Niseko
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The Barn a full house for No Jazz
NISEKO’S new restaurant and bar, The Barn, was packed wall-to-wall last night with revellers jiving to the international sounds of Parisian-electro-jazz outfit, No Jazz.
A hit in Europe with three albums – also playing with the likes of Earth, Wind & Fire and Stevie Wonder – the quirky French four-piece had Hirafu
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Niseko goes Gourmet
A WINE industry leader and a pioneering local developer will be special guests at an exclusive wine and art dinner in Niseko this Friday (Jan 22).
Richard Cohen, managing director of Vintage Cellars, will share his extensive knowledge of all things wine, as president of Hokkaido Tracks Development, Simon Robinson, delivers
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Niseko powder kicks into overdrive
NISEKO has once again been belted by about two metres of light, fluffy powder in less than a week, making season 09/10 so far one to remember.
Cooler temperatures and consistent snow fronts have brought with them almost non-stop falls of up to 60cm in a single night on the mountain.
What makes it even better is that several times
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Man, 66, dies in Shiribetsu-dake avalanche
AN avalanche claimed the life of a 66-year-old man from Sapporo last weekend on a mountain near Niseko, Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper reports.
Last Saturday (January 16) at about 3.40pm, the man was on a guided backcountry tour in a group of eight people and a guide at Shiribetsu-dake – a non-ski resort mountain
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Winds drop, lifts reopen
AFTER a couple of days of lift closures due to extremely high winds of up to 70km/h, breezes dropped today and all chairs whirred back into action.
Following two days of either staying inside or really low on the mountain, white-out conditions were replaced by blue skies and no wind to speak of – a welcome greeting for skiers
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Mizuno no Sawa now open
THE wait is over – Niseko Village's much-anticipated Mizuno no Sawa run is now open to the public.
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Niseko opens the gates
AFTER the deluge of snow that descended upon Niseko during the epic two-day New Year’s storm, all the backcountry gates are now open for business.
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Niseko snowed under
THE most sustained snowfalls to hit Niseko in years have relentlessly belted the Hokkaido ski town with close to 3m of accumulated powder in the past week.
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Season's first Powderlife hits the streets
POWDERLIFE'S 19th edition – and the first of our third season – hit the streets this weekend, with the title header “Fresh Tracks are Back” for another winter!
In Issue 19, check out the all the latest local news, events, and photos from the mountain and in the bars.
And
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The Vale unveiled, Snow Crystal lands
FOR a regular visitor to Niseko this year’s most noticeable addition to the Hirafu landscape would be the recently completed Vale and Snow Crystal developments.
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Hanazono redevelopment plans announced
DETAILS of Niseko’s first master-planned four-seasons resort at Hanazono have been released and a development application will be submitted to government shortly.
Hong Kong-based developer PCPD held a community consultation meeting in Kutchan on October 22 outlining plans for the resort.
Initial plans include
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Lars Longcox a clever dick
JUDGING by Lars Longcox's mammoth opening party last night, many party-goers will surely be season-long 'members' .
Hirafu's new nachos bar, on the corner of the 343 and Sasayaki-Zaka Street, was wall-to-wall with revellers who turned out to welcome the mysterious Austrian newcomer, Lars Longcox, to Niseko.
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Niseko Village joins resort-opening party
NISEKO Village – a.k.a Higashiyama – officially opened today, with plenty of skiers and boarders rushing to the resort early for first tracks at almost six weeks worth of accumulated powder.
Every Niseko United resort is now running lifts, with Niseko Village's Gondola and the Country Road Chair both open for business. However,
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Hanazono turns on the lifts
NISEKO'S Hanazono resort officially opened today, with plenty of keen skiers and snowboarders up for first lifts the morning, gagging to hit powder that’s been accumulating since the flakes started falling.
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Stepping out of the cold and into the fridge
LOCALS chilled out in 'The Fridge Door Bar' – a.k.a Gyu – last night for the season opening of the Lower Village watering hole down the bottom of Yotei-Zaka Street.
It was a low-key affair, with everyone who squeezed tightly through the bright red little door sitting around sipping on their draft beer, Guinness,
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Celebs and public party at premiere
SNOW film celebs and locals turned out in droves last Saturday night for the premiere of two international snow films showcasing Niseko to the world – Car Danchi 4 Rent and Signatures.
Held at the Hilton, in the hotel's Hokkaido Ballroom, the party kicked off early in the evening with drinking, mingling,
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Niseko on the cover of Powder mag
NISEKO has scored the cover of the December issue of Powder magazine.
The skier is Swedish pro Henrik Windstedt who was here with Powder mag's senior photographer Mattias Fredriksson.
The crew stayed at Black Diamond Lodge in Higashiyama for 10 days last winter and got guided by the crew at Black Diamond Tours.
There's
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Niseko's future safe, but tough times still ahead
NISEKO'S real estate market built itself up into a seemingly invincible force, until this season.
In 2008-09, after around seven years of momentum, the town's real estate trade experienced its first correction in response to the global financial crisis, a strong yen and a weak Australian dollar.
Powderlife spoke to several local real
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Airline set to help promote Niseko
JAPAN’S largest domestic air carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA) has signed an agreement with the Niseko Promotion Board (NPB) with the aim of attracting more domestic tourists to the region.
Niseko was chosen above a variety of other Japanese resorts because of its ‘natural beauty, great cuisine, and array of natural hot
