View topic - I'm Going To Japan

gaijinmark wrote:

Dunno if we've got any skiers, but if so, this might be the place to go:http://www.cnngo.com/tokyo/visit/bizarre-nagano-ski-resort-true-winter-hot-spot-106166

Following up on 'mark's Nagano article I found this NY TIMES article regarding Niseki, another Japanese ski resort paradise.

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Niseko, Japan�fs Own St. Moritz
By ONDINE COHANE

At Mount Annupuri in Niseko, Japan, with Mount Yotei beyond, snowflakes can be �glarge enough to cast shadows,�h an instructor said. The snow, constant, gentle, creates a particular kind of quiet

January 12, 2012

I AM barefoot and naked padding along a stone path in the depths of Japanese winter, surrounded by snow-laden pine trees. I slip into a hot pool fed by natural underground springs. Huge, slow-moving snowflakes gently settle on my hair. In the dusk I can see just a few vague figures across the pond-size area �\ other women barely visible through the steam.

Earlier that day I had been communing with the snow in a more conventional way, skiing my way through deep blankets of powder on Mount Annupuri in Niseko. The network of ski areas around the small resort village of Hirafu on Hokkaido, Japan�fs northernmost island, see almost constant snowfall from December to April, a type of �gChampagne powder,�h as aficionados call it, that is a result of low pressure systems over northeast Hokkaido meeting high pressure systems over northwest Siberia. The winds from Siberia pick up moisture from the Sea of Japan, and the resulting bands of clouds dump huge amounts of snow when they reach the mountains.

The 2010-11 ski season ran 165 days, Nov. 29 to May 12, and many days saw fresh snow fall. The beginning of this season could break the 50-year record, with 16.7 feet in December, the most since 1964. �gSometimes the snowflakes here are large enough to cast shadows,�h said Pam Marks, a transplanted Canadian ski instructor who took me out on the mountain, adding that the skiing and snowboarding on even the regular slopes compare with world-class backcountry experiences she�fs had in North America.

The landscape is breathtaking. While the beauty of the Alps and the Rockies is intense and dramatic, these slopes are subtle and somehow mystical. Even the way the snow falls, constant and gentle, creates a particular kind of quiet; as I made my way down the mountain, I couldn�ft even hear the sound of my skis in the powder. Bare birch branches peeked out of the ghostly white mountains. This sparsely suggestive backdrop, and the meditative onsen (natural Japanese hot springs), can turn any skier into a haiku poet.

Niseko was coined the �gSt. Moritz of the Orient�h by insiders in the 1960s, but the area still remained seriously under the radar until the �f90s, when it became the preferred playground for Australian snowboarders tipped off to the powder. Now, despite avid interest from well-heeled Asian skiers who arrive from places like Singapore and Hong Kong at Hokkaido�fs new international airport, New Chitose, there are no waits for lifts even during holidays, and the resorts remain authentically Japanese.

I visited in early February of last year, about a month before the huge earthquake hit the eastern coast of the country, setting off a tsunami and the nuclear plant crisis at Fukushima. Thankfully, Niseko remained largely unaffected (the mountain area is more than 500 miles northwest of the site), though local hotel and condo owners in the area did host refugees from areas closer to Fukushima last summer.

Local business owners say that the tourism market here is holding up this season despite travelers�f initial wariness of returning to Japan after Fukushima. C. J. Wysocki, a Hong Kong lawyer who developed a complex of luxury condominiums here, said that holds particularly true for Asian visitors. He has seen a �ga huge uptick in the last few weeks after it became clear that the snow was going to be epic this year.�h Mr. Wysocki discovered the area on a company ski trip and pointed out that it holds a unique appeal for anyone who wants to �ggo from Hong Kong to skiing in about six hours (end to end) with no jet lag, and even less time from Beijing or Shanghai.�h

The two- to five-bedroom units in the complex, which is called Suiboku, are privately owned but can be rented like hotel suites. Custom open kitchens, stunning views of Mount Yotei (the perfectly symmetrical dormant volcano that provides the resort�fs backdrop), heated repurposed wood floors, antique Buddhas, and tubs big enough for a whole family that look onto the snowy slopes, make each apartment feel luxurious but not over the top.

OTHER high-end properties are creeping in as well. The Greenleaf resort, part of the Singapore-based YTL group, where I stayed, was revamped in late 2010 by Alexandra Champalimaud, a New York-based interior designer, with a fashionable lobby bar featuring cowhide armchairs and murals by a local artist, Emi Shiratori. Despite being more than 15 minutes from the main village, its outdoor onsen, where I retired après ski every day, and easy slope access made it a well-priced option. Next up is new development of Shiki, a 78-unit project scheduled to be completed by a Malaysian group next season, and a much-anticipated Christina Ong hotel expected to open in the next few years.

There is also a formidable food scene here. The Niseko area benefits from particularly rich and diverse local produce and seafood, not to mention general Japanese precision and quality. Though the area is far to the north of Fukushima, the local chefs are still vigilant about food quality in light of the disaster, relying on both their own testing and continuing inspections by government and private companies.

James Gallagher, the owner of Ezo Seafoods, a tiny restaurant and raw bar on a side street in Hirafu, where I ate briny, buttery oysters and snow crab legs, said that the safety issue is something restaurant owners are aware of, but luckily the damage has been limited, both in terms of actual physical contamination and consumer psychological reactions. �gProbably 1 in 10 overseas customers raise the issue,�h he said, �gbut those who have made their way into the doors of a seafood restaurant �\ many of them regular seasonal customers �\ have already made up their mind that it is safe to consume.�h

Mr. Gallagher has been monitoring everything that comes from Japanese waters and hasn�ft discovered anything out of the ordinary near Hokkaido, thanks, he believes, to the fact that currents in the region move to the south. To reassure customers he changed the restaurant�fs tagline from �gHokkaido Seafood�h to �gFine Hokkaido and World Seafood,�h incorporating Alaskan king red crab and Thai shrimp and tuna from the South Pacific when necessary; he has also added more vegetarian options.

Katherine Bont, who runs the Sekka restaurant group with her husband, the chef Kim Wejendorp, said they had always relied on local ingredients, from �gwhite asparagus grown in Kyowa-cho under the snow in the winter months�h to �gsausages and bacon from farmers who smoke them in their fireplace during the winter�h to seven types of jam just from the fruit foraged in the summer. They also serve Yoshino salmon, roe and monkfish liver pâté from the coastal town of Suttsu along with cheese and dairy products from farms less than 15 minutes away. This year, she said, �gWe are keeping our stance on using as much Hokkaido produce as we possibly can, and if for some reason items are not available within our area, we are then making the decision to source overseas.�h

With both restaurants and hotels doing well this year because of ample snowfall, local business owners feel that they have weathered the disaster relatively well. If the growth continues, however, other challenges arise: how will this small area be able to meet the expectations of such a diverse and concentrated group: Australian skiers, Japanese families and the Asian moneyed set who are looking for their equivalent of Aspen and Courchevel with cutting- edge condos and high-end restaurants? The infrastructure of the town is still that of a small village, not of a red-hot winter resort. (The architect Riccardo Tossani has been charged with redesigning Hirafu; heated roads and sidewalks are among the planned features.) But thus far the pristine snow and low-key vibe seem to be keeping each demographic happy.

On my last day in the region the sun had come out, and Mount Yotei provided the perfect backdrop to the snowy slopes. I skied for hours on the week�fs accumulated powder, then made my way to Gyu (the Fridge), in Hirafu, a spot one enters by hunching through a vintage refrigerator door. In the wood-paneled, cozy space, cool Tokyo types sat sipping local whiskey (there is a cult of Hokkaido single malts) and listening to tunes from the handpicked jazz records. The scene was so cool, hidden away and pitch perfect that it was hard to believe it even existed. Much like Niseko itself.

IF YOU GO

GETTING THERE

The closest airport is the New Chitose airport outside Sapporo. From there, your hotel can arrange a bus or private transfer, taking around two and a half hours to reach Hirafu, or you can book your own at skybus.co.jp/en/. Taxis and shuttles are plentiful for getting around the village.

WHERE TO STAY

The Greenleaf Niseko Village (81-136 44-3311; thegreenleafhotel.com) doubles with breakfast start at 10,150 yen a person ($135 at 75 yen to the dollar). At Suiboku (81-136-21-5020; suibokuhirafu.com), a two-bedroom condo starts at 75,000 yen a day.

WHAT TO SEE AND DO

Most condos and hotels have ski and snowboard rental (at the Greenleaf, for example, it costs about 2,250 yen a day for poles, skis and boots). Ski schools like Niseko Village Ski School and Niseko Adventure Center (nac-web.com) offer individual lessons for less than 750 yen.

The culinary scene is one of the town�fs main draws but you�fll have to book early to get into the top spots. At Ezo Seafoods (81-136-22-3019; ezoseafoods.com), be sure to try the Hokkaido fresh oysters. For small plates and yakitori style (food on skewers) try Bang Bang (81-136-22-4292) and A-bu-cha (81-136-22-5620). And don�ft miss J-Sekka (81-136-21-5022). The complex gives you a full education in the island�fs local and seasonal produce. There are also rooms from 10,500 yen a night. Kamimura offers 5- and 10-course tasting menus (81-136-21-2288; kamimura-niseko.com).

You can relax tired muscles at the onsen. Some hotels, like the Greenleaf, have their own, or you can try the Yukoro Onsen in the middle of Hirafu village, small but atmospheric. And after detoxing, retox at Gyu (gyubar.com/Home.html), with its great cocktail list, as well as whiskeys and local wines.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/travel/niseko-japans-own-st-moritz.html