Niseko Customer Reviews

Never seen so much snow in all my life! If you like bluebird days then Niseko probably isn't for you, but if you like powder and plenty of it then it probably is for you! Resort is good, has a good range of runs for all abilities. Don't expect numerous high speed quads and the like, the resort still has some catching up to do to get to the level of some of the N American resorts. However the old chairs have quite a charm to them. The town of Hirafu which is the biggest of the four towns that comprise Niseko is still relatively small - there are basically only 2 main streets. Don't expect large scale nightlife but I'm sure the majority of people who come to Niseko do not for the nightlife. Still, good selection of places to eat (the usual western diet of pizza and burgers are still available) and one or two decent bars. Again do not expect craft beer/tap bars like in N America and Europe, Japan not quite at that level yet. Not the best range of gear stores if you are after some shiny new equipment. Point to note is that a lot of the bars/restaurants are small! Good news is that there are several supermarkets in town all reasonably priced however there is a much larger cheaper one in the next town (Kutchan), it's a free bus journey (about 10-15mins) if you have a Niseko United ski pass. Booze is cheap to buy! Overall despite some of these slightly negative comments we all know why we come to Japan, it's for the waist deep powder and on that level this place is just incredible!

We were massively surprised by Niseko. We had read that the town was very westernised and should expect it to be overrun with young partying Aussies. We actually found it to be a very classy resort, yes a bit westernised but still very much Japanese. There were Aussies but there were lots of people from all around the world too and the atmosphere was very quiet and civilised. We actually struggled to find a bar for apres which had enough atmosphere! The snow was amazing and skiing incredible. The overnight reset of the previous day's tracks made skiing away from the pistes an unforgettable experience. Amazing snow, lovely accommodation at Chalet Ivy and great choice of food in the village (Hirafu).

Niseko skiing was amazing. I think we got it at it's best with fresh powder everyday and not busy - wow. Shame the visibility was poor for the whole week but hey we managed. So glad to have gone when we did. I can see the whole place developing even more in time. It will get very busy when a couple of very big hotel complexes (currently nearly finished) are open and there were loads of new sites just being started.

A very international feel with enough Japanese character to make it feel different to the US and Europe. The terrain was excellent and varied with more than enough to keep us busy for our 5 days there. We only sampled some of the massive amount of backcountry on offer and with better conditions there would be plenty of reasons to go back. There were plenty of good food and drink options both on the mountain and off. Some could be incredibly expensive, but there were cheaper options around once you know where to look.

Skiing was excellent with loads of fresh snow and apart from the first day almost perfect weather. No lift queues. Hotel Granvia in Kyoto was a welcome bit of luxury and the Shiba Park hotel was fine for the last couple of nights. The Japanese restaurant at the Shiba Park was also good. Communication between the four areas could be improved. Also I think it should be made clear that Niseko, especially if staying at the Greenleaf is not suitable for non skiers. Eating out is expensive, Niseko "village" is a bit of a non event. Two restaurants, the crab shack which appears to be still under construction, we had one mediocre meal there, Two Sticks was better although we only had one lunch there. We ate one evening at the Sisam restaurant at the Hilton, the food was delicious but extremely expensive. One night we ate at A Bu Cha in Hirafu which I can throughly recommend, great food and atmosphere.

Niseko was a very well managed resort. A few long lift lines for the Grand Hirafu lift but otherwise not too much congestion. Wonderful snow and copious amounts. Lots of blue/low red level runs, not much in the way of mogul runs, but lots of fun tree glades to explore. And of course the exotic appeal of being in Japan with lots of interesting food and good beer to try at lunchtime. We also spent a day at Rusutsu and at Kiroro which were fun to explore, but Niseko has the most terrain.