Holiday in Niseko

Niseko Green Season in full Swing

                                                           Summer is in full swing now and it’s green! One of our favourite colours here at Holiday Niseko for some reason, along with white of course!

As usual the summer season is a hive of activity with locals out and about enjoying the sunny and warm days, city slickers coming from Sapporo and other cities and people out driving or riding their motorbikes in the weekends, a great mix all enjoying the summer warmth of Niseko.
All sort of clubs and rackets… and bats are being swung in celebration of the fine weather, from tennis rackets to golf clubs… to baseball bats and also the odd cricket one too.
Here at Holiday Niseko we have been enjoying the warm weather and the outdoors not only by doing outdoor pursuits but also having BBQ’s and drinking Japanese beer under the green trees and on the green grass, yes it summer here and it is green.

These girls like playing softball in the green season and of course like Holiday Niseko

Youtei Green!

Relaxing Onsens in Niseko

                                              

When you are here enjoying your holiday in Niseko, you have to kick back and relax in one of Grand Hirafu’s onsens. The Niseko area is famous for many beautiful onsens (sulfuric hot springs) and the social ediquette surrounding them. Most of them are built outside in the open-air and usually have separate male and female baths. There is a mixed gender set up in the village if guests want to bathe together and most onsens have mineral baths and massage options …it’s all here in Niseko for you to relax and experience all year long.
During Niseko’s spring, summer and fall, hit the onsen after rafting the Shiribetsu river, playing a game of golf or a long day hiking Grand Hirafu slopes. Relax and loosen up those tight muscles after spinning a day bicycling the roads or horseback riding the country-side. After being out all day skiing and snowboarding powder during the winter months, an onsen is to die for! The benefits of warming up in the 40c+sulfuric water will do the trick in relaxing your body and mind after skiing or snowboarding. Works every time!

Niseko onsen etiquette. Wash up before and after the onsen. Relax.

All of our centrally located Niseko Hirafu accommodation have an onsen a short distance away. A two minute walk from our Asuka, Yukon, Sesshu, and Udelka properties, you can be soaking in the mineral rich and warm volcanic water of the Yukoro onsen. It’s convenient location and price (700 yen) for male and female changing rooms, lockers, showers, mineral bath and beautiful outdoor onsen, make this an easy choice. Bring or purchase a small modesty towel to cover up as you enter and leave the onsen, a 100 yen coin for the locker and you are ready. If everybody wants to bathe together there is always the option of walking to the mixed gender/co-ed onsen at the Niseko Grand. Prices can vary from 700-1300 yen per person (children discounted) depending on what is included.

Yukoro´s onsen hot spot.

The Niseko area has around 16 beautiful onsens to soak in. If you feel like venturing outside Grand Hirafu, there are many other onsens to enjoy and we would be happy to arrange a rental vehicle for your convenience. Just ask! Come to Niseko anytime to enjoy our amazing onsens! Holiday Niseko

Holiday Niseko secret onsen.

Changing Seasons in Niseko

                                                  It has been only 3 weeks since a busy last week of season, Golden Week, and the lifts closing here in Niseko but in that time the landscape has changed from a snow covered white one and slowly transformed, going through an almost autumn colour palette to an almost entirely green one. In a few more weeks Niseko will be fully green and summer holiday makers will be enjoying the cooler summer temperatures that Hokkaido has to offer people from the hotter southern climates of south Japan or Asia.

Niseko Annupuri changing colour, Haru Kouyou

Here at Holiday Niseko we have had time relax a little before the green season kicks off, golf has been in full swing, plus a little hiking in the mountains has gone down to get those last tracks and great mountain fresh air. We have also been working on our winter rates and posted a few good deals over here while enjoying bqq’s under the cherry blossom trees. It’s been a hard 3 weeks.
In this spring time season other activities that take place in Niseko are varied but most of them carry right through to the winter. Lots of local holiday makers make it out for some rafting on the Shiribetsu River and some even come out for a company or school day trip while the rivers run higher from the snow melt. Horse riding, fishing, hiking for the pleasure of hiking in the mountains plus lots of other activities take place in Niseko from the winter seasons end to the snow starts to fall again in just 6 months!
We hope some of you can join us here during spring summer autumn, if not make sure you come in winter, things are good here in Niseko.

don't worry we know what we are doing, Niseko rafting

Spring Park in Hirafu
                                      

Niseko Grand Hirafu builds a nice spring ski and snowboard park in the beginning of April every season that goes off through the golden week of May 5th(sometimes May 9th!). Located skiers right off of the king hooded triple seater lift on the upper mountain, the Shirakaba spring park is the place to slip and slide the snow until the end of the season. The park is complete with beginner, medium, huge tables and drop-gap lines. There are also a couple small boxes to slide, a big hip-jump and a mini pipe at the end of the park but that’s not all… cross over the groomed run and drop into the natural gully to carve the berms and trick the wall hits down to the lift. It’s super fun! With all the different lines, lapping the Shirakaba park can become a run you repeat all day… all week… if you are lucky, all spring.

Jumping Hirafu's fun medium line in the spring park

The first of two small jumps in the beginner line

A couple skiers sliding Hirafu's mini box.

Skiing the hip

The park staff crew does a excellent job on the layout and shape it twice daily -keeping it fresh and clean with painted features that look beautiful with Mt. Youtei in the backdrop. Spring is a great time of the season to jump your first jumps, learn some new tricks or practice old moves. The warm temps and sun, soft snow and uncrowded slopes all factor in to the high level of fun this time of year in Niseko. Many pro and core local skiers and snowboarders are ripping the park and amazing tricks are thrown down daily. Every season the video and photos coming out of the Niseko area are inspiring to say the least. We have seen a 17 year old Kutchan local kid warm up on the 20 meter jump with mach-speed switch backside 540′s then throwing switch backside 900′s on his next lap through. So smooth. No wonder why he won the Hanazono big air event earlier in the season. This kind of riding is nice to watch or join in on the session if your skills are dialed or not.

Local rider spinning off the big line.

Big Hirafu gap. BiIl Cosby sweater.

Another big plus to riding park in Niseko is that the kind culture of the Japanese in general have way-way less attitude than park-rats in other countries of the world. Everybody is so chill and peacefully waiting their turn to drop in and rip it. No one ever snakes through and heads are always watching out for each other helping make sure the landings are clear after a bail.  In a culture where strangers are bowing, greeting and motivating each other, it really creates a good feel in the parks of Hanazono and Hirafu all season. Everybody gets a chance to ride the fun features in Niseko with the locals making beginners feel as comfortable as the pros. Park kids around the world should take note.
Spread the Niseko spring park word and come out to enjoy and experience it for yourself.
Holiday Niseko

Niseko’s Mountains Are Safe
                                                  Please help us spread the word that Niseko was not directly affected from the earthquake and devastating tsunami of March 11th. Help Niseko by reading this Niseko Tourism Update and pass it along to your friends and family who have skied Niseko or who like to enjoy their future snowy holiday with us. Know that Hokkaido was not mentioned in any travel advisories and recently many countries have lifted advisories against Tokyo reassuring traveler’s fears of connecting flights to and from New Chitose airport in Sapporo. Niseko Grand Hirafu’s ski slopes and surrounding villages are 600km away from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power plant and radiation levels in Hokkaido have measured to normal background levels every day last month. Please check FLEEP and MLIT for daily updates on the ongoing crisis! There has been no food shortage in Hokkaido and of course the Japanese government has issued strict guidelines for foods to be tested to acceptable levels. The people of Niseko and Kutchan town have opened up 1000 beds for displaced people, have personally driven down supplies, continue to help at donation centers and have raised over 2,000,000 JPY to date to donate to the relief efforts. With a country in pain during these hard times, our quiet Hokkaido has been spared and living in the mountains feels safe. We are enjoying the snow quietly and doing what we can to help. Now would be better than ever to support tourism in Japan by planning or possibly booking your next ski or snowboard Holiday. Niseko would love to have you back or show the beautiful culture and snow we are blessed for the first time.
Thanks to Niseko Tourism and you,
Holiday Niseko

Niseko Spring Snow
                                 

Skiing and snowboarding the spring season up here in Niskeo is good good times. The warmer temperatures and sunshine, soft corn snow, and not waiting in lift lines are very beautiful things. We cherish these chill spring snow days with the locals and it’s easy to enjoy great groomer turns and park jumps on the mountain after the high season. Although Niseko has had plenty of cold snow in March on top of the 4 meter base, it’s still called “low season” and it’s an awesome time to be here. Not too many skiers or snowboarders are here to race for the first turns making relaxing powder days and open runs easy to find.

Trees of Hanazono April 2nd

April’s first three snowy days came with no powder pressure and plenty of snow for everybody. It’s cool to see Niseko’s slopes enjoyed the lifties, lodge managers, local business owners, convenience store employees and other village workers that finally are having time off to ski and snowboard. The uncrowded park runs are being shredded by friendly familiar faces and it might be time to start calling Niseko “low season” Niseko “bro season”.

Local rider enjoying the nice shaped park on a nice day

The warmer spring temperatures change the mountain daily and we can see the sasa bush springing back to life and creeks running wild again. The spring brings risk of cornices breaking, huge snowballs falling out of the birch, heavy slush-slides down to the ground, cracks and holes appearing where everybody has been skiing and snowboarding all winter.

Heavy Niseko spring snowball that just fell out of the birch tree.

Snow crack under the Niseko Ace Quad lift

It’s all good, just be aware out there and enjoy the spring snow!

Holiday Niseko

Niseko charity ride
                                     

The people of Niseko, Kutchan and surrounding area rallied together on the snow with a charity ride and auction to raise funds for the Tohoku tsunami relief fund and Red Cross Japan yesterday. Local legends, companies, embassadors and professional riders all donated their time and gear to this great cause and event that has been touring from resort to resort around Hokkaido the past couple weeks. A small donation of  500 yen got you a respect-ribbon to tie on your goggles, a few hour ski or snowboard session with your pick of 37 Japanese pros and a chance to bid on gear in the afternoon auction. Two MC hosts gathered the attention for a long moment of silence in respect for the lives lost, homes and land in ruins, then organized everyone into freeride or park groups.

Big crew of skiers and snowboarders showed up to support the Niseko charity ride

Following Kutchan's local hero and Rome rider Hiromasa Ihara in Hirafu's mini pipe

The Niseko charity ride auction for gear and donations raised 600,000 yen for Red Cross Japan

The level was raised on our first run by our leader and crew spinning 3′s, 5′s and 7′s off the catwalk on Roy’s run and cruising powder. Everybody was cheering each other on, buttering and getting fresh. Rome sds pro Hiromasa Ihara and friends were inspirational riders to rip with and follow through the pipe and park. The sun and snow came and went throughout the session and kept switching back and forth during the auction keeping it real. Everybody’s spirits were high and the general feeling of doing something worthy was felt through the crowd. Loud laughs and big smiles all around while the bidding wars were battled for loads of gear. It was a day to remember and a reminder to continue supporting by doing what we can.
Thanks to everyone who participated and donated!

Niseko after March 11th
                                         

From Grand Hirafu’s opening day, our Holiday Niseko accommodation has been booked out with great people from all over the world this 2010/2011 season. January and February’s powder dumped through early March and the snow depth was all time! Stoke and hype was full power. Families and friendly groups of skiers and snowboarder’s were having a blast on their holidays- telling us that the snow has been some of the best they had ever skied or slashed. That’s normal for Niseko.
Then on March 11th things became not so normal with the earthquake outside the east coast of Sendai and the devastating tsunamis that followed leaving Fukushima, Sendai and other east coast cities ruined and waiting for rescue. Shaking the houses in Niseko and rocking the world, our eyes and ears have been tuned in to Japanese news every day since March 11th. With so many lives lost, families broken, homes and land destroyed, food shortages, nuclear reactors burning, radiation scares it’s been awkward and hard to be up here trying to enjoy skiing and snowboarding when the country is in pain.

After the house was shaking we couldn't believe what we saw on tv

The strong-willed Japanese people have rallied around each other trying to fix and rebuild rather than blame and compare. Their strength is inspirational. Locals in Niseko have helped out as much as possible by throwing many fund raising events in town and on the mountain sending relief-fund donations to Red Cross Japan and the Tohoku earthquake fund. The people of Kutchan and Niseko town have had donation and drop off centers for clothing and other necessities since the disaster struck. Some brave people have re-routed their lives to drive down, look for lost friends and roll up their sleeves to help out the poor victims that have been in our thoughts and prayers.

Gyu bar in Niseko hosted a party and collected donations from over 120 people. Moiwa resort downhill race donated as well.

Some tourists stayed on and rode out their vacations but many foreigners cancelled their holidays and Niseko has been very very quiet as of March 11th. We have been safely tucked away in Niseko and Hokkaido has for the most part been spared from this disaster. Our hearts go out to the coastal cities of Honshu and the people in pain. Here is a few photos of what it’s been like up on the mountain since mid March. Enjoy the snow quietly
Holiday Niseko

Niseko Ace Quad with no lines in March 2011

Rome rider ripping Hirafu's empty park under the empty charilifts

Doing laps in a quiet Hirafu park and Hanazono's trees

Quietly enjoying some lips in Hirafu's park and powder in Roy's run this past March

Drop in the Annupuri gully

Cornicing the gully and tracking up our tracks

Road to Annupuri and a method by a method master

Surf the snow Annupuri style

Not many people for mid-day gate 5 in Hirafu

Running laps on Roy's run

Niseko Powder in March

                                           

Niseko has had a snowy start to this “spring-season” of March and it feels more like early February with the temps and snowfall. With over 50cm of dry powder the first few days of the month, it’s been days of knee-deep early mornings and powder night sessions with no high season crowds. Day or night, ski or snowboard, it’s been sweet at all areas across Niseko from Hanazono to Annupuri. The weather is looking to stay snowy this week (as far as the forecast can predict) so all is good.

Face shot to the camera

Hokkaido winter has more snow to pile-up our already packed-out 4+meter snowbase! It’s the perfect time to be here or hook a deal and book last minute accommodation.

Powder from Annupuri to the sea of Japan

Looking back to last March 2010, Niseko boasted 3+meters of new snow and some March snow totals in the past have been even deeper.

Hokkaido's magic trees and snow

It looks promising for good snow for the locals and our Holiday Niseko guests out enjoying the chill part of the season. We hope the powder keeps dumping through the end of March… then fades us into sunny corn snow cruiser runs with great park days until the lift’s shut down in May.

CAR RENTAL FOR YOUR HOLIDAY IN NISEKO
                                                                                          

Along with setting you up with accommodation and ski packages, Holiday Niseko can also help in arranging a rental vehicle during your Niseko winter holiday. If you like the freedom of having your own wheels and enjoy exploring parts unknown, the roads around Niseko are ready for you to roll. All you need is an international drivers license permit from your home country and your set. Well… you will also need your passport, credit card and some behaving while behind the wheel. Toyota and BDL both have competitive rates, great selection from wagons to 4WD vehicles and are flexible with you in arrangement.  The convenience of having a car in Niseko is a luxury for many reasons besides having crazy photos of digging it out from complete burial. A short drive from Grand Hirafu and you can check out Niseko town’s local farmers market and onsen or stock up on groceries at one of three supermarkets in Kutchan. Fire up the car and cruise to Niseko’s neighboring ski areas of Moiwa, Chise-nupuri or a take a drive to the coast and rest your legs for a day.

Toyota Suceed was a success in the snow

Watch out for wild foxes in the Niseko hoods

The best thing about having a rental car in Niseko

4WD Delica-van is the way to roll

Not to take away from riding the free ski-bus (for ski-pass holders) between your accommodation and the resort. The bus system works well and runs often from early morning to late night getting you between Kutchan, Hirafu, Niseko Village (Hilton) and all the way around the mountain to Annupuri. Hanazono’s free-bus has you covered and runs every 30 minutes as well. Setting you up with a car rental is just another service that we offer. How ever you like to roll, we can help.
Holiday Niseko

Snowy roads in Kutchan