Rob from HokkaidoWilds.org here....

FYI - The Hokkaido government (Hokkaido District Transport Bureau) in Japan is running a big survey to understand the extent of backcountry (lift- and non-lift-access) participation by foreigners in Hokkaido. End-game is to make the backcountry safer and more accessible.

Survey URL: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeBhFm5WE1sBmpD-3F1ip-AMk_ploB-h-2k0OekQ_pRFUEl2g/viewform?usp=pp_url&entry.131077252=VK91E8

There are incentives to take part: US$5 Amazon gift voucher (first 200 participants) and all participants go into the draw for one of two Earth Hopper all-Japan resort passes (more details here: https://hokkaidowilds.org/hokkaido-large-scale-backcountry-survey-2024 ).

The cool thing is the Bureau will be publishing reports from the project once it's all wrapped up (probably March 2025).

Also cool is that they're using standardized survey items from the Simon Fraser University Avalanche Research Program (https://surveyquestions.avalancheresearch.ca/) which might be the first time they've been used in Asia? (haven't been able to get a hold of that research team yet).

Disclaimer: I'm a volunteer involved in the project.

Hitting pillows in the Niseko backcountry (Nitonupuri South Face)