Inactive ski areas
SnowJapan aims to reflect the current state of skiing in Japan.
As noted in our Guides section, it is difficult to state the exact number of operating ski areas in Japan at any one time. There are various reasons for this, including ski areas that have recently announced permanent closure, where the long-term outcome may not yet be certain, as well as others whose status remains unclear due to a lack of reliable public information.​​​​​
This section introduces ski areas that fall somewhere in the grey area between being currently operating and announced as permanently closed.​ Each listing is tagged as either Permanently closed (where there has been a recent announcement of permanent closure) or Status unclear. Especially in the case of Status unclear listings, it is often uncertain whether there is any possibility of reopening in the future or whether the closure will prove to be permanent.
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It is important to note that the ski areas listed in this section are not included in our active ski area database or in any SnowJapan statistics.​​
What happens to information on SnowJapan when a ski area closes?
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When a ski area has been announced as permanently closed, or when its operating status becomes uncertain, it will usually remain in the active SnowJapan database for a period while we try to verify its status and complete our annual database updates.
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Once it has become clear that a ski area is no longer operating, it will normally be removed from the active SnowJapan database and added to this section. It will ultimately be moved to the SnowJapanHistory website, where it becomes part of the longer-term historical record of skiing in Japan.
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Some ski areas may therefore appear in both this section and on the SnowJapanHistory website.
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Where the status remains uncertain for a prolonged period of time — for example, where operations have been suspended but no permanent closure has been announced — the ski area may also be moved to this section. In such cases, the listing will clearly indicate that its status is still being monitored.
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Timeframes for these updates may vary. As with all historical content, research and documentation take time, and updates will be made progressively.
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The status of some ski areas can be frustratingly difficult to establish with certainty. Sometimes, there is literally no recent information available, and we are left with more questions than answers. We will continue to keep an eye on these ski areas and update their status if new information becomes available.