Municipalities are coming up with ideas to welcome newcomers as members of communities while also trying to stop young people from leaving their hometowns.
A research group at Future University Hakodate is developing a smartphone app that judges snowboarding tricks like jumps and turns, utilizing artificial intelligence to help amateur board riders improve their moves.
It is hoped that plans to make use of existing facilities will allay fears over costs, but nonetheless local support for a bid for the 2030 Winter Games looks to be on the wane.
The Tsushima Current carries objects from the south as it flows northward in the Sea of Japan, and the west wind from the Eurasian continent pushes them ashore.