To Niseko... or not to Niseko? Is it the right resort for you?

Niseko is Japan’s most popular ski resort for international visitors, and by some margin. I would say that as many as 60% or even 70% of all enquiries we get at Different Snow ask for Niseko by name. Thereafter it is our job to investigate if you have a specific reason for this or instead it is simply because Niseko is the only ski resort you have heard of in Japan? And this is the bottom-line; whilst Niseko is an amazing ski resort whose notoriety is both well-earned and wholly justified… it may not be the correct choice everyone. 

Japan has over 60 ski resorts, and at the last count I have personally skied in around half of them. Of these, we feature a carefully selected number at Different Snow—resorts which we consider good enough to make the cut. These are places we’ve thoroughly researched and where we have everything in place: accommodation options, trusted local ski guides, transfer companies, and on-the-ground support. There are resorts I would consider to be at least as good as Niseko, and for the right person, some are even better in certain respects.

Therefore, when it comes to skiing in Japan the options are endless. For you Niseko may very well be ‘the one’. However, by the same token it could be the Hakuba Valley, or Myoko Kogen, or Zao Onsen or even Kamui Ski Links – all offering something either subtly or substantially different to Niseko. Whichever it is, one unifying fact remains consistent across them all and that is that you’ll enjoy the best powder ski experience of your life – that’s a ‘Japan’ thing and not only a ‘Niseko’ thing.

So, let’s examine Niseko warts’n’all.

The case for Niseko….

Niseko must be doing something right to be so universally popular?! Absolutely yes.

I maintain that everyone should ski Niseko at least once in their life and it remains, arguably, Japan’s best ‘all-rounder’ ski resort. No-one ever, and I mean ever, comes away from Niseko underwhelmed or disappointed. It delivers (and then some) every time and I would say over 50% of our itineraries feature at least five nights in Niseko, though often in combination (and in juxtaposition) with another ski resort.

·       Niseko, and this region in Western Hokkaido, has an amazing snow record - an average of 15 meters of that Ja’Pow (™ the Japan ski marketing machine) every season. It often falls heavy every day for weeks on end, and this is not just any powder – this is ‘perfect’ powder.

This is the science bit: Western Hokkaido sits in a thermal sweet spot where the ambient temperature is neither too hot and nor too cold. Hokkaido Island itself is not particularly far north but it is perfectly positioned to feel the full brunt of the air mass coming over from Siberia on the prevailing winds. The freezing level drops to sea level and then remains that way for much of the winter, which is why the snow accumulates even on the nearby beaches. And these are the lightest, fluffiest snow crystals which are called “stellar dendrite” due to the high percentage of air trapped with the tree-like structure. This unique structure is then sustained by the consistent below-zero temperatures.

As I said previously, ridiculously heavy snowfall resulting in an accumulation of deep, deep powder is not unique to Niseko – this happens across all Japan.  But, and this is what many Niseko locals will tell you,…it’s not just the just about the quantity of the snow, it’s also about the quality. And this is where Niseko takes top billing.

Let’s consider again the sheer amount of snow that falls. Looking at a worst-case scenario, Niseko’s lowest snowfall winter on record was just below 8-metres. The vast majority of ski resorts in Europe and North America usually top out at 7-metres per season. You can take that fact to the pub quiz.

·       But it should never only be Niseko itself. Instead we use Niseko as a base from which to explore the entirety of Western Hokkaido – the ski resorts of Rusutsu, Moiwa and Kiroro all within easy day trip-able range. These ski mountains are every bit as good (personally, I’d say Rusutsu is even better!) and, conveniently, Hirafu Village in Niseko is the only central hub from which you can explore them all.

·       Iwanai is the world’s best cat ski operation. Bar none. I will brook no argument. Fact. And it is only a day trip away from Niseko. You can’t really get to Iwanai if you are based anywhere else.

·       In Niseko, and in wider Western Hokkaido, a good ski guide will get you to the best terrain and will deliver those precious fresh tracks. Niseko is where some of the best ski guides in the industry base themselves and they will have a profound impact on your on-mountain experience.

(Unfortunately, there are also many still wet-behind-the-ears cowboys and charlatans fresh off a plane from Sydney or Perth, clutching a newly acquired guiding certificate…but without the experience and local’s know-how. These are some of the worst guides in the business and they often work for some of the larger mainstream ski schools and guiding companies. Different Snow don’t use these guides. We have operated in Niseko for over 15 years and nurtured long-standing relationships with our own stable of experienced, professional, locally knowledgeable and more mature local guides.)

·       If you are a well-healed traveller, a connoisseur of luxury, if you enjoy five-star hotels or high-end chalets, then Niseko should be your choice. Perhaps your only choice in Japan if your expectations sit at the most opulent end of the spectrum. Niseko has some truly world-class accommodation options for the most discerning tastes, and the ‘scene’ here is more sophisticated in all respects; comfort, service, elegance and all the accoutrements which go along with this.

·       Niseko is home to some of the finest restaurants in all Japan. I mean, really good. Michelin-stars good. And it has everything – exclusive sushi counters, Italian-Japanese fusion, noodle bars serving the perfect bowl of ramen, shabu shabu, the finest wagyu beef, high-end burgers, French bistro’s, teppanyaki, wood-fired pizza, yakiniku and wonderfully smoky yakitori joints. It even has an amazing kebab truck, owned by my mate from North Wales.

·       Hirafu (the main central village in Niseko) and Niseko Village (confusingly not the main village, but the next base station along which has also developed at a pace) are a lot of fun. If you love your après ski – amazing restaurants, lively bars and a ‘happening’ village atmosphere - then Niseko is without any serious rival in Japan. After dark Niseko has an undeniable buzz about the place and, without self-discipline (a personal affliction), this can result in far too many powder-denying hangovers the following morning.

Which neatly leads me on to…

That’s all good. So, what are Niseko’s downsides?

·       Niseko is Japan’s busiest ski resort. The resort will be at operating at 100% capacity from mid-December all the way through to March. Therefore, there will be lift queues. Not as epic and disheartening as those seen in European ski resorts over Christmas and half-term weeks (nowhere in Japan ever gets that bad!), but the main lifts out of Hirafu or Niseko Village first thing in the morning? Yes, there will be some waiting in line required, even if only for a short while. The good news is that once you get on the mountain it all very quickly disperses, and you are ordinarily straight on and off chairlifts from hereon in.

·       And this volume on the mountain also impacts your likelihood of fresh tracks. Similar to the Germans with their beach towels on sun-loungers, those accessible easy-to-find powder stashes on Niseko mountain have often been tracked out by our Australian cousins and their fat skis well before you can even get there. That is why you need one of guides to take you to the bowls and glades they don’t know about, or even to on away days to a different nearby ski mountain.

·       However, the single biggest bug bear we have with Niseko is not on-the-mountain. It’s in the village, during the evening - specifically, dining out. The restaurants get booked out months (and months) in advance and without a reservation you’re basically…screwed and will find yourself eating out of a convenience store or from a take-away food truck (some of which are wonderful, by the way). Now, this can of course be mitigated and we will empower you with the information (websites, restaurants recommendations) to make those precious table-reservations plenty ahead time – though we will stop short of making the bookings on your behalf. The restaurants won’t allow us to make reservations on our guest’s behalf; they will accept bookings only directly guaranteed with credit card-backed assurance. It will be a time-consuming and sometimes frustrating process. But, and this is a stark truth, you can’t just go to Niseko with a laissez faire attitude to your evening meal and dining options because it just does not work like that. When we suggest that reserving tables – as early as September or October – is the thing to do, then you really do need to listen to us.

·       Guests who ask to go to Niseko specifically often then ask us for something with “Japanese character”, or with a “a sense of Japan”, or perhaps a hotel with a boutique and intimate atmosphere? That’s not Niseko. It’s just not that kinda’ place.

To be honest with you, Niseko does not feel terribly Japanese. The hotels, restaurants, bars, ski shops and cafes are largely staffed by Australians, or Canadians, or Singaporeans and Hong Kong’ers (is that what you call people from Hong Kong?). The Japanese locals in the nearest town (Kutchan) often joke that they need their passports to head up the mountain to Hirafu Village. It is a foreigner’s enclave. I guess there is also a positive here? English is both the spoken and written language in Niseko and therefore everything is very accessible and easy for international guests.

Now…at Different Snow we are experts at serving up an authentic and characterful Japan. This is where we excel. Onsens, small traditional Japanese inns, bullet-trains, ancient Shinto shrines, sumo wrestlers & Geisha? Okay. But….it isn’t going to be in Niseko, instead it’s going to be at the ryokan we place you in before you get to Niseko, or on your travels on Honshu Island after you leave Niseko.

·       Now for the brass tacks - Niseko is without doubt a little more expensive than elsewhere in Japan. It is in its own little bubble. Let’s say everything in Niseko is 10-20% more expensive than it would be in any other ski resort in Japan; a ski guide, a fancy dinner, a beer in a bar, your hotel, apartment or chalet, a lift pass…etc. Still cheaper and better value than skiing in the USA or Europe, but that little more than alternative resorts in Japan.

In conclusion…  

Is Niseko an amazingly good ski resort?  Absolutely. Yes. I’ve skied in Niseko over 20 times in the last 25 years – and you wouldn’t do that in a crap ski resort, right? My colleague Georgia recently worked in Niseko as a ski guide for two full seasons and won’t have a bad word said about it – she loves it, and quite rightly so.

Will you have a good time in Niseko?  Invariably. Everyone does, bar none, and we’ve been sending guests to Niseko since 2012.

Is Niseko Japan’s best ski resort?  Errr…. it’s certainly one of its best, but it all depends on what you are looking for. We can suggest other ski resorts which offer something utterly different, both on and off the mountain, and these are every bit as good…but in a different way. 

Okay, I’ll rephrase the question. Is Niseko your favourite ski resort in Japan?  No. This accolade changes often, but as of today I’d probably plump for Myoko Kogen or Kamui, based on my most recent on-mountain powdertastic experiences in Japan. And my response will have no doubt changed since I wrote this blog.

So what’s the answer?  One answer is to do as many Different Snow guest’s do - choose to combine Niseko with another ski resort in Japan, throw in a bit of Tokyo and Kyoto, and, hey presto, you’ve got yourself the perfect Japan Ski Holiday.

So, take your pick, pay your money and have an amazing ski holiday to Japan. You’ve already made the right decision by deciding to go skiing to Japan, and from hereon there are no wrong decisions. Well, perhaps one if you choose to book with someone other than Different Snow. And once you’ve been to Japan a first time, you’ll likely be back again (most do) and then you can take a deeper dive and explore the Japan ski experience beyond Niseko.