By NOBUHIRO SHIRAI/ Staff Writer
December 4, 2022 at 18:43 JST
Skiers arrive in character costumes at the artificial Rokkosan Snow Resort in Kobe, which opened for business on Dec. 3. (Nobuhiro Shirai)
KOBE--An artificial ski slope near the summit of Mount Rokkosan here kicked off operations for this season Dec. 3, pinning its hopes on inbound tourists to improve its business fortunes.
Skiers and snowboarders dressed up as various game characters flooded the Rokkosan Snow Resort that day as the operator lifted admission and ski lift fees if they showed up in masquerade.
The resort began preparations for the season in late October and produced about 240 tons of snow a day with ice making machines, officials said.
Now, the slope measuring 260 meters or so and made of 8,900 tons of snow is ready for hordes of skiers and snowboarders.
The facility had about 146,000 visitors in fiscal 2018, the most in recent years.
But the number halved in fiscal 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In fiscal 2020 and 2021, no tourists came from overseas.
However, the operator is hoping that will change this winter as Japan eased travel restrictions for inbound tourists from this fall.
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