A number of Japanese resorts have recently been bought by big investors with a view towards repositioning them to attract older skiers and their families. Since it's halcyon days in the early '90s the Japanese ski market has actually contracted by 30% and, with the overall population on the decrease (20.4% of the population is over 65), many ski resorts are struggling because Japanese skiing has been traditionally targeted at young singles who then stop skiing when they get married...
However, investors are not planning to rely solely on the home market, hoping to attract a greater number of tourists, particularly from the increasingly affluent China
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/dec2006/gb20061226_877208.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_global+business