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In case you’re after the legendary powder of Hokkaido it’s possible you’ll marvel what are the most effective issues to do in Niseko. A ski journey to Japan is a as soon as in a lifetime expertise, and you’ll actually need to benefit from it by having fun with every little thing on supply.
We’ve spent a number of weeks through the years having fun with the legendary ski city of Niseko and whereas our first journey there was all about snowboarding on the resort, this previous journey we ventured out a bit extra. Listed below are a few of the finest issues to do in Niseko within the winter – and sure it includes different Niseko actions in addition to snowboarding or snowboarding!
25 Essential Issues to Know About Niseko Ski Resort
The place is Niseko?
Niseko is a city positioned within the Iwate Prefecture on the island of Honshu in Japan. It’s positioned within the western a part of the prefecture, close to the border with Akita Prefecture, and is well-known within the ski world for its epic powder dumps within the winter.
The city is in a mountainous area, with the Niseko Annupuri mountain vary to the east and the Niseko Moiwa mountain vary to the west. It’s a couple of four-hour drive from the town of Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido Prefecture.
The Finest Issues to do in Niseko
Ski/Snowboard
One of many predominant causes you probably got here to Niseko within the winter is to ski or snowboard within the legendary JAPOW powder. Even in case you are not an avid skier or snowboarder no journey to Niseko is full with out taking a minimum of a couple of activates one of many 4 ski resorts right here. Learn on for extra details about every.
Grand Hirafu
If the mountain had a “predominant” space it will be Niseko Hirafu. Hirafu is the place a lot of the motion takes place off the ski hill. It has a bus station, data heart, bars, lodges, hostels, eating places, coffees retailers, and ski retailers. All of that is inside strolling distance of the gondola. When somebody refers back to the city of Niseko they’re referring to Hirafu.
The Hirafu ski space is the biggest of the 4 resorts and is in fact provided with superb powder and terrain. You’ll discover evening snowboarding each evening in Hirafu, which means you are able to do a couple of laps earlier than heading into city for some sake.
Nevertheless, all of this motion implies that Grand Hirafu is the busiest and hottest of all of the mountains. Because it’s probably the most accessible, you’ll discover crowds on the base, elevate traces for the gondola, and loads of ski colleges. To interrupt away from the crowds, hold going greater, into the timber, or to one of many different resort areas.
Niseko Village
Niseko Inexperienced Leaf and Hilton Niseko Village are on the base of Niseko, all owned by YTL Resorts. We stayed on the superb Niseko Inexperienced Leaf resort and spent many days hanging out on this facet of the mountain. Niseko Village is serviced by a protracted gondola and gives guests leg-burning lengthy runs all the way down to the underside or entry to the neighboring resorts.
Niseko Village has unbelievable off-piste powder and a few epic black runs. It’s a brief hike up previous the ski patrol constructing and outdated gondola station to entry certainly one of our favourite areas.
The Niseko Inexperienced Leaf has a ski faculty within the resort and a implausible learners space. Like Hirafu, Niseko Village affords evening snowboarding on the decrease half of the mountain.
Subsequent door to the Hilton Niseko is a small procuring and eating space in conventional Japanese structure. We loved a couple of good meals at Yang Shu Ten for lunch.
Niseko Hanazono
Niseko Hanazono has quite a lot of terrain for everybody. There are nice newbie, and intermediate runs and fabulous tree runs for when the powder hits. Hanazono additionally has a terrain park for park riders and is house to the Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono.
It’s additionally house to one of the vital famed powder areas in Niseko Strawberry Fields. It’s not a lot a subject however a run by means of some epic timber that maintain loads of the snow.
When Hirafu felt crowded, we discovered ourselves exploring the off-piste choices of Hanazono for a a lot quieter expertise.
Niseko Annupuri
Annupuri is thought for being a quiet, family-friendly resort with mellow runs. They’ve nice tree runs which can be tremendous enjoyable on a powder day! The one situation with Annupuri is it’s a bit disconnected from the opposite three resorts. So when the highest lifts are closed, the one technique to entry Annupuri is with the shuttle bus, which may take a very long time and is usually overcrowded at peak occasions.
Have a Bowl of Ramen
There’s nothing higher than a piping scorching bowl of ramen after a time out within the snow in Northern Japan. Ramen is among the finest Japanese meals you could possibly probably have, and we discovered Niseko Ramen to supply nice worth in Hirafu.
Niseko Ramen is an efficient lunch and dinner spot for these on a finances. For ¥1000, hungry skiers and snowboarders can get themselves a scrumptious bowl of their well-known “Niseko Ramen.”
What’s Niseko Ramen you ask? It’s a potato cream vichyssoise topped over conventional and hearty miso. Niseko is thought for its potatoes, so the chef right here needed to create ramen distinctive to the world. It’s completely scrumptious – however you’ll probably must queue because the restaurant is small!
- Deal with: 179-36 Yamada, Kutchan (Hyperlink)
Apres in The Village
The Japanese Apres scene is nothing in comparison with Europe or North America, however there are a couple of ski bum bars to seize a drink at in Niseko Village. Right here you possibly can come and drink sake till your hearts content material. Bar Gyu+, Toshiro’s Bar, and Baddies Niseko are a couple of implausible locations to take a look at first.
Go Cat Snowboarding
Cat snowboarding is among the finest issues to do in Niseko. What’s cat snowboarding? This can be a sort of backcountry snowboarding or snowboarding that includes being transported to distant areas of the mountain by a snowcat, a car that’s designed for touring over snow and ice. Suppose countless powder with out all of the work of touring!
Niseko Powder Cats gives guided cat snowboarding excursions within the Niseko backcountry, with choices for each superior and intermediate skiers and snowboarders for ¥65,000 per particular person. Ensure to specify your degree when reserving.
NAC Journey Park
A enjoyable factor to do in Niseko for households is the NAC Journey Park! You will get your adrenaline pumping on greater than two acres of gorgeous land right here.
Journey Park has a number of programs with various levels of problem as much as 13 meters up within the air. Swing from tree to tree from the protection of your harness leash and benefit from the scenic snowy view!
Tea Ceremony at Somoza
If it’s your first time in Japan, I extremely advocate attending a standard Japanese tea ceremony. A tea ceremony or lunch at Somoza is among the finest issues to do in Niseko when it’s not snowing.
Somoza is a one-of-a-kind artwork gallery deep within the Hokkaido forest. The idea here’s a mixture of Japanese craftsmanship, historical past, and surroundings all housed in a phenomenal outdated Japanese farmhouse within the woods.
Somoza has its personal upstairs tea room the place tea ceremony rituals are carried out. Attending a Japanese tea ceremony is a once-in-a-lifetime expertise the place you possibly can see the normal method of getting ready and ingesting inexperienced tea on a tatami flooring. It’s right here you possibly can benefit from the environment and hospitality of the host. Reservations for this exercise must be booked upfront.
Go for a Night time Time Snowshoe
Among the best issues to do in Niseko for households of all shapes in sizes is go for a snowshoe stroll within the lovely forest! Snowshoe excursions are run by NAC and begin on the foot of Mt. Yotei.
When guided with NAC you’ll head out for probably the most lovely river in Niseko “Hangetsu-ko” or the “Shiribetsu-gawa” and finish your hike on the frozen Half Moon Lake. It’s right here you possibly can recognize the great thing about the Japanese forest.
Soak in an Onsen
One of many best issues to do in Niseko is to soak in an onsen – particularly within the winter – and particularly after a day on the mountain. Visiting a Japanese Onsen whereas in Japan must be on the prime of your issues to do in Japan listing!
An onsen is a Japanese scorching spring the place guests are usually separated by intercourse and may soak bare within the heat geothermal water, often exterior. It’s so stress-free particularly throughout the winter months and a singular cultural expertise. You’ll discover onsens throughout Japan as it’s a volcanically lively nation and there are hundreds scattered all through Hokkaido and Honshu.
Don’t be shy! Everybody in an onsen is bare and nobody cares. Chances are you’ll not put on a washing go well with in an onsen and a few conventional onsens even ban tattoos, attributable to Yakuza, so test accordingly you probably have tattoos. Onsens are separated by intercourse and you might be required to clean your physique earlier than coming into. Watch some YouTube movies earlier than visiting in case you are involved, or try my detailed how-to information.
There are a couple of chic onsens in Niseko. We frequented the onsen at Niseko Inexperienced Leaf once we had been staying there and it’s free to resort visitors. One of the best onsens on the town embrace:
- Yunosato Onsen
- Niseko Grand Hirafu Onsen
- Niseko Annupuri Onsen Yugokorotei
- Goshiki Onsen
- Niseko Hana-no-Yu Onsen
It’s value noting that most of the onsens in Niseko have strict guidelines about bathing apparel and tattoos, so it’s a good suggestion to familiarize your self with these guidelines earlier than visiting.
Day Journey to Otaru
One of many predominant complaints I discover that I hear about Niseko is that it isn’t very Japanese. Niseko is a global ski resort, and with that comes worldwide resort chains, eating places, bars, younger Australian employees, and every little thing in between. Whereas it makes touring in Japan a bit simpler for first-time visitors I truly discover that it’s the one place I’ve ever been in Japan that doesn’t truly really feel like Japan.
To get again into actual Japan in beneath an hour I extremely advocate heading to the seaside city of Otaru. Otaru is a port metropolis in Hokkaido, world-renowned for its contemporary seafood and Japanese desserts. It’s value a day journey right here simply to take a look at the gorgeous canal, after which I assure you’ll find yourself staying even longer strolling round consuming all of the scrumptious (and finances pleasant in comparison with Niseko) Japanese meals you possibly can.
Otaru is definitely reached by way of prepare from the JR Kutchan station (simply 10 minutes exterior of Niseko Hirafu).
Nice Eating in Niseko
Japan is well-known for being foodie heaven and when you’re after a few of these culinary delights it is best to undoubtedly make stops in Otaru and Sapporo. Nevertheless, that doesn’t imply you possibly can’t have some chic meals in Niseko.
The resort is properly know for having the most effective nightlight and restaurant scene of any Japanese ski resort. We had super meals at Sushi Kato (critically the most effective meals of our life) and An Eating the place we loved dishes corresponding to Hokkaido Snow Crab and Hokkaido Waygu Beef.
The excellent news for foodies is that the prime season for seafood in Hokkaido is from November to March whereas the snow falls.
Day Journey to Yoichi
One other simply accessible city simply 45 minutes from Niseko and Kutchan is Yoichi. Most guests will skip over Yoichi on their technique to Niseko, Otaru, or Sapporo nevertheless it’s undoubtedly value a couple of hours cease!
Yoichi is a coastal city, with a couple of good seashores to get pleasure from in the summertime. Within the winter it’s finest to get off the prepare and head straight to the Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery, the birthplace of Japanese whisky. It’s free to enter and discover the distillery grounds and so they additionally supply free Nikka whisky tastings!
Day Journey to Rusutsu
Rusutsu is one other nice Hokkaido ski resort that will get increasingly more well-known annually. It’s solely a 30-minute drive away from Niseko base space and is an efficient place to go once you really feel such as you’ve skied a majority of Niseko. Rusutsu will get related snowfall to Niseko, however being that it’s not as internationally recognized it sees far fewer guests.
This doesn’t imply that it’s an unheard-of Japan pow city, it’s nonetheless bought fairly a couple of guests kicking round. It’s a enjoyable place to go for a couple of days when you’re searching for some contemporary traces.
Kutchan Yukitopia
This competition solely comes round yearly, usually in February and when you occur to be in Niseko throughout this time it is best to undoubtedly make the journey to Kutchan for Yukitopia.
This can be a beloved winter competition in Kutchan, the city solely 10 minutes drive away from Niseko. It’s at this competition you possibly can get pleasure from a really native environment with enjoyable video games, scrumptious Japanese meals, and occasions for all kids to get pleasure from!
See the small print right here!
Niseko Cheese Manufacturing facility
Go to Niseko Cheese for some mouth watering contemporary cheese constructed from Hokkaido dairy cows. The small cheese manufacturing facility makes round 20 totally different sorts of cheese and all of them are amazingly scrumptious. Ensure to attempt the deserts as properly such because the milk tart, cheese pudding and ice cream.
Even when you don’t make it to Niseko Cheese it is best to completely seek out some Hokkaido milk tarts or cheesecake whereas within the reagion – critically they’re life altering. Fortunately they promote each on the airport so it’s the primary and very last thing we do on the island of Hokkaido.
Extra Issues To Know About Niseko
Map Of Issues To Do in Niseko
When is the Finest Time To Go to Hokkaido?
Hokkaido is Japan’s Siberian north. Dwelling to some really polar temperatures that plunge method beneath zero, Hokkaido is house to prime snowboarding and snowboarding and if that is your inerest the most effective time to journey right here is between December and February. Additionally a few of the wildest, most distant slices of nature to be present in Japan.
In case you are questioning when the most effective time to go to Hokkaido is, we’ve bought the solutions for you. Whether or not you need to hike beneath clear skies or throw your self down a ski slope, we’ve bought you lined with our useful information.
MORE JAPAN TRAVEL
Hopefully this helped you put together for a visit to Niseko Ski Resort. For extra journey round Japan see beneath:
Japan Journey Planning Sources
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