Niseko (ニセコ町; -chou) is located on Hokkaido, the North island of Japan. The capital of Hokkaido is Sapporo and the nearest airport to Niseko is Chitose.

Niseko is about 10 hours' flying time from Australia and just two hours time difference from our eastern states. One of the great things is that you don't go through the jetlag associated with a trip to Europe, Canada or the US.

Japan is all about culture with a capital C. Half the fun of a ski holiday here are the amazing experiences to be had sampling this incredible culture, the food, the people and the therapeutic waters of the open air hot springs named Onsens .

The other half is shredding powder all day and night until you can't take any more. Niseko Hirafu is one of Japan's top alpine resorts. Niseko is in fact a town in its own right and there are 3 main Niseko ski areas nearby: Hirafu, Higashiyama and Annapuri.

There are legendary backcountry powder runs and lots of great tree runs. Powder hunters invariably flock to Niseko in search of spectacular deep powder, off-piste runs and challenging terrain. Niseko is famous for it's deep and fluffy powder snow. The resort area starts from an altitude close to sea-level and rises to 1200m, offering over 1000m in elevation. Niseko is made up of 57 runs consisting of 38 lifts and gondolas and totaling over 47 km in groomed slopes

Niseko is comprised of 3 interlinked first-class ski resorts; Annapuri, Hirafu and Higashiyama.

* Spectacular skiing and snowboarding
* Suitable for beginner, intermediate or outright "Powder Hounds"
* 38 lifts including 2 Express Gondolas
* Annual snowfall averages 15 Meters of pure dry powder

ACCOMMODATION
The Niseko area offers all levels and styles of accommodation, brand new self contained apartment accommodation, self contained luxury chalets, Niseko Hirafu Japanese style pensions, backpackers and hotels from 3 star to 5 star across all area's of Hirafu Village An'napuri, Higashiyama and Hanazono Niseko.

The powder snow of the Niseko region is legendary with up to 600 inches or 15 meters of snowfall each season. This compares to about 500 inches of snow that are recorded in some of the snowiest ski resorts in North America or Europe.

THE SKI SEASON
The season extends from late November until early May and fresh powder snow falls on an almost daily basis arriving on the cold frontal systems that flow down from Siberia, picking up moisture as they cross the Sea of Japan.
The major ski resort in this region is the Niseko Ski Area that comprises the Grand Hirafu, Higashiyama and Annupuri resort areas. Niseko is a large resort area encompassing Mt. Yotei-zan, which looks like Mt. Fuji, and has the Niseko Range of peaks at its center. You can easily enjoy a variety of outdoor sports throughout the year, including skiing, hiking and rafting. There are also so many hot springs that it is said to take six days to visit them all, even if you bathe three times a day.

EATING OUT
A holiday in Niseko combines incomparable snow conditions with excellent cuisine and culture. Spend your après time at one of the many bars or relax and rejuvenate in the therapeutic waters of the open air hot springs.

TRAVELLING TO NISEKO
Now this is not the time to put you off going to Niseko for a ski holiday but as anyone who has travelled before this can be the most difficult part and requires some thought. Much of this depends upon where you are travelling from.

There are many flights to Sapporo (New Chitose) from Tokyo (Haneda), and Osaka (Kansai), at last look there is only one flight a day from Tokyo (Narita). You can travel to Niseko from New Chitose Airport by bus or train. This is the easy part and once at Chitose you have a variety transports to the resort. What travellers should really avoid is having to arrive at say Tokyo Narita airport and then want to transfer to Tokyo Haneda.

If travelling from Australia there Qantas are changing their schedules regularily to cope with the demand. Qantas offer the ideal flight direct into New Chitose Sapporo on a 9 hour trip.

REAL ESTATE - INVESTING IN NISEKO
Property around Niseko has even been opened up for foreign purchase and with that, more capital has been flooding into the area. No other resort has perhaps better benefited from foreign direct investment than Niseko. This investment is in land, property which flows onto further infrastructure. Owning an investment property or Real Estate in the Niseko ski resort in Japan is all about investing for pleasure, profit and in increasing cases, capital gain.

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