THE Chinese Year of the Ox is about to begin and this month Niseko welcomes thousands of visitors from Hong Kong, and hopefully some from mainland China, as they celebrate the most important holiday on their calendar. The big day falls on January 26 – the same day as Australia Day – which will also trigger festive celebrations among the Australian community in Niseko.
THE Chinese Year of the Ox is about to begin and this month Niseko welcomes thousands of visitors from Hong Kong, and hopefully some from mainland China, as they celebrate the most important holiday on their calendar. The big day falls on January 26 – the same day as Australia Day – which will also trigger festive celebrations among the Australian community in Niseko. It’s an interesting coincidence given that this year is the first time Asian visitor numbers could almost match those of Australians over this period. It’s long been predicted that Asian tourist numbers would increase to the point where they exceed the Australians – and it certainly seems to be becoming a reality.
In this issue of Powderlife we preview the second Niseko Utari Festival – a concert taking place in both Kutchan Town and Hirafu which is designed to bring together the two areas, as well as highlighting the importance of looking after the environment in this era of development in Niseko. Associate editor Matthew Thomas reports on the different international tourists who are starting to discover Niseko (be sure to check out our ‘Snap’ on-mountain social photos for an idea of the variety of nationalities holidaying here!). We also take you out on the slopes after dark… and you’ll be surprised to find it’s actually so bright up there many people prefer heading up when the sun goes down.
At this time of international celebration in Niseko, we would like to thank the local Japanese Niseko community for welcoming the rest of the world to experience this amazing place.
Happy Chinese New Year and happy sliding!!
Kristian Lund, Powderlife Managing Editor [email protected]