There are many reasons to love Niseko. Perhaps you’re partial to the POW, the food or the healing waters of the area’s onsens.
For us, it’s always been in the mix: we love Niseko because this ski town is a true original. Following a recent boom in development, the area has become a real melting pot, drawing inspiration from far and wide (fittingly, modern day Niseko has been described as the Aspen of Asia). But even with these new cosmopolitan influences, Niseko is still unmistakably Japanese, true to its Hokkaido roots.
“Akatsuki exemplifies everything we love about this little Hokkaido ski town that could.”
Something old, something new – and a little yakitori joint in between
Akatsuki sits on the hazy border between Middle and Lower Hirafu. We love this location as its close to all the restaurants and pubs dotted along Momiji-Zaka (aka Hirafu’s unofficial Eat Street) but there’s still a sense of peace, privacy and exclusivity about the property.
Literally in a league of its own, Akatsuki is the only private chalet on a street dominated by high-end condominiums. Strolling around the neighbourhood gives you a real who’s who of present day Niseko: cool concrete condos rubbing shoulders with classic ski lodges, with a down to earth yakitori joint tucked in between. It’s the perfect sampler of all the things that make this little ski town so unique.
Getting to know you
Akatsuki was built by a European family as a home-from-home; a home base for enjoying Niseko’s famous slopes. Though the chalet was built in 2013, the family wanted the property to look and feel as if it’s been here forever. Keith Rodgers of Taiga Projects was more than up to the challenge.
Taiga designed the chalet as a generous three-storey property (you can view the floorplan here.) The impressive living areas sit on the top floor, offering sensational views of Mount Yotei looming beyond the village. The interiors have an elegant alpine feel to them – think generous stretches of natural wood paired with touches of warm crimson red, all crowned by beautiful vaulted ceilings.
Designed as a family ski abode, Akatsuki boasts five bedrooms, each one complemented by an en suite bathroom. A special treat for the kids is the purpose built bunk room with its TV nook and picture windows looking out to Mount Yotei. Another standout feature is the onsen style bath hidden downstairs on the basement level.
That old onsen magic
Akatsuki’s dance with old and new is a theme that runs through the property. The chalet itself epitomises a new age of luxury chalets in Niseko; a humble ski town once dotted with family run pensions and traditional ski lodges.
“Thanks to its timeless design, Akatsuki feels as if it might have stood here for generations, watching that famous snow cover the town as the winters blend into one.”
One piece of the chalet’s interiors capture’s Akatsuki’s “what’s old is new again” ethos beautifully. As Taiga’s Keith Rodgers tells it:
“There used to be a hotel just below the Welcome Center – it had the best onsen hot spring, with water that can only be described as silky. Given the location sitting atop the village, one would expect it to be crowded, but every time I went it was empty and I could really enjoy the solitude and peace of the outside pool.”
“Over the years, the timber cladding on the fence acquired this beautiful silver hue, as the steam rising from the onsen slowly absorbed into the wood, and also reacted with the mountain air and weather.”
“I would sit in the onsen, and admire the sheen on the wood. When they tore it down in 2012, the doors were opened for people to salvage, and while most people were going after hotel furniture and kitchen equipment, I pulled off the onsen fence.
Although Akatsuki was a brand new build, one of the requests by the client was that it should look like it had been in place for years and years.”
“To me the onsen fence seemed like the perfect fit. The interior finishes are in general quite rich and textural, and next to the dark grey walls the onsen wood really pops”
Final verdict
From the location to the design and from the views to that je ne sais quoi, Akatsuki has stolen our hearts. The chalet is sublimely comfortable and we could easily pass many a winter day simply curled up on the living room sofa, getting lost in those magical mountainside views. As always, knowing the story behind the property makes it feel that more special.
