TEN years ago few Australian skiers would have considered Japan for a winter holiday. Now we’re heading there in record numbers, lured by reliable snow – lots of it – the choice of 600-plus resorts, ranging across the country from the northern island of Hokkaido to Kyushu in the south, and lift tickets at about […]
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Japans Powdery Slopes Emerge as Hot New International Ski Magnet
NISEKO, Japan American skiers have the Rockies, Europeans the Alps. But for increasingly affluent Asia, Japan’s powdery slopes are emerging as the top international draw from Shanghai to Sydney. Even as skiing wanes in popularity at home, Japanese mountain villages like Niseko are trading on their fabulous snow, high-tech infrastructure and reasonable prices to thrive […]
Read moreNiseko – Growing up Like St. Moritz
If you asked the town of Niseko, Hokkaido what it wants to be when it grows up, it would say St. Moritz, Switzerland. Now there’s a town with a vision. And due to what I call “Why not?” town planning, it may even get there. I have faith that Niseko will someday join the European […]
Read moreLand of the Rising Snow
IN the time it takes to read the US-flavoured news in The Japan Times and eat a Japan Rail bento box breakfast (smoked fish, sesame pork, nori roll, vegetables, pickled radish, sour plum, rice, green tea; about $10), my shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo has hurtled across Honshu, Japan’s main island, and climbed almost imperceptibly […]
Read moreTime Magazine Best of Asia 2007
Scorching droughts, desperate famines, rising sea levels, blah blah blah. When it comes to global warming, ski bums want to know one thing: How will it affect the powder? There’s already a snow crisis brewing in warmer resorts around the world. But few areas are as insulated from global warming as Japan’s northern island of […]
Read moreWinter Sports Go East to Powder Heaven
So there’s not enough snow on Europe’s mountains. In Hokkaido, Japan, they get daily doses of fresh white stuff. And there are luxuries you won’t find in the Alps, too, says Minty Clinch. You’d have to be crazy to go skiing in Japan. Or so I thought. But a week in Hokkaido’s powder heaven for […]
Read moreWorld’s Best Apres – on the piss off the piste
by Rachael Oakes-Ash From: www.smh.com.au To some snow hounds, apres equals sex. If they got some then the town rates high on the apres-metre. To others it’s about the variety of bars despite the fact the drink of choice remains the same, Jaigermeister. Loved up couples on tour, meanwhile, insist it’s about an open fire, bottle […]
Read moreNiseko Skiing’s Hidden Jewel
Niseko, known for housing the best ski resorts in Japan, is nestled in the Japanese Northern Island of Hokkaido in the Abuta District. It is situated approximately two hours from the airport in Sapporo. It provides tourists and locals alike with amazing ski slopes and beautiful scenery. The Niseko area is essentially divided into four […]
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