Ah Japan! Who doesn’t want to go there? Land of steaming ramen, strange fish, smoking hot schoolgirls, warm smiles, crazy fans, bizarre cartoons, rapid trains, mysterious traditions and, of course… POWDER!

The science has all been talked about before – Siberian weather fronts, prevalent westerlies, moisture sucked up from the sea and blah blah blah. All you need to know is it pukes. A lot. In fact the north island of Hokkaido is the closest thing to a powder-making machine you will ever find. And for this reason, it tends to feature a lot on film. From Mike Ranquet getting kicked out of the country for trashing a vending machine in 1992’s Gettin’ Some to Nicolas Müller nipple deep in Nippon (try saying that five times quickly!) Japan has been a magnet for lovers of freshies.

It’s also produced a fair few steez mongers of its own, including Kazuhiro ‘Kazu’ Kokobu, Tadashi Fuse and Takahiro Nakai (he is siiiiiiick!).

But it’s all about the snow, really, isn’t it? And those picturesque, well-spaced trees. Yes indeed, Ja-Pow’s starring role in many a shred film has probably made it the number one fantasy destination for Joe Punter. It’s just a shame you need a second mortgage to get there…