Hirafu (Niseko)

Winter

Hirafu is the main town servicing the Niseko Ski Area - Niseko United. The mountain consists of 4 main ski areas: Hirafu, Hagishiyama, An'Nupuri and Hanazono. All 4 areas meet at the Peak or Mt An'Nupuri.

Apart from the obvious activities or skiing, snow boarding and telemarking, Niseko Hirafu boasts a multitude of activities available for guests such as snowshoeing, cross country skiing, indoor rock climbing, snow mobiling, dog sledding or the luxury of rejuvenating in natural hot springs (onsens). Guests to Niseko Hirafu have no problem finding a great place to have a drink in the plethora of bars and restaurants through out the village. Internet cafes, billiards, souvenir shops, convenience stores and ski/board repair shops are also all located inside Hirafu village.

The island of Hokkaido is considered to be the gourmet island and home of abundant fresh produce in Japan . The restaurants through out Hirafu village are very reasonably priced and although Kinoko has a fully equipped kitchen, many guests choose to eat all of their meals out sampling the fine local cuisine.

A truly unique day out is a visit to the nearby town of Kutchan with a tour of the Natural History museum followed by a serene walk in the Japanese wilderness, wearing traditional snow shoes. The highlight of this tour is a traditional Japanese tea ceremony on the frozen crater lake of Mt. Youtei, a dormant volcano.

Most locals speak enough English so that the language issue is not a barrier, just part of the fun. The village is very compact, everything is in walking distance and there is a free village shuttle during lift operating times (8:30 am till 9:30 pm).

Spring, Summer and Autumn

Spring and summer are a big surprise. After having been dormant for months, mother nature makes up for lost time with abundant and almost verdant growth. The understory of the forest grows at a rate of up to 10 cm per day. The clear open forest becomes an impenentrable jungle in a matter of weeks.

The locals all take advantage of the empty ski slopes and the last weeks of the season. Meanwhile in the valleys the local tennis courts, golf courses, rafting companies are all preparing for the busy summer period. A passionate group of local mountain bikers prepare and maintain a network of single track in the forest. Two of the main access lifts operate all summer to allow access for walkers, downhill mountain bikers and paragliders. There may be fewer Australians and other foreign guests in summer, but there is no shortage of tourism.