Why is there such a strong ski jumping-tradition in Japan?

by Sepsn

Japan is basically the only country outside of Europe where ski jumping has been popular for decades. What are the reasons for this?

bettinafairchild

Well, skiing and winter sports in general are very popular in Japan. Japan was the first non-European or North American country where the Winter Olympics were held (Sapporo '72). Once they were there, they had a ski jumping location for people to use. Otherwise, ski jumping places are few and far between. So the opportunity was there.