Winter Sports

Japan is a very mountainous country and so has plenty of opportunities for winter sports, especially in the Central Highlands and Hokkaido.

Season

Regular season starts in late December and ends in late March or early April. Peak season is early February. There is also a smaller peak over Christmas and New Year. Package tours within Honshu generally don't start until the weekend before Christmas and end some time between the March long weekend and the first weekend in April. An extended season does exist in some areas. Pre-season skiing can begin as early as late November and many resorts list May 5 as the final day of their spring skiing season. When skiing during either shoulder season, expect a reduction in the number of lanes open to the public due to snow conditions and private lane allotments. There are no summer glaciers or summer snowfields in Japan. Many resorts hold events during the year especially at the start and end of the season for example, fireworks on the last night of the open season.

Hakuba in Nagano was where the skiing events for the 1998 Nagano Olympics were held. There's often a yearly ski trip in January.

Snowboarding

Also lots in Nagano. Someone please expand this article.