The other thing that has changed considerably over the last few decades is the 'inbound' market—people visiting Japan from overseas. Until 2020, the number of people coming to Japan to ski and snowboard increased year after year and gained real momentum.
Official numbers published by the Japan Tourism Agency show that about 299,000 foreign visitors came to Japan for skiing and snowboarding in 2013, rising to about 880,000 in 2018.
COVID and the subsequent closure of international borders brought that trend to an abrupt halt. However, momentum has returned following the re-opening of borders, and the 2025-2026 season saw a record number of inbound visitors to the ski areas of Japan. The trend looks set to continue.
Back in the early 1990s, it was still quite rare to encounter a foreigner on skis, even at some of the larger and more famous ski areas—yes, even in Niseko. The foreigners you did see were mainly people who lived in Japan. Even in 2026, you can still spend a day at many smaller ski areas around Japan and never see a foreigner.
Still, some Japanese ski areas are increasingly becoming international in feel, whether the ski area itself has made a concerted effort to appeal to overseas visitors or not. At a few, you might not even think you are in Japan. Some people like that; some less so.
Perhaps because of that, another trend that may continue in the coming years is overseas visitors deliberately seeking out quieter places that retain a more traditional Japanese feel.
At the major ski areas, you will almost certainly encounter other foreigners and hear English and other languages. At many others, it will be close to 100% Japanese.
Niseko
The region that first saw rapid growth in the overseas market was Niseko in Hokkaido.
Niseko (the ski areas in the towns of Kutchan and Niseko) has changed significantly over the last few decades—so much so that it is now almost unrecognisable to anyone who has not visited since the 1980s.
A number of foreigners recognised its potential and successfully introduced Niseko to Australian skiers and snowboarders. Visitor numbers from Australia quickly grew. Since then, Niseko has opened up to people from around the world, and large-scale investment—particularly in accommodation facilities—has followed.
Development continues as Niseko becomes increasingly well known to skiers and snowboarders in many parts of the world. It is the ski area region of Japan where you will definitely encounter many non-Japanese visitors. With that, and all of the visible development and marketing, it offers a distinctly different flavour from most other Japanese ski areas. (Given all that, some visitors are still surprised to see some ageing ski lifts and facilities remaining.)
Nagano and beyond
Other destinations watched what was happening in Niseko with interest. As a result, several popular regions in Nagano Prefecture—notably Hakuba and Nozawa Onsen—started making plans to appeal to the overseas market and gain international attention.
The 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics hosted events in Hakuba, Nozawa Onsen, and Shiga Kogen and brought Nagano under the international spotlight. Looking back, that event was perhaps a little too early for the first wave of rapid growth in the inbound market.
Development is now by no means confined to Niseko and Hakuba. With domestic skier and snowboarder numbers remaining relatively stagnant, more ski areas have been observing the success that some destinations have had with overseas visitors. As a result, an increasing number are taking steps to appeal to non-Japanese guests—or at least starting to consider it.
But… inbound is not for everyone
However, many ski areas are not particularly interested in making those efforts. In many cases, they simply do not know the market and are unsure how to approach it. The time, effort, and language skills required can be significant. For now, many would rather focus their limited resources on strengthening their domestic customer base.
Outside of the larger and more popular destinations, most ski areas around Japan have yet to make any specific efforts to attract non-Japanese skiers and snowboarders. That means it is still easy to find ski areas that retain a distinctly Japanese feel, with little or no English information or signage. (As noted earlier, for some visitors from overseas, that is part of the appeal.)
Initially, the inbound market consisted mainly of visitors from Australia and, later, East Asian regions including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Thailand. The Chinese New Year holiday period in particular became very popular with overseas visitors.
However, the appeal is increasingly no longer limited to those regions. Growing numbers of skiers and snowboarders now make the trip from Europe, North America, and elsewhere.
You often hear that people who visit Japan want to come back, and many do just that.
In recent years, another development has emerged. As prices have risen and more exclusive facilities and services have appeared at some of the most popular ski areas, some domestic visitors have started questioning the direction of that change and feeling increasingly left out.
COVID-19 and recovery
Most people first became aware of COVID-19 during the latter part of the 2019-2020 ski season. As concerns grew, ski areas introduced measures such as hand sanitiser stations, social distancing, and requests to wear face masks. As the situation worsened, many ski areas that would normally remain open into spring were forced to close earlier than planned.
The greatest impact came from the near-complete disappearance of international visitors. After years of steady growth, the inbound market effectively vanished overnight. During the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 seasons, border restrictions meant that most foreign visitors were unable to enter Japan, while states of emergency and requests to avoid unnecessary travel also affected domestic demand. Some ski areas chose not to open, while others operated on a reduced scale.
Japan began gradually reopening its borders during 2022, and by October international visitors were once again able to enter the country with relatively few restrictions. The timing meant that the 2022-2023 season was still something of a transition period, but the return of overseas visitors became increasingly noticeable.
By the 2023-2024, 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 seasons, international tourism had recovered strongly. Visitor records were broken in some destinations, and the growth of the inbound market once again became a frequent topic in the Japanese media. These seasons also saw significant price increases across many parts of the industry, while some ski areas experienced their busiest conditions in many years.
While demand remains strong in some destinations, the Japanese ski industry continues to face longer-term challenges. These include ageing infrastructure, staffing shortages, rising costs, and generally warmer winters. Some ski areas are investing and expanding, while others face difficult decisions about their future. As in the past, different parts of the industry continue to move in different directions at the same time.
