The Town And Around

Shuttle bus on a snow covered street of Niseko

The village of Niseko is just that. Built on the hillside the steepness of its narrow streets adds to the challenge that they are almost always snow covered. There is a set of traffic lights in the centre of town which has a heating system built under the tarmac of the steeper road to help vehicles cope with red signal lights.

All three accommodations I stayed in were well down the hill and the resort is somewhat sprawling which meant some walking out side of skiing times. There are very few true ski-in or ski-out locations.

Niseko viewed from the slopes

There is a range of restaurants and bars around town catering for the budget minded with a bowl of noodles or a slice of pizza right up to more pricey exotic establishments where you can really work over your cash supplies. One thing to watch for if you are a party animal is that many pensions have curfews, some where the doors are locked at 11pm.

Snowed in for the season

Many bars (and restaurants offering bar service) charge a sort of 'cover charge'. Usually this is around 500 yen and is often accompanied with what seems to be a 'free' nibbly supplied when you first sit down. This charge can and did cause confusion between the larger groups of us who after dining were working out our share of the tab only to find there was still more to pay. The savvy bar tenders realising that we Aussies are not keen on extra fees don't charge Aussies the fee, nor do they provide the 'free' nibbly.

For the two weeks I stayed in an apartment we ate out every night, except for the two occasions that I brought meals directly from the supermarket in Kutchan.

One of the main streets in Kutchan

Kutchan is the closest nearby big town. Bus services run between Niseko and Kutchan from around 8 in the morning to around 11 at night. Evening bus services are free whilst a one way ride at any other time cost 350yen or about $5.00. The buses terminate at the train station in Kutchan.

Here you will find train services to Sapporo and Chitose airport. There are 2 large supermarkets close to the station as well as several ski and board shops. The post office is not far away and is really the only place you can get cash from an ATM. Luckily the ATMs have an "English" button and will display instructions in English and speak to you in the same. Taxi do service both Niseko and Kutchan. I was told that a taxi from Kutchan railway station to Niseko is about $45.

The lights on the slopes viewed from the centre of town

The largest and closest city to Niseko is Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido and the gateway airport for Sapporo, Chitose is nearby.

Push bikes left in the streets in Sapporo

There are 3 other resorts nearby to Niseko-Hirafu. The closest is Niseko-Annupuri which shares the same mountain and its highest lifts are just slightly to the south of the Alpen lifts of Niseko-Hirafu. Caution must be taken in bad weather not to stray into the other resort although I believe a 1000yen one way ticket will get you back up their lift system back to Niseko-Hirafu The other resorts require bus transport to and from. To the left: The very unusual looking hotel at Annupuri.

Peter in pow - enjoying face shots all over the mountain