Niseko
Four ski areas on one mountain, more than nine metres of snow a winter, and the cone of Mount Yotei in sight from the slopes.
- Arrival
- New Chitose · CTS
- To the resort
- About 2 hours by car, 110 km
- Private jets
- Business jet terminal at New Chitose
- Best time
- December to April
The city
Powder under the volcano.
Four ski areas share the slopes of Mount Annupuri: Grand Hirafu, Hanazono, Niseko Village and Annupuri itself. More than nine metres of snow fall in an average winter at Kutchan, two and a half metres of it in each of December and January. From the slopes the view is of Mount Yotei, 1,898 metres, a volcano so even in shape that it is called the Fuji of Hokkaido.
The lifts at Grand Hirafu run from late November to early May, and the slopes are lit for night skiing from mid-December to late March. Most winter guests now come from abroad. In summer the snow gives way to green hills and afternoons of around 25 °C.
Arriving
Two hours from the runway.
New Chitose, Hokkaido’s main airport, is about 110 kilometres from the resorts: two hours by car, or two and a half by coach.
- Tokyo 1 h 25
- Seoul 2 h 05
- Beijing 3 h 00
- Hong Kong 4 h 40
- Munich 11 h 30 long-range jet
When to go
December to April.
Deep winter from December to March, with highs around freezing and the heaviest snow in December and January. Spring snow lasts into April, when afternoons reach 10 °C. Summers are mild and green, rarely above 25 °C.
- -2° J 185
- -1° F 129
- 3° M 98
- 10° A 67
- 17° M 76
- 21° J 60
- 24° J 102
- 25° A 153
- 22° S 133
- 15° O 128
- 7° N 183
- 0° D 218
What to see and do
Days in and around Niseko.
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Landmark
Mount Yotei
An active volcano of 1,898 metres, known as Ezo Fuji for its near-symmetrical cone.
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Landmark
Grand Hirafu
Two gondolas, seven lifts and a longest run of 5.3 kilometres down 940 metres of vertical.
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Landmark
Night skiing
Floodlit runs at Hirafu every evening of the high season, from December to March.
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Snow
Niseko Annupuri ski area
Long groomed runs and tree skiing spread across four lift zones, all on the single Niseko United pass that also covers Hirafu, Hanazono and Niseko Village.
Official site -
Snow
Hanazono ski area
Wide runs, tree skiing and terrain parks fill Hanazono, one of four linked resorts with more than 47 km of groomed runs between them.
Official site -
Snow
Rusutsu Resort
Covering three mountains on the far side of Mount Yotei from Niseko, Rusutsu has long runs and groomed trails through deep powder.
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Nature
Shinsen-numa Marsh
At 765 metres in the Niseko range, a boardwalk walk of 20 to 30 minutes leads to this wetland, which turns gold in September and October.
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Food & wine
Niseko Distillery
Owned by the Niigata sake brewer Hakkaisan, the distillery at the foot of Niseko Annupuri began distilling in 2021 and gives hour long tours with a tasting.
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On the water
Niseko Adventure Centre
Open since 1998 in Hirafu, NAC runs guided rafting on the 126 km Shiribetsu River, from the spring snowmelt through the summer.
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Golf
Niseko Village Golf Course
Designed by Yoshiaki Tsutsumi and opened in 1992, the 18 hole course plays to a par of 73 from every tee.
Where to stay
Ryokan in the forest, lodges on the piste.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Zaborin Fifteen villas by Makoto Nakayama in the Hanazono forest, each with hot-spring baths inside and out.
- Higashiyama Niseko Village, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve Fifty rooms at the foot of Mount Annupuri, with skis on at the door.
- Muwa Niseko Rooms stacked like building blocks above the piste, and an infinity onsen facing Mount Yotei.
- Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono A hundred rooms, some suites with their own onsen, and a mountain branch of Sapporo’s Molière.
- Sansui Niseko Fifty-three rooms on the slopes, and sushi from the team behind Miyakawa in Sapporo.
- Setsu Niseko Studios to four-bedroom suites, and five restaurants under one roof.
- SHIGUCHI Five rooms in old farmhouses moved here beam by beam and rejoined without a nail.
Where to dine
Two tables to book.
No current MICHELIN Guide covers Niseko. The sushi counter is the first branch of Sushi Miyakawa in Sapporo, whose chef holds three MICHELIN stars; Yukibana is the dining room of the Ritz-Carlton Reserve, with dinner courses at JPY 40,000.
- Sushi Shin by Miyakawa Chef with three Michelin stars Sushi Sansui Niseko, Hirafu
- Yukibana Hotel fine dining, Ritz-Carlton Reserve Japanese and Western courses Higashiyama Niseko Village
Elsewhere in Japan
More reasons to come.
- Tokyo The capital, with Haneda airport close to the centre.
- Kyoto Some sixteen hundred temples, the bamboo of Arashiyama, and kaiseki dinners.
- Osaka The kitchen of Japan, and the airport for Kyoto.
- Hakone Hot springs and ryokan, with views of Mount Fuji.
- Kanazawa A castle town, the Kenroku-en garden, and gold leaf.
Flying to Niseko?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.