ONE of Hirafu’s coolest new restaurants is yakitori joint Yosaku. Yakitori literally means ‘grilled bird’, although ‘bird’ really just means chicken. But there are plenty of other meat and vegetable combinations, which can come cooked in either salt or a dark soy-type sauce. Owner Akihiro Kimura (second from right) came to Niseko four seasons ago to work as a carpenter. When he noticed the large basement space below the NOASC building was available he decided it would be a good place to make a restaurant/bar. Stepping down out of the snow in to Yosaku and smelling the strong smell of Yakitori is a great Niseko/Japan experience.