Our 10 favourite articles from 2022: Editor’s pick

We always enjoy getting to this point of the year and reflecting on the last 12 months, but this time around there’s an even greater sense of significance. A little over a year ago, we were bemoaning the spread of the new Omicron variant which, at the time, dashed any hopes of a 21/22 winter season with international travel. Weeks later we were celebrating, somewhat bittersweetly, another bumper season with metres and metres of snow and fewer people than usual to enjoy it.

The middle part of the year was characterized by confusion and uncertainty, with continual hints that Japan was about to reopen, but little in the way of action. When the announcement finally came in September we had almost 20,000 people read the article in the space of 48 hours.

The year, for us (any many others) has been about the revival of the travel industry. But through it all, we’ve continued to publish about the ski resorts we love and the people who keep them running. Here are ten of our favourites.

Japanese skiers are flocking to this resort now more than ever

Published: January, 2022

Japanese skiers are flocking to this resort now more than ever: here’s why. Read more

We love discovering lesser-known resorts who are doing things a bit differently, and this is a case in point. Japanese skiers love Palcall Tsumagoi, but to foreigner travellers it remains relatively unknown. But with a “Sunrise Gondola”, three unique terrain parks and some of the best grooming in the country, it’s well worth checking out.

One Hakuba business owner has been posting envy-inducing powder videos all season long

Published: February, 2022

One Hakuba business owner has been posting envy-inducing powder videos all season long. Read more

With Japan’s borders completely shut to tourists lasts season, many turned to social media for their powder fix. Hakuba resident and business owner Nick Kowal’s “envy-inducing” powder videos kept our Facebook feeds filled all season with clips of perfect backcountry lines from his favourite haunts in Happo and Goryu.

Freeskiing legend Mike Douglas in awe of Lotte Arai’s 22-metre season

Published: April, 2022

Freeskiing legend Mike Douglas in awe of Lotte Arai’s 22-metre season. Read more. Image: Lotte Arai Resort

When a guy like Mike Douglas freaks out about the amount of snow a resort is getting, you know it’s legit. Lotte Arai’s 22-metre season will be one to remember for years, with photos of buried chairlifts lighting up Instagram and an average of roughly 30cm a day between Dec 17 and February 24.

“In case you were wondering who got all the snow this season, here’s a hint”, wrote the Godfather of freeskiing in a post to his 74,000 followers.

In 2019, Jamie opened a ski lodge in Myoko. Then a pandemic hit.

Published: August, 2022

In 2019, Jamie opened a ski lodge in Myoko. Then a pandemic hit. Read more. 📷 Nathan Eden

We love stories about the people who turn their lives upside down to chase their passion – and have made a point in 2022 to seek out people who fit this description. Jamie is one of them. He opened Good’en Inn in Myoko at the beginning of winter in 2019, weeks before the pandemic would completely change the world and upend the tourism industry.

But the ever-positive Western Australian embraced the situation with open arms, labelling it an “unbelievable opportunity” and describing “endless powder runs where the only track you could see was the last one you laid”. A great read.

How to spend a perfect day in Hokkaido with Habitat Hokkaido founder Henry Turner

Published: August, 2022

How to spend a perfect day in Hokkaido with Habitat Hokkaido founder Henry Turner. Read more

Henry is another human whose passion for his surroundings is palpable. He was one of the first to be featured in our “Perfect Day” series – launched in 2022 – in which we asked locals to describe how they’d spend the perfect day in their home resort. Anyone harbouring a desire to visit Hokkaido would be well advised to read Henry’s suggestions.

Confirmed: Japan will allow individual travel from next month, says Japanese PM

Published: September, 2022

Confirmed: Japan will allow individual travel from next month, says Japanese PM. Read more

The news we were all waiting for. When Japanese PM Fumio Kishida effectively gave the green light to the 2022/23 ski season, almost 20,000 readers read the announcement on Ski Asia in the space of 48 hours.

Myoko’s 47-year transformation through the eyes of local skier Moriyuki-san

Published: October, 2022

Myoko’s 47-year transformation through the eyes of local skier Moriyuki-san. Read more

We often refer loosely to ski resort ‘locals’ as people who happen to be living in the resort. But Moriyuki-san is a genuine Myoko local, having lived at the ski area his entire life, witnessing first hand the rise and fall of Japan’s skiing boom of the ‘80s and ‘90s. He gives us some fascinating insight into how things have changed “quite drastically” over his 47 years in Myoko.

6 ways travel in Japan has changed since the pandemic

Published: November, 2022

6 ways travel in Japan has changed since the pandemic. Read more

This season’s visitors to Japan may be surprised by just how much has changed since the country first shut its borders to international travellers in early 2020. In this article, Ski Asia writer Jonny Gleason talks us through what to expect and how you can best prepare.

Seki Onsen, the family-run ski resort with two lifts and “more powder snow than one could ever hope for”

Published: November, 2022

Seki Onsen, the family-run ski resort with two lifts and “more powder snow than one could ever hope for”. Read more. Image: Ben Shirakawa

There’s something very special about Seki Onsen, a tiny 2-lift resort that has been referred to as the “heart and soul” of skiing in Japan.

We chat to Seki Onsen owner Mikio Inoue, who reflects on 20 years at the resort.

“This business is our own,” Inoue-san begins. “There is no other company we get to do maintenance, like snow clearing. My family does all the snow clearing. This is how we are able to keep the costs down and keep it a family business.”

Guide to the Hakuba backcountry: where are the best spots?

Published: November, 2022

Guide to the Hakuba backcountry: where are the best spots? Read more

In this detailed guide, Hakuba resident and ski instructor Mike Humphrey reveals his favourite spots to hit in the Hakuba backcountry – arguably Japan’s best freeskiing destination.

“Hakuba is a playground for the dedicated powder skier. The deep powder is world-renowned, and the terrain is some of the most varied terrain in Japan. The over 1,000m of vertical above the top of Hakuba’s resorts and the countless ridgelines, chutes, and tree skiing are the most thrilling backcountry skiing in Japan.”