WHEN you see the stylish houses being built in Hirafu, you often see the sign ‘IKEE’. Powderlife spoke to the owner of IKEE, Tetsuo Ikee, who shared his thoughts about the village development and Niseko’s future growth as an international ski resort.
Can you tell us about some of your background, including the reason why you started your business here in Niseko?
I was born in Sapporo, and studied architecture at college. My father had his own construction company, so I’ve spent most of my career learning what I know from him. When I was in college, I often came to Niseko both in summer and winter to hike around Mt. Yotei, and the surrounding mountains. Since then, I’ve dreamed about living in Niseko and developing this home away from home.
Compared to the first time you came here, how has Niseko changed?
If you drive through the Lower Village, you will see many houses crammed into each block. When I first started developing in ‘89, my first building was where the IKEE office is now located. At that time, most of the houses here were small pensions owned by Japanese with much larger lots. But four or five years ago, many Australian developers started spending their holidays in Niseko, which has led to the big property development you see nowadays.
The development in Hirafu is mostly condominiums. Do you like doing this style of building, or do you prefer building more unique styles of houses?
Including my time in Sapporo, I have built over 500 houses; in Niseko about 100. Almost all of the projects I’ve been involved with were either condominiums or duplexes. It’s important to consider the needs of the tourists and the big consumer, the Australian market. For this reason, I think it is important to build what they want, not what we as the developers want. At the same time, it’s important for all developers to consider their own abilities, and the possibility of utilising this to create a more harmonious village. As of late, I would like to step back and start seeing the village as a whole, and not just the next project.
What kind of architecture has been your biggest influence?
I don’t really have one, but when I went to China three years ago, I was overwhelmed by the number of people and the variety of buildings in the cities. After that trip, IKEE started to import high quality building materials from China. That way we can offer better prices for homebuyers without lowering our standards.
What do you think of the development boom that has happened in Niseko?
Too many things happened at one time. There wasn’t enough communication between companies who built their buildings next to each other. If possible, I would like to have government support for the development. Niseko is a gorgeous place, but having so many different styles of buildings, and with exposed power lines everywhere, Niseko’s natural beauty is diminished. The Lower Village community has put lots of effort into changing the garbage stations from the chicken wire boxes of old to a much neater-looking, log house-style shed. This is a good example of the changing mentality of people who are already picturing Hirafu Village as one. If we have a building code to follow, it would be a huge step in the right direction.
Niseko might be the first case in Japan where foreign developers outnumber Japanese. Is that the case, and what do you think about it?
I would like to see more Japanese companies in this area. After the Japanese bubble burst, it has been quite hard for most Japanese companies to collect money for these kinds of big projects. If Japanese companies and foreign companies could meet in the middle to support each other and work towards the same vision, it would lead to a more successful village-wide development in Niseko.
Do you think the boom in Niseko over the past few years was a bubble, or do you think Niseko still has a bright future?
I don’t think this is a bubble, but there is a lot of truth in regards to the rising value of land in Niseko. The land value jumped up to 15 times more than it used to be. This is crazy, and also too good to be true. This year, construction has decreased 70 per cent since last year. With this being said, I still continue to believe in Niseko’s future as an international ski resort. That’s the reason I am so concerned with the village as a whole. A harmonious Hirafu Village, combined with Niseko’s super high-quality powder snow, would make Niseko a very difficult world-class international ski resort to compete with.