The huge investments made in the 1980s led to many ski areas in Japan installing modern lift systems. High-speed quad lifts, gondolas with cabins usually holding 6-10 people, and ropeways capable of carrying over 100 people were built at a rapid pace.
Ski lifts in Japan
There are currently over 1,600 ski lifts in Japan.
The most common ski lift is for two people and is known as the pair lift, or sometimes romance lift. The name romance lift was started by ski areas operated by the Prince Hotel group and can still be seen at places owned by (or once owned by) that company. A more common name in English is double lift, but that expression is not generally used in Japan. There are currently just over 1,000 pair lifts in Japan, representing just over 62% of the total number.
Early ski lifts were designed for just one person and are known as single lifts. Single lifts are slow and can sometimes feel a little exposed, especially on a windy day. Many have now been decommissioned, but about 60 remain. 25 of those remaining single lifts are in Hokkaido.
T-bar and rope-tow surface lifts are now quite rare in Japan and are usually only found at smaller local ski areas. There are currently about 110 of those lifts in operation. Again, about 40% of them are in Hokkaido.
Some ski areas have reasonably modern lift systems while at the same time retaining a somewhat rustic appearance. In some cases, decades have passed since facilities were last significantly updated. As a result, maintaining and replacing ageing infrastructure is becoming an increasingly significant challenge. While some ski areas continue to invest in new lifts and facilities, many more simply do not have the budget for significant upgrades.
Resources:
Insights (interactive charts based on ski area and ski lift statstics)
New ski lifts
Major new lift installations have become relatively rare compared with the development boom years of the 1980s and early 1990s. As a result, significant new facilities now tend to attract considerable attention within the industry.
Recent years have seen notable investments at ski areas including Ishiuchi Maruyama, Nozawa Onsen, Shiga Kogen, Niseko HANAZONO Resort, Hakuba Iwatake, Akakura Kanko Resort, and several Niseko ski areas, with more developments planned over the next few years.
At the same time, many ski areas continue to operate lifts and facilities that date back several decades. The contrast between ski areas investing in new infrastructure and those struggling to maintain existing facilities is becoming increasingly apparent throughout the Japanese ski industry.
Ski run classifications
Course (ski run) classifications in Japan are something that experienced skiers and snowboarders may notice are often different from those used in other countries. Classifications used in Japan are not based on a national standard and can even differ between ski areas within the country.
For example, a run classified as intermediate at one ski area might be classified as beginner at another. Beginners may have no difficulty tackling some 'intermediate' runs in Japan, while intermediate skiers and snowboarders may comfortably negotiate certain 'advanced' courses.
Regarding colour coding, green for beginner runs is a common standard. Beyond that, however, intermediate runs may be marked red or blue, while advanced runs may be blue or black. It varies.
Japanese ski areas typically offer suitable slopes for beginner and intermediate skiers and snowboarders.
Mogul runs are popular on some steeper slopes and, while they certainly have their fans, some people prefer to avoid them.
Floodlit night skiing
During the ski boom period of the late 1980s and early 1990s, almost half of the ski areas around Japan offered floodlit night skiing, known as nighta in Japanese.
Since then, many ski areas have either stopped offering night skiing altogether or reduced operations to a smaller section of the ski area or to selected days during the season. As a result, night skiing is much less common than it once was.
A few ski areas also offer early morning skiing. For the particularly keen, there are even some that operate through the night on holidays.
Both the early morning and night-time periods can be a lot of fun, especially after fresh snowfall.
Lessons, activities and shuttle buses
With the increase in overseas visitors, ski lessons in English, Chinese, and sometimes other languages are becoming more common at popular ski areas. In addition, where backcountry skiing and snowboarding are popular activities, official tours and guides are often available.
The soundtrack
Don't be surprised to hear some 80s Western pop or modern J-(or K-)pop blasting from tinny speakers across a ski area while skiing or snowboarding in Japan. At one time, this was almost guaranteed. The phenomenon seems to be becoming less common nowadays (thankfully).
Other activities beyond skiing and snowboarding are becoming increasingly common. Examples include kids' parks, areas for 'playing in the snow', snow tubing, snow rafting, sledging, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and terrain parks. Some ski areas even offer childcare facilities for infants and young children.
Many ski areas operate shuttle bus services from nearby railway stations. Often these are free, though some ski areas—particularly those further from a station—charge a fee for the service.
Playing in the snow
The inbound market might be growing rapidly, but with the domestic market chugging along at a more modest pace, ski areas have been offering additional activities to encourage more people to visit, both during the winter and green seasons.
Many ski areas offer dedicated kids' areas for safe, roped-off beginner skiing and snowboarding, as well as 'playing in the snow' (yuki asobi) activities. Sledging and snow tubing are now quite common. Some also provide child-care facilities for families with very young children.
You'll also find backcountry tours, snowshoe tours, cat tours, cultural experiences, and other activities. There has also been an increase in official ungroomed snow and tree-run courses within ski area boundaries.
Summer activities are not realistic at many ski areas in Japan due to their location and the amount of competition from other attractions and activities. Still, there have been noticeable efforts in some of the more popular resort areas to become year-round destinations.
That might involve skiing and snowboarding on artificial snow mats, camping, glamping, trekking, sightseeing lift operations, or the development of new summer-only facilities.
It will be interesting to see how these developments evolve in the coming years.
