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Site updates 2022: A few questions answered


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  • SnowJapan Admin

SnowJapan 2022 explained:
A FEW QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Below are a few questions we have been asked since the new site went online. Some come from the other more in-depth Guide topics that can be found in this section.

 

Wasn't there a page on the old site where I could directly compare statistics from different Now reports?

Yes, there was a page that listed data from the different Now reports. It was not highlighted within the site in the last few years for the reasons below. Site usage statistics showed us that many people did not use the page. We do not have a similar page on the new site because we do not think it is a good idea for us to make such direct comparisons. Please read this for more on why we think that. You can, of course, easily compare numbers yourself with a few clicks - the data is all there!

 

Why do I need to ‘click to view' the google maps on the list pages? (Or... why have the google maps disappeared?)
Example: https://www.snowjapan.com/japan-ski-resorts/prefecture/gunma

The maps have not disappeared - they are still there, and actually in an improved form... they are now much larger and display additional data.

When viewed in high volume, interactive Google Maps such as those presented on our list pages are not free to use. They can quickly become very costly. Many people go back to our listing pages regularly and view them multiple times as they research ski areas, so having the maps appear on popular pages unnecessarily by default was becoming very wasteful. By implementing the ‘Click to view map’ functionality on some pages, only people who wish to view the maps will see them. It also helps us keep our costs lower… and able to keep running the site!

 

Why has your 'Route Finder' functionality gone?
We did not have time to implement the Route Finder functionality for the launch of the new site. We do plan to re-introduce some Route Finder functionality in the near future. 

 

Why can't I upload photos or write reviews?
At the moment it is not possible to post new Photos or Reviews. We are working on a new members area that will allow new photos and reviews to be posted. More news on that in the coming months.

 

When will more Travel guides be added?
Some of the travel guides on the old site were getting out of date. We are working on (completely new) travel guides for a selection of popular ski regions. They will gradually appear from 2023.

 

Why did you discontinue (*some feature on the old site*)?
In almost all cases, we didn't! Pretty much everything from the old site is on the new site in some form, though all of it has been checked and updated and is of course presented in new packaging. If you take a look around the site, you should be able to find it. Our guides might help too!  :friend:

 

Why don't you use social media?
We prefer to spend all our energy and put all our content on our own website. That keeps us busy throughout the year. (And, there are things about social media platforms that we just do not like). We have a Facebook page but only use it to make certain announcements. It's here.

 

Why don't you have lots of ads on the site?
Simply put, because we don't want to. Lots of prominent advertising is definitely not part of our concept. The same goes for paid-for advertorial content, which we strictly do not allow anywhere on our website. It's just not the kind of website we want to be!

Please read this for our general introduction to the site.

 

Are the graphics original?
Yes. All of the graphics used on SnowJapan are 100% original. They were carefully designed over a period of 6 months in 2021.

 

What other websites did you use as reference/ideas?
None. We consciously avoided all winter sports websites in terms of language (Japanese or other languages) or country content (Japan or otherwise). Actually, we always do that anyway! But especially with our new site, we wanted it to be entirely based on our 20+ years of knowledge, experience and feedback. And, very importantly, what we wanted it to be.

 

Why don't you cover other seasons in Japan or skiing in other countries?
We specialise only in Japan. Japan is where we are, and the winter season is what we know and love. Those things are essential for our website. We are not interested in taking our focus off that to cover other seasons and other countries. 

 

What about the photographs rotating on the main index page?

They are all our original photographs (we took them and we own them). Currently there are over 150 photographs prepared for that display. Each time the page is viewed, a small selection is chosen at random and they rotate.

More will be added at a later date.

 

 

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