Niseko, Japan

Imagine going out naked at minus 10 degree temperature, then dipping yourself to more than 40 degree hot bath, surrounded by snow-covered rocks and a great view of the wilderness! That only scratches what you’d be expecting here at Niseko. Aside from relaxing at their unique Onsen bathes, there are great deals of activities as well!

Widely known for it’s mythical powdered snow, Niseko – a town located a little south west of Sapporo, features a skiing, snow boarding, snow mobiling, and a lot more fun playing in its famous powdery snow! So hop on to our next stop and rediscover Niseko!

IMPORTANT NOTES

For tourists visiting Japan, the first thing you could check out is having a Japan Rail Pass here. This will give you free access to almost any major train line in Japan.
The next thing to take note is this site (http://www.hyperdia.com/en/). This will give you exactly what time a train leaves and arrives at a certain station. With this, you could plan your trips and time your schedule depending on where you are at Japan. Alternatively, you could download the hyperdia application for Android users when you reach Japan (or use a Japan proxy and download it).
Secure a mobile wireless router at the airport. This will be the most vital tool during your trip as you would largely depend on the internet (hyperdia) if you aren’t familiar at Japan.
Bring a credit card, some establishments do not accept cash. And as you expect, it could save you in case you overextend your budget a little.

HOW TO GET THERE

Well, first things first – you have to reach Japan right? So if you followed my notes above, wherever airport you may be, there will always be a close by train station and use your hyperdia application to guide you. It’s not difficult, you just need not to be intimidated if you could not understand any signs at Japan. But it’s always good to ask whenever you’re really in a pinch.
Now, you’re final destination is to reach Niseko, Hokkaido. Probably be coming from Hakodate terminal Hokkaido then passing Oshamambe then to Niseko. You could also go here from Sapporo (if you stayed at Sapporo). From Sapporo, you could stop over at Otaru and eat a little sea food before going straight to Niseko. Again, use your hyperdia application on which train schedule to follow. If you missed one, then just adjust your time to the next available train.

WHERE TO STAY

Niseko is quite a touristy area, you won’t have any difficulty in finding a hotel. Prices are cheaper if you purchased them ahead of time. Anyway, Japan embassy requires you to place your hotel bookings on your itinerary for a Visa so finding a hotel will be the first things to do before even coming to Japan.

To give you an idea, we stayed at here at Niseko Annupuru Onsen Yogokorotei. It’s an elegant ryokan inn that is well known for their signature Onsen (hotspring) experience! The nice thing about this inn is that it’s away from the busy Niseko neighbors like Hilton and Greenleaf but surprisingly just a 10minute drive to them. They have a free shuttle service as well.

You could even find a hotel at Kuchan station without going to Niseko station since some skii resorts are closer here compared if you come from Niseko. And lastly, you could also try AirBnb and find a suitable hotel or inn that suits your preference.