Signs of life are starting to return to Niseko following the 2011 earthquake and Tsunami. Here’s a quick wrap of some of the movement this winter.
Luxurious condo Shiki Niseko has opened in the centre of Hirafu, also housing Niseko’s Michelin-starred Kamimura restaurant and retail shops.
The redevelopment of Hirafu’s main street – Hirafu Zaka – has begun with the top portion complete. By next winter the whole street should be heated with paved footpaths and buried powerlines.
Skiers starting or finishing at the Alpen Hotel chairlift have a new ticket office, rest area and ski storage complex – Grand Hirafu.Base (ie dot base).
NAC (Niseko Adventure Centre) has acquired the whole of the Weiss cat ski resort this season and is ramping up activities out there.
Explore Niseko, a new booking office for all activities in Niseko, has opened in the centre of Hirafu, next to Seicomart. Look for the snowcat… and a snowmobile up a tree!
Hirafu’s new Chalet Ivy Hotel opens on Hirafu Zaka Street this season, as well as boutique apartment building Akazora in the middle village.
Hokkaido Tracks properties are now part of Interval International’s worldwide timeshare holiday network. After Niseko compare powder at Lake Tahoe or thaw out at a beach resort in Thailand.