Thousands crowd the slopes during Fukushima's ski season

It seemed to be a typical festive winter scene, with crowds of smiling skiers of all ages dressed in colourful hats and goggles making their way down snow-covered slopes. But the setting is perhaps less predictable: for the ski scene was unfolding in Fukushima, a region of Japan that has become synonymous globally as home to the world's worst nuclear crisis in decades. Last week, thousands of skiers took to the snow-covered slopes of Fukushima for the official seasonal start of the ski season in resorts across the mountainous region following heavy snowfall. However, there were clues that this was no ordinary ski season – in particular, the daily postings of radiation readings in the region alongside the more standard snow reports as well as the regional authorities monitoring food safety levels. And the return of tourists to the region was no doubt fuelled further by the growing availability of personal radiation reading devices in Japan, from iPhone applications measuring atmospheric levels to portable Geiger counters attached to mobile phones. Tourism in Japan was dented seriously in the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, a situation worsened by the nuclear fall out at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. However, nine months on – and only weeks after the Japanese government declared the damaged power plant in a state of cold shutdown – it appears that tourists are slowly returning not only to northeast Japan, but also to Fukushima. The mountainous north-easterly region of Fukushima has long been famed in Japan, and increasingly across Asia, as a popular ski destination, with more than two dozen resorts attracting growing crowds of snow-loving tourists. While the 12-mile exclusion zone surrounding Fukushima's damaged plant remains strictly out of bounds, ski resorts in the surrounding mountains are open for business and keen to resume life as normal during its peak winter season. Over the festive period, a number of Fukushima resorts have reported occupancy back to as high as 70 per cent compared to pre-disaster levels, with most visitors consisting of Japanese who have previously holidayed there as well as Asian tourists, many from Greater China. However, the tourism industry in Fukushima has clearly had to adjust to the nuclear situation: from radiation readings monitored daily and posted on websites to the government's testing of food products to ensure they are uncontaminated. "Ski resorts in Fukushima are very popular in Japan," said a spokesman for Tohoku's International Tourism Division. "There are more than 20 resorts and Fukushima is renowned for its high mountains and abundant powder. It's also home to the "mogul world cup" every year. "The influence on tourism from the nuclear power plant accident has been terrible. But measures are being taken to help recover tourism. These include food testing and radiation readings on websites which are being carried out by Fukushima prefecture and the Japanese government." On the snowy slopes of Fukushima's Alts Snow Park & Resorts, one of 28 properties operated across Japan by Hoshino Resorts, colourful crowds of skiers gathered last week for the launch of the first season since the March 11 disaster. A giant curry and rice dish big enough to feed 100 people was prepared outside by chefs surrounded by smiling tourists to mark the start of a season in a region of Japan where celebrations have been few and far between over the past nine months. "People are coming back to Fukushima to ski and we're very happy that many of our guests are families," said a spokeswoman for Hoshino Resorts. "We're expecting between 3,000 and 4,000 people a day over the New Year holidays." Among the revellers at Alts Snow Park & Resorts was Kento Takada, 36, a company employee from Ibaraki prefecture, also northeast Japan, who was skiing with his family, including his parents and two young children. "We come year once a year, every year. We love this resort for skiing. We came back this year because it's very pleasant with clean facilities with many choices of ski courses. "We haven't worried about radiation levels because they are listed on the internet every day." The coming year will be crucial for Japan's tourism industry, which has suffered from a strong yen and economic crisis as well as the triple earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis over the past year. However, developers have not been deterred from the challenges of the past year, with many major operators involved in projects in Japan, from the Four Seasons in Kyoto to Hoshino Resorts' new high end Hoshinoya hotel in Okinawa's Taketomi Island.