Hakuba, Nagano Pref. ¨C On a recent Saturday, while much of Japan sweltered under punishing heat and humidity, groups of hikers were savoring the crisp mountain air on an off-peak ski slope in Hakuba, Nagano Prefecture.

In the Kurobishidaira area at an altitude of 1,680 meters, staff at a restaurant with a panoramic view of the mountain valley were busy serving meals and drinks to adventure-seeking customers.

Overall, though, the Hakuba Happo-One ski resort was relatively quiet, with many lifts empty ¡ª after all, Hakuba is far better known for its powder snow than its cool breezes.

¡°This has been very beautiful,¡± said Jordan Humphreys, a 27-year-old tour agent from New Zealand visiting Hakuba for the first time for a holiday hike. ¡°It¡¯s interesting, because I wouldn¡¯t have told people to come here at this time of year, but I think it¡¯s really nice.¡±

As extreme heat continues to grip the nation, a tectonic shift may be underway in the nation¡¯s summer tourism scene.

More ski resorts are operating year-round, switching to ¡°green season¡± mode as soon as the snow thaws to appeal to mountain hikers and vacationers looking for a respite from the concrete jungle and scorching heat. A number of domestic tour operators are also promoting higher-altitude destinations.

But whether such initiatives will spur more travel demand remains to be seen.

The idea of escaping heat, or hisho in Japanese, with trips to mountain resorts such as Karuizawa, Yatsugatake and Kamikochi is nothing new. But as climate change brings increasingly severe heat to Japan¡¯s major cities, more businesses appear to be aggressively marketing cooler temperatures as a prime attraction.

For example, East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) has tied up with private-sector forecaster Weathernews to advertise hisho tabi (heat-escape trip) campaigns all over Tokyo. ¡°Temperatures in Tokyo last year topped 35 degrees Celsius!¡± scream posters on train station platforms. ¡°Try visiting here!¡± say others, showing a map displaying cooler destinations and their average high temperatures for August last year, mostly in north and eastern Japan, including Washikura in Fukushima Prefecture (23.1 C), Sukayu in Aomori Prefecture (23.4 C) and Kusatsu in Gunma Prefecture (25.2 C).

The railway giant has also collaborated with the city of Nasushiobara in Tochigi Prefecture to promote tours to cool spots in nature and water activities at the city¡¯s amusement facilities.

This year, the Hoshino Resort group started peddling the idea of ¡°coolcation¡± that has proven popular abroad. It encourages people to stay at hotels 800 meters above sea level or higher, where the average daytime temperatures in July and August are under 25 C, such as Okuhida in Gifu Prefecture and Lake Kawaguchi in Yamanashi Prefecture.

Such campaigns come as the travel industry faces...