There’s long been a saying among Niseko residents, both Japanese and foreign, that many came for the winter but stayed for the summers.
After a decade of growth and promotion of the “off-season”, the opposite is now just as true.
As the winter’s first snows started to fall a few months ago, a new friend who recently moved here with his young family was telling me that while he doesn’t dislike winter, it was most definitely the summers they moved here for.
As a keen cyclist previously based in an Asian capital city, Niseko offers him endless traffic-free mountain roads to inspire him and challenge himself on after the snow melts. Beyond that, there are countless other ways for him and his family to live a healthy, outdoor lifestyle unlike anywhere else they’ve lived before. Not to mention the clean air, pristine water and fresh local produce that form the foundation of healthy family life.
Niseko is actually defying population trends in Japan. Across Hokkaido and other parts of regional Japan, populations in general are declining at a faster rate than their city counterparts as elders pass away, and younger generations abandon the rural lifestyle in favour of the opportunity offered by different areas and cities.
However thanks in the first part to the booming ski industry, and secondly to the increasing year-round employment and lifestyle opportunities, the populations of the tiny farming towns of Niseko and Kutchan (in which Hirafu and Hanazono are based) are actually on the up.
And unlike almost anywhere else in Japan, much of the influx is international, breeding a rich multicultural community. Job opportunities are ever increasing, and for the entrepreneurially minded, business opportunities are endless. Housing offers incredible value outside the ski resorts, and the cost of living is otherwise really low – especially when you buy all your fruit and veges from the local farmers’ markets.
The Hokkaido International School opened a Niseko branch in 2011 with just a handful of students. This year enrolment stood at 20, and proactive new principle Barry Mernin is aiming to double that over the next four years, with my two kids likely to add to that total.
The main reason we put Summerlife together is in order to promote Niseko as a holiday destination outside of the ski season. As you’ll see in the pages of this magazine, every season offers a fresh and unique holiday opportunity.
But I’ve got no doubt some of you reading this now are thinking, “Hey, I can see myself living in Niseko – powder up to my armpits for four months every winter and eight months of fresh air and outdoor living.” I can tell you, you’re not wrong and you’d be welcomed with open arms.
Regardless of whether you think you might ever move here, I encourage you to lock in a trip back to Niseko later this year. Hokkaido last year topped Lonely Planet’s Best of Asia list, and Niseko is at the heart of the action so you can’t go wrong. Forget Thailand or Bali, Ibiza or the Bahamas, and check out this awe-inspiring island after the snow melts. I have no doubt you’ll be amazed at what you discover.
– Kristian Lund
THANK YOU FOR READING SUMMERLIFE
Summerlife is a privately funded, non-profit initiative by Powderlife publisher Niseko Media KK. It’s designed to introduce visitors to Niseko’s non-winter charms to encourage year-round tourism for the long-term benefit of the region and its people.
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