Draft:Shiga Kogen Yakebitaiyama

Shiga Kogen (志賀高原) Yakebitayama (焼額山, Yakebitai-Yama) area is the last area to be developed in Shiga Kogen(Shiga Highlands) and is recognized as a ski resort in Japan.

The area's development commenced in the 1960s and took two decades to open due to several factors. These include complex opposition regarding coexisting with nature, competing commercial interests from neighboring areas, and the intention to host the Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan....

Overview
The Yakebitaiyama area is located in the northern part of Shiga Kogen. It has slopes on the southern and eastern sides of Mt. Yakebitai, which has an elevation of 2011 meters. The official name of the area is the "Shiga Kogen Yakebitaiyama Ski Resort." Skiers and snowboarders widely refer to it as "Yakebitai" or "Yakebi." The area covers 61 hectares and includes the steepest slope (39 degrees), Yakebi Wall, in Shiga Kogen. .

The Nagano Prefecture Nature Conservation Federation reports that the area's high elevation and inland location lead to low-humidity, low-purity powder snow. For this reason, the Nagano Prefecture's report concludes that the area is suitable for hosting the Olympic Games.

The Alpine skiing venue for the 1998 Nagano Olympic Games was held in this area.The competition course, known as the Olympic Course, is accessible to the public.

History
The Yakebitaiyama area was developed 20 years after 1963. It is the newest area in Shiga Kogen.

Mt. Uraiwasuge (elev. 2329m) and Mt. Iwasuge (elev. 2295.3m), located adjacent to Mt. Yakebitai, were developed under the leadership of Yoshiaki Tsutsumi, CEO of Kokudo (at that time, Kokudo Kiekaku Kougyo Co. no longer exists due to dissolution) since 1961.

Japan was experiencing significant economic growth during this time, resulting in limited interest in nature preservation. Therefore, Kokudo promoted the development of these mountains as a central location for a large resort project that expanded across Nagano, Gunma, and Niigata prefectures .The local community was even in a welcoming tone

The long period can be attributed to the historical development and management of forest resources in Japan by local communities. The assumption was that forests and mountains were natural resources, and it was the duty of local people to preserve and benefit from them. As a result, development was not feasible without community consent. As a result, Shiga Kogen was developed with local capital, and the profits from the development were returned to the same community.

On the other hand, the east and south side of Mt. Yakebitai is defined as the Yakebitaiyama area was the non-local development project in Shiga Kogen. Kokudo, the developer, entered into an agreement with the Kyoekikai Foundation (established in 1922) to develop Mt. Yakebitai in Shiga Kogen, with the primary goal of investing in Japan's booming ski industry and developing the area for its potential as a venue for the 1998 Nagano Olympic Games. Kokudo, the developer, entered into an agreement with the Kyoekikai Foundation (established in April 1927), which manages Mt. Yakebitai and Mt. Iwasuge, shared with the Wagokai Foundation, before commencing development efforts. Kokudo sought to acquire the Yakebitaiyama area, but some members of the Kyoekikai were opposed to giving up their ownership rights because of the mountain's status as a resource that had been passed down through generations. As a result, Kyoekikai experienced internal conflict between the ownership and leasehold factions until 1974. In that year, Kokudo and Kyoekikai entered into a lease agreement for the Yakebitaiyama area. .

However, this caused a dispute with the neighboring Wagokai Foundation (established in April 1927), responsible for managing the nearby mountain. From the perspective of Wagokai, who possesses a wealth of experience in developing Shiga Kogen, the emergence of an economic rival caused almost a decade of fierce opposition..

In 1983, Wagokai and Kyoekikai signed a contract. The contract included economic clauses, such as not underpricing services and refusing school trips. Moreover, due to the significant development during the Sapporo Olympics, The area has undergone minimal development by utilizing the forest course style, based on the forest resource protection master plan approved by Nagano Prefecture and others.

This indicates that Shiga Kogen is not suitable for the development of a resort similar to the town of Niseko in Hokkaido..

In 1990, the plan to develop Mt. Iwasuge as an Olympic site was canceled due to growing environmental concerns, and Kokudo's large resort concept was abandoned with the end of the economic growth in 1980s.

With the end of Japan's ski boom and the growth of Japan's economy, two areas in Shiga Kogen have been closed and approximately 20 ski lifts have been removed. The Yakebitaiyama area used to have up to 11 lifts, but now has only five.