Artists have long been known to congregate and set up thriving bohemian communities in beautiful places around the world. What often follows is gradual gentrification, an influx of visitors, mainstream popularity, and eventually off the back of all that, investment.
At the foot of Mt Yotei, with its abundant nature and four distinct seasons, Niseko is undoubtedly one of the world’s special places. Long before it was an international skiing hotspot, a plethora of artists, nature lovers, skiers and snowboarders slowly developed a super cool grassroots community, everyone making a living by starting their own restaurants and bars or small businesses, or guiding river rafting tours in the summer.
Once again, investment and development has followed here too. But what is becoming apparent is that artists are now opening more and more galleries, which is in turn inspiring an increasing groundswell of artistic expression.
ST Gallery
“Genki” is a beautifully illustrative Japanese word which essentially means healthy and happy. It’s the perfect adjective to describe 83-year-old Shigeru Tokumaru, the reigning father of the Niseko art scene. He had big shoes to fill when his friend, mentor and one of Hokkaido’s great artists, Shu Ogawara, died in 2002, leaving behind Niseko’s largest art gallery, the Shu Ogawara Museum of Art in Kutchan.
He has a vibrant, eclectic art gallery on the outskirts of Hirafu, alongside the house he had built for himself and his wife 10 years after they moved here 50 years ago. Working as a banker at the time, he moved to Niseko so he could ski shortly after the Hirafu lifts were built. He moved from Obihiro, a flat farming plain in southern central Hokkaido.
Immediately he was inspired by the mountain landscape and the power of the nature here. “Plants are quiet and don’t talk, but they give out a strong energy,” Tokumaru-san says. “I feel a lot of energy here, more so than Obihiro, I guess because the mountains are so close and there are so many trees.” The energy reminds him of Nepal where he once went trekking. “When I came to this area, I felt the scenery was very like that of Tibet, with the white mountains and the sky. What I feel here is so much like how I felt in the mountains there.”
As you can see now, much of Tokumaru-san’s work is focussed on the nature that inspires him. It’s interesting to note he paints from memory, so his paintings are interpretations of what he sees.
ST GALLERY is located at 74 Aza Yamada, Kutchan-cho, Hokkaido 044-0081
Winter hours 11:00 – 17:00
Have a Japanese person call before visiting 0136-22-1765
www.nisekostdesign.com
Somoza
About the same time international visitors started flocking to Niseko at the turn of the millennium, the same thing was happening in Bilbao, Spain. The catalyst there – the construction of the Guggenheim Museum. Over a period of just several years, this drab industrial town had turned into one of the world’s must-visit cultural locations.
There’s not a direct parallel between Bilbao and Niseko because it was the discovery of the amazing snow that sparked the international tourism industry here. 20 years on, Niseko is further down the track and already a well-established destination, but more centrepiece galleries are sure to further inspire the art scene here.
An impressive new gallery that just opened in Niseko is Somoza – a 150-year old traditional Japanese farm house that was relocated to a spectacular cliff-top location near the Hanazono ski resort. Created by a long-time local creative, British-born Shouya Grigg, Somoza is arguably one of the most spectacular additions to the modern Niseko landscape. Housing several gallery spaces, a traditional Japanese tea room, café and dining space, within its first six months after opening it’s already creating a buzz and drawing artists to congregate and discuss the arts in Niseko. It’s destined to inspire other artists to take on their own projects, and draw a new breed of tourist to the area.
It’s early days in the development of Niseko, but more cultural icons like this are surely on the way.
SOMOZA GALLERY is located at 78-5 Hanazono, Kutchan-cho, Hokkaido 044-0084
Winter hours 12:00 – 18:00
Contact 0136-55-8741
www.somoza.jp
Kiyoe Gallery
It’s most certainly a sign of the times and place when Hirafu now has a ski-in/ski-out art gallery. After Niseko’s latest condo hotel AYA Niseko opened its doors onto the Ace Family Run last winter, it set the standard not just for a new level of luxury in condominiums, but for a new concept of what modern Niseko visitors expected of their ski holiday destination.
Kiyoe Gallery Niseko is a horseshoe-shaped space on the second floor of the building. Curator Kiyoe Hosokawa is an artist from Sapporo who wanted to use Niseko as a springboard to launch local artists into the international market. Most works are by Hokkaido artists with regular guest exhibitions by others from across Japan.
Hosokawa-san confirms it’s not just guests staying in the building that visit the gallery – skiers do come in off the slopes during the day to browse the collection. AYA Niseko has a ski valet service, so guests can ski to the slopeside door, leave their gear and boots downstairs and stroll up.
There will be several special events held throughout the winter so be sure to keep an eye on the What’s On Niseko event flyer or Kiyoe Gallery’s website and Facebook page.
KIYOE GALLERY is located at AYA Niseko 2F,
Aza Yamada, Kutchan-cho, Hokkaido 044-0081
Winter hours 13:00 – 20:00
Contact 0136-55-8107
www.kiyoegallery.com
Gentemstick Gallery
Snowboarding and surfing have taken Taro Tamai, founder of Niseko’s now-famous Gentemstick snowboards, across the globe. When he first moved to Niseko in 1990 he knew it too would become world famous. He had seen what was happening on his travels in places like Bali and Australia’s Byron Bay – beautiful surfing destinations where surf hippies set up the foundations of a bohemian utopia, before mainstream tourism arrived and capitalism took the lead.
The same energy exists in Niseko and Taro continues to be inspired by the beauty of nature in his home town. Last year he opened a gallery showcasing his photography which documents life in Niseko through his eyes.
GENTEMSTICK GALLERY is located at 63-26 Aza Kabayama, Kutchan-cho, Hokkaido 044-0078
Winter hours 12:00 – 19:00
Contact 0136-22-5581
www.gentemstick.com
Katachi Gallery
Katachi Gallery is one of the first galleries to open right in a prime location in the centre of Hirafu. Located half-way up Hirafu Zaka street, it’s a boutique gallery featuring a range of collectable homewares and functional artworks from local artists – with plenty of smaller pieces that are perfect for taking home as a souvenir and to support the local art scene. The seven artists involved pool their resources to rent the space, and share their time to man it throughout the winter. Although most have limited English, they all love interacting with foreign visitors and explaining their artworks and inspiration.
KATACHI GALLERY is in front of restaurants Bang Bang and Bang 2 on Hirafu Zaka St, Hirafu, Hokkaido 044-0081
Winter hours 11:00 – 19:00
Contact 0136-43-2552
Galerie Ram
When he moved to Niseko just over 20 years ago, Masafumi Sawada knew he had found the perfect location for his workshop and gallery, Ram Kobo. The “hammer artist”, who makes sculptures and furniture out of wood and steel, moved from Sapporo and came across an old building below the Niseko Town bridge, which was due to be knocked down a week later. Right on the banks of the Shirebetsu River with a view of Mt Yotei, this is a place where he knew he could create art for years to come.
In 2014, Sawada-san opened a new boutique gallery in St Moritz, the village on the outskirts of Hirafu, making it easier for visitors to experience his work. Sawada-san’s stand-out works have seen him become quite renowned in Hokkaido. He has had countless exhibitions all over the prefecture and has works on display permanently at Hokkaido’s Windsor Hotel, New Chitose Airport and closer by at The Hilton Niseko Village.
GALERIE RAM is located at Lupicia Niseko, 58-5 Kabayama, Kutchan-cho, Hokkaido 044-0078
Winter hours 11:00 – 17:00
Contact 090-2691-9414
www.niseko-ram.com