Allure of Japan's powder snow a growing danger as more tourists ski backcountry

The popularity of Japan's crisp, powder snow among foreign skiers, surging back into the country, is luring more to seek the thrill of pristine backcountry slopes — sometimes with deadly consequences.

A rise in backcountry accidents comes as the Japanese government heavily promotes inbound tourism post-pandemic, having opened its border fully late last year for the first time since early 2020. Japan's snow, prized among skiers for dryness caused by local atmospheric conditions, is a big draw.

There is no national data, but in the popular ski prefecture Nagano, in all of 2019, some 22 people were involved in accidents on backcountry terrain outside designated resorts, none of them foreign. Last month alone, eight foreigners were involved in accidents in Nagano.