder, slopeside ramen shops, and a bevy of hot springs to soothe sore muscles. But as snow feels increasingly iffy in other regions and the exchange rate continues to be so favorable, Japan’s ski towns are expecting a record-setting winter of visitors. According to Ski.com, a provider of ski vacation experiences which mainly caters to a North American clientele, bookings to Japan for the upcoming season had already grown 600% year over year before the summer drew to a close in late August.

Though there’s epic skiing to be had within three hours of Tokyo, the lion’s share of international powder chasers head much farther north to Niseko, Japan’s most iconic ski area, in Hokkaido. Niseko is indeed worth the hype—and more people decided to try it out last year than ever before, with visitation up 26% from the previous winter. Among the 10 million people who scanned their lift tickets at the area's four resorts, there was a noticeable uptick in the number of North Americans, according to local reports.