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Should you’re after the legendary powder of Hokkaido you could marvel what are one of the best 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 take advantage of it by having fun with all the things on supply.

We’ve spent a number of weeks over time 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 here are a few of the greatest issues to do in Niseko within the winter – and sure it entails different Niseko actions apart from 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 town of Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido Prefecture.

The Greatest Issues to Do in Niseko

Ski/Snowboard

One of many important causes you probably got here to Niseko within the winter is to ski or snowboard within the legendary JAPOW powder. Even if you’re not an avid skier or snowboarder no journey to Niseko is full with out taking at the very least a number of activates one of many 4 ski resorts right here. Learn on for extra details about every.

Grand Hirafu

If the mountain had a “important” 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, info middle, bars, motels, hostels, eating places, coffees outlets, and ski outlets. 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 number of laps earlier than heading into city for some sake.

Nonetheless, 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, carry traces for the gondola, and loads of ski colleges. To interrupt away from the crowds, preserve going greater, into the bushes, 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 aspect of the mountain. Niseko Village is serviced by an extended gondola and supplies guests leg-burning lengthy runs all the way down to the underside or entry to the neighboring resorts.

Niseko Village has unimaginable off-piste powder and a few epic black runs. It’s a brief hike up previous the ski patrol constructing and previous gondola station to entry one in all our favourite areas.

The Niseko Green Leaf has a ski college within the lodge 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 buying and eating space in conventional Japanese structure. We loved a number 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 residence to the Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono.

It’s additionally residence to one of the famed powder areas in Niseko Strawberry Fields. It’s not a lot a subject however a run via some epic bushes 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 difficulty 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 commonly overcrowded at peak instances.

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 likely one of the greatest Japanese meals you may 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 funds. 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 wished to create ramen that was distinctive to the world. It’s completely scrumptious – however you’ll probably need to queue because the restaurant is small! Take a look at the best way to get there.

Apres in The Village

The Japanese Apres scene is nothing in comparison with Europe or North America, however there are a number 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 number of implausible locations to take a look at first.

Go Cat Snowboarding

Cat snowboarding is likely one of the greatest issues to do in Niseko. What’s cat snowboarding? It is a kind of backcountry snowboarding or snowboarding that entails being transported to distant areas of the mountain by a snowcat, a automobile that’s designed for touring over snow and ice. Suppose limitless powder with out all of the work of touring!

Niseko Powder Cats supplies guided cat snowboarding excursions within the Niseko backcountry, with choices for each superior and intermediate skiers and snowboarders for ¥65,000 per particular person. Be certain to specify your stage when reserving.

NAC Journey Park

A enjoyable factor to do in Niseko for households is the NAC Journey Park! You may get your adrenaline pumping on greater than two acres of lovely land right here.

Journey Park has a number of programs with various levels of issue as much as 13 meters up within the air. Swing from tree to tree from the security 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 likely one of the greatest 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 previous 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 standard means of making ready and ingesting inexperienced tea on a tatami ground. It’s right here you possibly can benefit from the environment and hospitality of the host. Reservations for this exercise needs to be booked prematurely.

Go for a Evening Time Snowshoe

Among the finest issues to do in Niseko for households of all shapes in sizes is go for a snowshoe stroll within the stunning 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 stunning 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 admire the fantastic thing about the Japanese forest.

Soak in an Onsen

One of many biggest 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 needs to be on the high of your issues to do in Japan record!

An onsen is a Japanese scorching spring the place guests are sometimes separated by intercourse and might soak bare within the heat geothermal water, normally outdoors. It’s so stress-free particularly in the course of the winter months and a novel cultural expertise. You’ll discover onsens throughout Japan as it’s a volcanically lively nation and there are 1000’s scattered all through Hokkaido and Honshu. 

Don’t be shy! Everybody in an onsen is bare and nobody cares. It’s possible you’ll not put on a washing go well with in an onsen and a few conventional onsens even ban tattoos, as a consequence of Yakuza, so test accordingly you probably have tattoos. Onsens are separated by intercourse and you might be required to scrub your physique earlier than getting into. Watch some YouTube movies earlier than visiting if you’re involved, or try my detailed how-to information.

There are a number of elegant onsens in Niseko. We frequented the onsen at Niseko Inexperienced Leaf after we have been staying there and it’s free to lodge friends. The very 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 important 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 lodge chains, eating places, bars, younger Australian staff, and all the things in between. Whereas it makes touring in Japan a bit simpler for first-time friends I really discover that it’s the one place I’ve ever been in Japan that doesn’t really really feel like Japan.

To get again into actual Japan in underneath 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 attractive canal, after which I assure you’ll find yourself staying even longer strolling round consuming all of the scrumptious (and funds pleasant in comparison with Niseko) Japanese meals you possibly can.

Otaru is well reached by way of prepare from the JR Kutchan station (simply 10 minutes outdoors of Niseko Hirafu).

Tremendous Eating in Niseko

Japan is well-known for being foodie heaven and for those who’re after a few of these culinary delights it is best to positively make stops in Otaru and Sapporo. Nonetheless, that doesn’t imply you possibly can’t have some elegant meals in Niseko.

The resort is effectively know for having one of the best nightlight and restaurant scene of any Japanese ski resort. We had great meals at Sushi Kato (critically among the finest meals of our life) and An Eating the place we loved dishes comparable 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 but it surely’s positively value a number of hours cease!

Yoichi is a coastal city, with a number of good seashores to take pleasure in in the summertime. Within the winter, it’s greatest 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 every year. It’s solely a 30-minute drive away from Niseko base space and is an efficient place to go while 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 identified it sees far fewer guests.

This doesn’t imply that it’s an unheard-of Japan pow city, it nonetheless has fairly a number of guests kicking round. It’s a enjoyable place to go for a number of days for those who’re in search of some contemporary traces.

Kutchan Yukitopia

This pageant solely comes round yearly, sometimes in mid February and for those who occur to be in Niseko throughout this time it is best to positively make the journey to Kutchan (Asahigaoka Ski Space in Kutchan City) for Yukitopia.

It is a beloved winter pageant in Kutchan, the city solely 10 minutes drive away from Niseko. It’s at this pageant you possibly can take pleasure in a really native environment with enjoyable video games, scrumptious Japanese meals, and occasions for all youngsters to take pleasure in!

See the main points right here!

Niseko Cheese Manufacturing facility

Go to Niseko Cheese for some mouth watering contemporary cheese created from Hokkaido dairy cows. The small cheese manufacturing facility makes round 20 completely different sorts of cheese and all of them are amazingly scrumptious. Be certain to attempt the deserts as effectively such because the milk tart, cheese pudding and ice cream.

Even for those who don’t make it to Niseko Cheese it is best to completely seek out some Hokkaido milk tarts or cheesecake whereas within the area – critically they’re life-changing. Fortunately they promote each on the airport so it’s the primary and final thing we do on the island of Hokkaido.

Extra Issues To Know About Niseko

Map Of Issues To Do in Niseko

When is the Greatest Time To Go to Hokkaido?

Hokkaido is Japan’s Siberian north. House to some really polar temperatures that plunge means beneath zero, Hokkaido is residence to prime snowboarding and snowboarding, and if that is your curiosity one of the best time to journey right here is between December and February. A few of the wildest, most distant slices of nature are to be discovered right here in Japan.

In case you are questioning when one of the best time to go to Hokkaido is, we’ve obtained the solutions for you. Whether or not you need to hike underneath clear skies or throw your self down a ski slope, we’ve obtained you lined with our useful information.

MORE JAPAN TRAVEL

Hopefully, this can enable you to put together for a visit to Niseko Ski Resort. For extra journey round Japan see beneath: