NIIGATA, Japan -- With Japan's ski season right around the corner, inbound visitors are already showing up at some of the country's resorts. But those in Niigata prefecture, for decades one of Japan's best ski destinations, suffer a different fate. There, the number of resorts is on the wane, with roughly 30% fewer from the peak.
Travel & Leisure
Japan's Niigata ski resorts decline with less snow and fewer visitors
Repurposing faces challenges while abandoned slopes can invite soil erosion
The Ludens Yuzawa Ski Resort in Niigata prefecture has been nonoperational since 2018. It is one of many suffering the same fate due to waning snowfalls. (Photo by Miho Saito)
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