After qualifying in top spot for the third and last final of the night, the 20-year-old Hara appeared as if he might take the honor of being Japan's first gold medalist of the games, but came up short as Canada's Mikael Kingsbury and Australian Matt Graham grabbed gold and silver, respectively.
Hara made a valiant effort to score 82.19 points as the last skier of the night, claiming a podium as a slew of competitors fell on the Phoenix Snow Park slope.
"I am just so happy," said Hara. "It's a relief because I had struggled so much until now. Last year, I didn't have any good performances and this is my first podium finish. My heart is filled with joy."