NISADE’S head honcho and family man Jonathan Martin gives us his views on Niseko past, present and future…
How long have you been in Japan and Niseko and what brought you here?
I’ve been working in Niseko for three years, relocating the family here with me 15 months ago. The snow brought me, I had done my time in the corporate world and was looking for a change. Having always wanted to utilise those corporate skills, property development, corporate governance, corporate compliance and business management in a more relaxed and rewarding arena I had always wanted to marry the love of the alpine environment with business. Once I heard about the fabled snows of Niseko and its proximity to Southeast Asia I was sold as it ticked all the boxes.
What kind of work/projects have you been involved with before you came to Niseko?
I spent 13 years working in Sydney in a boutique funds management company that I set up with a partner. We syndicated investments across property, IT and even a film, which incidentally was a complete flop. Over time our business moved more and more into the property arena and we developed the full spectrum, industrial, commercial, retail and residential industries throughout Australia.
How many projects have you done here and what type of projects were they?
The Vale Niseko will be our third project here in Niseko, our first two, delivered in our first year of operation, were The Setsumon and The Freshwater. I certainly would not undertake two in one hit again; it was a tough first year. The learning curve was so steep and without the dedicated work of the Nisade team we would have fallen short on delivery. As it was we delivered both ahead of time and under budget thanks to strong relationships with our builder, Nakayama Gumi.
How do you feel about Nisade’s premier project to date, The Vale, and what do you think it will add to Niseko?
This project will help drive the emergence of Niseko as a world-quality ski destination. Our aim is to continue the upward drive of Niseko, the place for Asia to come and ski. As the first new fully integrated new building in Hirafu, it brings so much more to the market. Offering room service, air-conditioning and a heated pool we are confident The Vale will add to the Niseko story. The challenge for us is obviously cost – it’s being spent getting the product, amenity and feel just right in a time of global turmoil. My goal is the next 20 years and I know with utter conviction The Vale will stand that test. Rental-wise we are really targeting summer; the lower levels have 15 hotel rooms designed exclusively for the Japanese domestic market. More summer guests is the long-term future for Niseko.
What do you think Niseko will be like in 10 years time?
Niseko will deliver. The years ahead will be very exciting. With Hanazono, Higashiyama and Chris Peck’s vision for Annupuri coming on line, the mountain will truly have four strong portals. With competing interests for the skier and boarder we will get the lift infrastructure upgrade in time which will further propel Niseko into the No. 1 slot. Summer will emerge as a strength and will surprise many. Our biggest challenge will be to retain the Japanese experience, but I am sure we can get that right.
Do you think you will be here in 10 years time, and if so, what kind of projects do you think you will, or would like to be, working on?
The Martin family will be firmly ensconced here in Niseko, the place just has so much to offer a family and it will only get better. Work-wise it will be difficult to keep pace with the bigger corporations and institutions moving into the area, so we are positioning the business to be able to offer full-service development management services to these larger players. Alongside that we will continue to develop in our own right, small scale quality projects. That said, prior to the financial collapse we had constant approaches to joint venture with some of these bigger players and actually already have on the books a joint venture with one of Singapore’s largest hoteliers.
We understand you’ve been working to get an international school established in the area. Can you tell us about this and what it’s like raising young foreign children in Japan?
Not as much as some of the other people around town, but we are definitely in there pushing. If we could get one in the area it would be so good for not just the locals, but for the Niseko story. In fact one client this winter said if it was here she would bring her kids up for the winter semester. Kai, our son, attended Fuji Youchien (pre-school) in Kutchan last year and made some good friends, but saw it more as day care. We really want to be part of the local school community, but first and foremost we have to get our kids moving on the education platform. To that end, we have taken a different tack and are now home schooling, as we really want our son to understand schooling and how much fun learning can be.