Photo= On February 11, amid a consecutive holiday weekend, the ski slopes are thronged with over 6,400 people (Kozuhara, Maibara City, Shiga Prefecture) Photo courtesy of Okuibuki Ski Resort

The number of visitors this season at Okuibuki Ski Resort, Kozuhara, Maibara City, Shiga Prefecture, has exceeded one hundred thousand at the fastest pace ever. With much more snow than usual, and in combination with greater attention due to the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics, the ski resort happily said, "We can expect the largest number of visitors ever."

According to the ski resort, visitors reached one hundred thousand on February 10, the first day of the three-day weekend. On the following day, February 11, 6,470 people descended on the slopes, the highest number since Okuibuki Ski Resort opened in 1970. The number of visitors has hit approximately 112,000 people, as of February 12.

This boom could be related to the snowfall, which is over 300 centimeters deep as of February 13, as well as the images of skiing and snowboarding of the Winter Olympics which are broadcast frequently on TV and other media. Joji Kusano, executive managing director of Okuibuki Ski Resort, said, "Since the low temperatures have continued, the snow quality is powder and wonderful. We've exceeded the 165,000 recorded in 2015, and are on pace to approach 180,000 visitors."