Unseasonably warm ski resort will be closed this weekend, Niigata Joetsu. Kanayayama Ski Resort in Joetsu City is known as the ``birthplace of skiing,'' where soldiers from the Austro-Hungarian Empire first introduced skiing to Japan in 1901.
This season, the ski resort is scheduled to be open until March 10th, but the city that manages it says it could close as early as this weekend if the warmer weather causes even less snow. The current snow depth is about 50 centimeters, which is about 20 centimeters less than the estimated opening level.