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You haven't made a case to rest young man. However, I've made a case that you're a quitter, and the evidence is there in your post above for all to see. I've also made a case (here, and in an article), based on my own observation, that resorts are stagnating. Nobody, including you talisker, has provided any evidence to the contrary.

 

I'm 35, how old are you? (But I expect you're too busy to post that, and anyway it's a secret.)

 

If you find you have some time later in the day, perhaps you'd like to explain what some resorts are doing to get new custom. I'm sure it would make an interesting and educational read. You could even stick your neck out and write an article about it. If it actually contained anything specific, it might even change my blinkered mind.

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Yanaba-now is that place a winner. Never stopped there, but it seems to have made a place for its (tiny? useless?) self by being an all nighter (sometimes) board park like place. Anyone else know more?

 

For Yanaba, no choice, change or die. For the larger resorts... the problem here is the same as the perrenial 24 hour store, supermarket open on Sundays etc. problem. At the end of the day, if everybody moves to longer hours/more facilities, the stores/resorts etc. just incurr more costs, and the market settles back to where it was before. Perfect prisoners dillema scenario.

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Ah, some adult company at last.

 

Isn't the way out of that to specialize in some way? Find a niche and fill it. If they all go exactly the same route, then many will just disappear.

 

I don't know how true it ever was, and if it is still true, but the places that banned snowboarders completely claimed their total numbers increased after the move. More skiers came than snowboarders and skiers combined. Presumably they researched the matter beforehand and concluded that would be the case. Or maybe they just decided they hated snowboarders so much, I don't know.

 

But these seem very isolated examples of drastic changes. Many of the big places seem to be competing only on what they've already got.

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The main prob. at the moment seems to be that no company in Japan has faith that there even IS a domestic market to capture. As i've mentioned in another post, even with five years of growth my company is still waiting for the crunch, despite statistical evidence that this is not a likely scenario.

 

The other prob. maybe is the nature of ski resorts here. Many are backed by much larger entities, so they have time to change in the face of another resort out-competing them one year. The prize is temporary.

 

E.g., Resort A starts a nighta, and discount ticket, with a black diamond club. Increased costs, (staff, lifts, insurance), lower unit return but steals many customers. Makes a killing, Resort B looses millions.

Struggling resort B closes or mergers with A under normal conditions, but being as it's backer is huge, it's a tax write-off. The Next year B does rthe same as A, both get the same clients as the pre-change year, both have higjher costs and lower revenue. Ummmm

 

Let's stick to the age old traditions of collusive olligopolies.

 

I think Yanaba gets away with it because it's market share is minimal.

 

(ps, I have no idea if this is the case, as I have had no experience with any kind of resort planning whatsoever!)

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It's interesting you mention specifically the 'domestic' market to be captured. Certainly apart from Niseko, there doesn't seem to be much effort made to get punters in from overseas.

 

Come to Japan for ski and katz curry that looks like the dog is ill.

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maybe we should remember that we are living in japan and just learn to live with it as someone has already said.

Thats why I always hang out with J guys coz the Gaijin are always complaining... anyone would think that we all came from the UK or something!

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why dont you find out which resorts let you ride in the trees? they are out there, but like good surf spots you only tell your (close) friends. Also, its a liability thing. although and im not sure how the tables etc.. fit into that.

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