Japan is a country with hundreds of ski resorts and plentiful snow. However the language barrier and the country’s distance from Western have long prevented it from becoming a major international ski destination. These days that starting to change, especially at a resort called Niseko.

Niseko has become wildly popular among Australians, who are attracted by the chance to ski world-class. The resort is situated on Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s main islands. From mid-December through February, the resort gets socked with winter storms that blow off Siberia and bury the mountain in some of the lightest, driest powder on the planet. Local ski businesses say that Niseko frequently gets more than 600 inches a year. Niseko also has its reputation among serious skiers and snowboarders and some of them go outside ski area boundaries at their own risk. With a 3,084-foot vertical drop, the terrain is perfect for advanced intermediates, but experts won’t find it terrifically steep, but there’s another skiing option in Japan, either.

Photos by: Charles Pertwee