It’s already the end of the week, so time for some more “fun with signs”. I’m pretty sure I know what this sign means, but I’m also confident I know what it could mean.
Feel free to let your imagination go wild and post in the comments what you think this ski resort is asking its guests not to do.
A recent NY Times article has peaked our interest. We’ve brought Niseko, Japan’s largest ski area, to your attention before, but the new article does a great job of presenting other skiing opportunities in the country.
As it turns out, Japan actually has many more, perhaps a hundred more, ski areas than the U.S., according to the website Snowjapan.com.
While the vertical drops aren’t quite what some have come to expect in the Alps or the Rockies, due to Japan’s unique climate, with winter winds blowing in from Siberia, ski areas can get tons more snow than comparable resorts in the U.S. For example, Niseko gets over 600 inches of snow, while Vail only averages 348. And the powder is supposed to be incredible.
Americans will benefit from the increased traffic from Australian skiers, who have gone to Japan in droves, blazing a skiing trail. Japanese businesspeople have responded by putting up more signs in English and catering to English-speakers. The Times suggested contacting Australian-run tour operators, like Skijapan.com, for more help.
And an additional feature that really intrigues us: the large number of available hot springs (“onsen“) for apres-ski.