Top 10: Where to go skiing and snowboarding in Japan this winter
Winter is approaching fast and with it Japan becomes a bucket list destination on the mind of any skier and snowboarder, with fresh powder snow and Etch A Sketch skiing conditions. While skiing in Europe and North America is primarily associated with long, steep runs ...
Hokkaido town of Kutchan in Niseko ski region introduces Japan's first fixed-rate lodging tax
The 2 percent levy will apply to all facilities, including private lodgings, and is expected to bring the town an extra ¥300 million ($2.76 million) in revenue.
Japan's nonmetro commercial land prices rise for first time in 28 years
The average price of land for commercial use outside the country’s three largest metropolitan areas — Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya — has risen for the first time since 1991.
In ski hub Niseko, tension arises between locals and overseas residents
A growing number of complaints regarding an increase in foreign residents is straining relations in Niseko, an area in Hokkaido internationally known for its famous ski resorts. In the town of Kutchan, foreign residents make up over 10 percent of the population during winter. Tensions ...
Hokkaido ski resort town of Kutchan to enact Japan's first fixed-rate lodging tax
The town of Kutchan, located near Hokkaido's popular Niseko ski resort, plans to introduce a 2 percent lodging tax under an ordinance passed by the municipal assembly Thursday. The town aims to enact the tax next November following consultations with the Ministry of Internal Affairs ...
Hokkaido's famous ski resort area Niseko seeks to promote its safety after powerful quake
With the Hokkaido tourism industry estimating losses of around ¥29 billion from the recent deadly earthquake, due to widespread hotel cancellations following the disaster, Niseko, a famous ski resort in the prefecture that escaped relatively unscathed from the quake, is seeking to promote its ...
Beat the heat with summer sports in Niseko
With a pantheon of outdoor sports such as mountain biking, ziplining, hiking and more, the summer season in Hokkaido's Niseko is increasingly switched on.
Medical interpreters in high demand as tourists flock to Niseko
Medical interpreters are helping a popular ski resort in Hokkaido deal with the growing number of foreign guests there. To overcome the language barrier, Kutchan-Kosei General Hospital in the town of Kutchan, near the Niseko resort, employs a five-member team of medical interpreters. At times, ...
Avalanche kills New Zealand adventure guide during snowboard outing in Niseko
An adventure tour guide from New Zealand died while snowboarding Saturday after being swept away by an avalanche at Niseko ski resort in the town of Kutchan, Hokkaido, police said. Rescuers extracted the body of Samuel Kerr, 35, from under the snow. Kerr, who resided ...
A ski resort success, Niseko defies rural Japan's demographic decline
Japan's shrinking population has weighed on the world's third-biggest economy, alarmed government forecasters and turned some rural communities into veritable ghost towns. Not so in Niseko, a ski resort community in Hokkaido that is prospering in the face of all the demographic gloom. The local government ...
Hit Hokkaido's slopes for tasty seasonal fare
Kutchan, near Niseko, is probably the only town in Japan where convenience stores stock pinto beans and Vegemite. In fact, Hokkaido's ski paradise, internationally known for its powder snow, is steadily forging a new reputation, one bite at a time. Ten years ago, food fare ...
