LinkUp Blog: 9 Reasons that explain the popularity of skiing in Japan (Vol 54)

2017年9月3日日曜日

9 Reasons that explain the popularity of skiing in Japan (Vol 54)

Skiing down between trees. This is what represents skiing in Japan

This story is written by Yuji Akiyama who works as a Ski/Hiking Guide in Japan and Canada.

In this topic, we will discover the myth hidden underneath the popularity of skiing in Japan.

Before jumping into the topic, let me explain my background a bit. I spend most of winters as a Ski Patrol and Guide in the Canadian Rockies. Yet my guiding areas aren't limited to the Rockies. Occasionally, I took Canadian ski groups to Japan as a Guide. Last winter, I got an opportunity to visit Japan about a month from the middle of January so I worked as a Backcountry Ski Guide there. There was quite a high demand of guiding during the time, so I ended up carrying out three separate ski trips. Duration of each trip was 7 days long. Since there was a large number of inquiries and because of the time restriction, I couldn't take all groups. Instead, I introduced my Guide friends that I put trust to them.

The picture below explains everything about the popularity of skiing in Japan

I was the only Japanese at this Ramen Restaurant (Myokou, Hokkaido, Japan)

Getting back to the main topic and here are 9 reasons of what made skiing/snowboarding in Japan so popular.

1 Cultural Experience

Lots of people like to make their way to Kyoto and Asakusa to check out shrines and temples.

Take a break from skiing and recharge your body and soul at shrine

Tasting at Sake Brewery

2 Japan is generally a safe country

Also what you need to be careful is that in Japan there is zero-alcohol tolerance so even after a glass of beer you can't drive. Not only that but there are a lot of rules/regulations that make Japan as a safe country

3 It's very clean even in the cities

People often get impressed by little amount of garbage found on the street in even cities

4 Lift tickets are way cheaper than ones in North America

When I first moved to the Rockie and checked the price of lift at a local ski resort, my eyes popped out at the price...

5 There are a lot of backcountry routes which are accessible through lifts

Both in Nagano(Japan Alps) and Hokkaido, there are many backcountry areas that can be accessed by taking ski lifts

6 High snow precipitation

It's not unusual to have more than 50 cm of snow an overnight which welcomes your next morning with fresh pile of powder snow

Powder snow paradise at Mt. Asahi

7. Difference in vegetation

In North America, coniferous trees occupy most of the mountain areas. These trees grow in dense and lower part of trees are still covered with branches which make skiing through them challenging. On the other hand, deciduous trees which cover most of the mountain areas in Japan keep good distances between each other. This provides an open view and easir ride through trees.

Different terrain views await you

8. If you don't mind walking further distance, powder snow is guaranteed

Even when ski resorts get busy, if you are willing to walk further distance you can find fresh snow just for you

9. If you don't speak Japanese, it's Okay, I got you.

One of the pros of hiring a Japanese Ski Guide is they can not only navigate you through mountains as a Guide but also they can guarantee your trip to be incredible and memorable ones.