Although 75 percent of Japan is mountainous, and there are 600 ski resorts nationwide, the process of arranging a ski holiday can often be full of trials and tribulations.
There are a number of questions that need to be answered: How do I get there? What are the snow conditions like? What are the runs like? How is the accommodation? If you're not fluent in Japanese, it can be especially difficult to find answers. Fortunately, these and many other questions that you probably hadn't even thought of (e.g., Do they rent ski boots for big feet? Is there a day-care center for the kids?) can be answered, in English, by accessing the Ski Japan Guide Web site ( www.skijapanguide.com ).
The brainchild of 32-year-old Englishman Andrew Lea, the recently relaunched guide was set up to help anyone interested in a skiing holiday in Japan. "The response has been tremendous," said Lea. "We are getting 800 users a day on the Web site and expect that to rise to more than 1,000 once the season gets under way. Not only that, but we are getting inquiries from expats in Hong Kong and Singapore who see Japan as the only option when it comes to a midwinter break."