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NOBUO Nakamura was born in Osaka, Japan's second largest city, where he ran an osteopathy clinic for 10 years.
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TOKYO-born Yuki Shimizu first came to Niseko for holidays before moving here for good after meeting her now-husband Ken here.
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IN the green season, Niseko is an outdoor adventure paradise, and that’s what brought Sprout Outdoor Espresso Café owner Yoshitake Toge here from Chiba (near Tokyo).
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TANA-SAN is a local legend. Otherwise known as ‘Magic Hands’, Hiroyoshi Tanazawa uses a little known Japanese technique called 'kinsei therapy', which he says has similarities to osteopath...
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IT seems like destiny that Guzuguzu Bakery came to be. Owner Satoshi Shimizu is from Yokohama but came to Hokkaido to go to uni.
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BE sure to visit the incredible crystal palace-like ice bar that is the Ice Art Project! The structure’s creator, Hirohiko Takenaka, grew up watching his father create ice sculptures for the nea...
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WHILE most foreigners come to Niseko to ski in winter, many Japanese people come for the green season.
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ONLY in the past five or 10 years has Niseko become a crossroads of cultures from around the world.
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Even on the snowiest days, the sun is always shining at Café Hidamari. Hidamari means sunny spot, and is run by big-hearted Kenichiro Takahashi.
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This section of the magazine is called Irasshaimase because that's the friendly welcome local businesses yell when you enter their shop. At Teuchi Soba Ichimura, if it's your second visit or you're a...
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LIKE many people in Niseko, Hiroshi Yamada moved to Niseko for the snow. He and his wife moved here 13 years ago and he still goes skiing every week with his son, an upcoming alpine skier.
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LAWSON is the second biggest convenience store (konbini) chain in Japan, but Hirafu’s Lawson is run by local small businessman, Seiji Ichien, and managed by his son Hiroyuki (pictured).
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THOUSANDS of people pass over Boyoso every day, but only a lucky few end up inside. Boyoso is the log cabin halfway up the hill under the Hirafu gondola. By day it’s one of Niseko’s few on...
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Kondou Takashi was born in Monbetsu in the very north of Hokkaido. He loves cheese and used to work in the deli section of a supermarket, but eventually became bored of selling somebody else’s p...
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THE Japanese are famous for doing things really well, especially when it comes to food. So you know when they take a great Chinese dish and give it the Japanese touch, it’s going to be good. Ram...
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ONE of Hirafu’s coolest new restaurants is yakitori joint Yosaku. Yakitori literally means ‘grilled bird’, although ‘bird’ really just means chicken. But there are plenty...
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IZAKAYA Sakae may be one of the newer restaurants in Hirafu, but its owners are some of the longest serving business people in the village. 73-year-old chef Masayuki Sakae and his wife Sada opened one...
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STAYING in a family-run pension in Niseko is a great opportunity to experience true Japanese culture by living with the locals who love the area and introducing it to visitors. Pension Bluebell is run...
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FOR those after unique local furniture and souvenirs, Niseko Town’s Ram Kobo is a must see. Masafumi Sawada moved from crowded Tokyo to Sapporo 35 years ago to start an art studio. When he decid...
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ONE of Niseko’s most under-rated restaurants is Maru in Izumikyo (East Hirafu). It was started eight years ago by three chefs from the old Nikko Hotel in Annupuri. Hiramatsu Joutaro came to Nise...
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IF there’s a good party on in Niseko, there’s a good chance NOASC's Shuujiro Oogata will be behind it… but if not, he’ll probably be there in the crowd anyway. A former pro-s...
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Yutaka Takanashi came to Niseko in 1992 as a 20-year-old who had just spent a year in nearby Rusutsu, and got hooked on Niseko’s size after visiting for a day. He started skiing before switching...
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INSIDE Niseko Town’s classic European-style train station is a classic little European-style coffee shop. Owner Tamotsu Matsuda was born in the area became a professional skier in his late teens...
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RUNNING pensions runs in the family for Pension Berg owner Miwa Hirokawa. Miwa-san was born in Sapporo and later moved with her family to Sounkyo – a famous hot spring resort below Mt Kurodake i...
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LEGENDARY local pro snowboarder Tomoki Takaku moved to Niseko from Tokyo 12 years ago after hearing word of the amazing powder snow. He started a mountain-guiding business 10 years ago, and three year...
