The other thing that has changed in recent years and a trend that is set to continue is the number of foreigners on the slopes.  10 years ago it might have been uncommon to come across another non-Japanese on skis, but now at the major resorts you will almost definitely be bumping into other foreigners.

One resort that probably benefited the most up until now is the Niseko region of Hokkaido.  Almost unrecognizable to someone who has not been there for 10 years, a large number of foreigners - many Australian - have worked hard to successfully develop the Niseko scene to the Australian market.  A large amount of development is continuing up there as "Niseko Powder" becomes well-known to skiers and snowboarders in many parts of the world. 

Another region that has seen a dramatic increase in interest from overseas over the last few years is the Hakuba region of Nagano Prefecture which is seeing a dramatic increase in the number of resident foreigners developing businesses there to try and bring Hakuba to the attention of the world.

Other resort areas in Japan are seeing this success with the overseas interest and are also taking steps to try and appeal to the foreign market.  Until now that market has been predominantly Australian and east Asian, but it is now taking in places further afield such as Europe and the US.

While snowboarding and the foreigner market has to some extent revived interest in the winter sports scene, the total number of skiers/snowboarders has still in fact decreased each year over the last few years.   As resorts try in new ways to attract people to their facilities, it will be interesting to see how the 2007/08 season develops....