Japan was once an emerging destination for adventurous U.S. skiers, but appears to have graduated to an established one.
Ski.com chief marketing officer Dan Sherman calls Japan "officially mainstream."
"Every destination skier has Japan on their bucket list at this point," Sherman said.
As of mid-October, Ski.com's Japan sales for the 2024-25 season were pacing at nearly triple last year's record total, Sherman said. And this year's sales have already more than doubled what Ski.com brought in on Japan bookings for the whole of the 2023-24 season.
Other tour operators are making similar observations.
"It'll be the busiest year ever in Japan for the winter. Last year was the busiest year before that," said Charlie Cohn, co-founder of SnowLocals, which specializes in custom ski trips to Japan. "For big operators, it is going to be huge."
The expected surge in U.S. skiers to Japan will build upon record visitation this year overall from the U.S. Fueled by favorable exchange rates, Japan welcomed nearly 1.8 million visitor arrivals from the U.S. between January and August, up 35% year over year, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.
The Setsu Niseko is one of many luxury lodging options in Niseko. Photo Credit: Ski.com
For skiers, Japan is especially compelling. During the winter, cold trade winds from Siberia blow across the relatively warm waters of the Sea of Japan, creating consistent heavy snowfall for the ski areas on the northern island of Hokkaido and on portions of Japan's primary island of Honshu. The fresh snow during the coldest months of January and February falls as a light powder paralleled by few other places in the world, veteran skiers generally agree.
Perhaps surprising to the uninitiated, Japan is home to approximately 500 ski areas big and small, though the most popular destination resorts tend to be concentrated on Hokkaido, with the epicenter being the town of Niseko.
Along with light powder, the relatively low altitude of Japan's mountains can be an advantage to many skiers who aren't used to the thin air of the Rockies, said Sherman. Niseko ski areas, for example, have bases that are mostly below 1,000 feet.
Lift tickets are also cheap, with the most expensive costing around $75 and many much less.
Beyond that, a ski trip to Japan combines a mountain experience with opportunities to experience Japanese culture and cuisine.
The two primary U.S. ski passes feature Japan mountains. Epic Pass includes 10 ski areas in the Hakuba Valley on Honshu, not far from the 1998 Winter Olympics host city of Nagano, as well as Rusutsu Resort in central Hokkaido.
Ikon Pass includes the four mountains that make up the conjoined Niseko United ski area and Arai Snow Resort north of Nagano.
Ski.com focuses its Japan packages on five areas, including Rusutsu, the Hakuba Valley and Niseko United.
Japan's surge as a global ski destination has already led to some crowding at the most popular destination resorts, though the crowds aren't in line with what one can encounter at North American destination ski areas.
Sherman said that in Niseko, backcountry areas continue to offer lots of untouched terrain for those who are willing and able to ski off-piste.
"There's all sorts of opportunities to find fresh lines all day long," he said.
Cohn, noting the huge number of ski areas in Japan, said that crowding isn't a problem at any number of ski resorts that don't attract as many foreign visitors.
"It's pretty amazing that everyone who is a real skier or boarder knows that Japan is a destination for the world's best powder, and it's pretty amazing that there's still a lot of places where it is not crowded," he said.
Charlie Cohn, a founder of tour operator SnowLocal, navigates untouched powder at the Mount Racey ski area in Yubari on the Japanese island of Hokkaido. Photo Credit: SnowLocal
SnowLocals, he said, will put together a wide range of ski trips, depending on the needs of each client.
Indy Pass, which provides access to independent ski areas throughout North America, has also staked a claim in Japan, partnering with 13 small and medium-size ski areas on Honshu and Hokkaido. Indy Pass also facilitates package trips to many of those ski areas in partnership with Japan Ski Tours. Indy's two packages focus on its four Hokkaido partners or six partner mountains in the Tohoku region of northern Honshu.
Japan Ski Tours owner Luke Cummings said his company books its own guided trips and emphasizes authentic cultural experiences, including traditional dining and visits to onsen, or hot springs.
Tohoku, he said, is an ideal location for a more authentic cultural experience, since the region has not yet been broadly discovered by destination skiers.
Many Japan ski tours, including ones arranged by Ski.com, SnowLocals and Japan Ski Tours (though not the Indy Pass packages), don't have set skiing itineraries but instead choose among nearby ski areas day by day based upon conditions.
Ski.com says it is largest ski packager in the world for travel trade. Japan Ski Tours also pays commissions, and SnowLocals will pay commissions on a case-by-case basis, Cohn said.