"If you come to Akakura in summer, it's pitch dark at night," said Masafumi ... along with the more famed Japanese ski ...

Ski resorts in Japan are prized for having some of the deepest ... we were just happy to go down and take it easy,” Mr. Kreibich said. That night, they toasted their luck over sake.

STORY: Two and a half hours northeast of Tokyo, the Myoko highlands are known for their powder snow.But just three winters ...