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We raised lift ticket prices by 200 yen per adult but we can't suddenly increase it by 1,000 or 2,000 yen. We can't cover all the fuel and power bill cost increases so it’s difficult.

8 Comments

Shigehiko Yoshida, manager of the Ani Ski resort in the northern prefecture of Akita. Ski resorts in Japan are struggling with surging energy costs as they often use vast amounts of electricity to run chairlifts and fuel for the giant snowcats that groom slopes.

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Plus it look like a government grab taken the sigma off the resorts

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Answer is charge foreigner 2000 yen per ski ( that for each) and the same for snowboard at customs and split the money to each resort and any ski Jo that has a lift. Work out the average and all is sweet. This will work because Japan is the premier snow sport in the east hemisphere people will still come because of the plus is Japan is a great place to visit as well

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Skiing is a bargain in Japan compared to most other countries. It seems more of a mass market here, and thus more price sensitive, with local farmers and factory workers taking part, compared to the likes of Switzerland, Whistler, or Vale.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Yeah, the average skier is decked out in 250,000 yen plus of gear. "Backcountry" types can easily go over 500,000 yen, 200,000 just for the jacket and pants. Some will give Oakley 25,000 just for goggles. If you can afford all that, any "OMG lift tickets have gone up 500 yen!" type moans from you should fall on deaf ears.

Not impossible, but that's not the case for the vast majority - I'm quite a keen skier and never spent anything like that amount - think I paid about 45K for a massive pair of powder skis (previous seasons's model) that was my biggest spend - probably wouldn't update them for 5 or 6 seasons.

Lift tickets are definitely a bargain here though - especially compared to the US where it is just completely insane unless you are buying a season ticket or months in advance. It's even cheaper than Europe and the skiing is way better - more powder and less crowds. Just no apres ski and most resorts and towns are very dated. Most likely a result of the bubble years when loads of ski resorts opened, but these days it's gone out of fashion, there's not as much money around and most of those resorts still remain meaning they can't put prices up.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

If people want to ski, they'll pay.

Yeah, the average skier is decked out in 250,000 yen plus of gear. "Backcountry" types can easily go over 500,000 yen, 200,000 just for the jacket and pants. Some will give Oakley 25,000 just for goggles. If you can afford all that, any "OMG lift tickets have gone up 500 yen!" type moans from you should fall on deaf ears.

I still do it, on a mishmash of gear of various vintage, mostly bought off Mercari and Yahoo Auctions. Goggles and gloves are the cheap Costco ones.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Lift tickets are cheap in Japan compared to USA where Vail resorts lift tickets average 20,000 Yen to 30,000 Yen per day. Be glad that lift tickets are so cheap here.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Like it or not, skiing is an expensive sport/hobby, and lift prices are only a part of it. As a former skier who paid some pretty outlandish lift price increases before injury made me stop, I say the resort should just increase their lift ticket price. If people want to ski, they'll pay.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Doesn't matter what it was last week.

Price = Cost + Profit.

They can celebrate playing their part in defeating what the BoJ consider to be Japan's greatest enemy, deflation, as they hand over the cash.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

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