Winter Sports

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

Skiing

Season

 - Regular season (most areas) – late December to late March or early April
 - Packaged tours generally do not start until either the weekend before or the weekend after Christmas and most run only until the March long weekend or the first weekend in April. 
 - Peak season is early February. There is also a smaller peak around Christmas and New Year. 

Extended seasons (some areas)

 - Pre-season – begins late November to early December
 - Spring season – from April until May 5
 - Expect large reductions in the number of runs open to the public due to snow conditions and private lane allotments 
 - There are no summer glaciers or snowfields
 - Many resorts hold special events throughout 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.