This study examines the tourist flows of international skiers in Japan and aims to identify distinct segments based on their travel patterns. Using the Japan Tourism Agency’s International Visitor Survey in 2015–2023 (N=6262), we conducted a latent class analysis to extract travel patterns from combinations of visited prefectures. The results classify international skiers into ten latent classes, The Result classified international ski tourists into ten latent classes: 1.Kanto–Koshinetsu, 2.Nagano, 3.Hokkaido, 4.Tokyo–Hokkaido, 5.Golden Route+Nagano & Hokkaido, 6.Golden Route, 7.Kansai, 8.Shoryudo(Chubu–Hokuriku), 9.Tohoku, and 10.Nationwide types, each exhibiting unique behaviors and demographic characteris-tics. Notably, the analysis reveals not only a “resort-stay type (30.1%),” in which visitors enter Japan through international airports in Tokyo and Chiba and travel directly to major ski destinations in Hokkaido, Nagano, and Niigata, but also a “mul-ti-destination itinerary type (53.5%),” in which skiing is incorporated into broader itineraries along the so-called Golden Route (Tokyo–Kyoto) or within specific regions. Previous research on tourist flows in Japan has predominantly focused on overall international visitors or specific nationalities—particularly Chinese tourists. By narrowing the analytical focus to ski tourists, this study identifies travel patterns that differ from those highlighted in existing research, highlighting the impor-tance of examining individual behaviors rather than relying solely on country or region of origin. Further investigation of travel patterns by specific travel purposes will enable a clearer understanding of the multi-layered and diverse structure of international tourism in Japan.

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