Travel Jan 5, 2020
Heli-skiing in Japan: The joys of big-mountain powder
by Oscar Boyd
From December to March, Hokkaido Backcountry Club runs heli-skiing tours to Mount Shiribetsu near the Niseko and Rusutsu ski resorts. Clip in for the ride.
Travel Jan 5, 2020
Get ready for Japan's backcountry with an avalanche safety course
by Oscar Boyd
Black Diamond Tours has been offering Avalanche Skills Training courses in English since 2009 to educate skiers and snowboarders on the risks when riding in Japan's backcountry.
Travel Nov 28, 2019
Top 10: Where to go skiing and snowboarding in Japan this winter
by Oscar Boyd
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 ...
Business Nov 1, 2019
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.
Business Sep 19, 2019
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.
National Jul 19, 2019
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 ...
National Dec 13, 2018
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 ...
National Sep 18, 2018
Hokkaido's famous ski resort area Niseko seeks to promote its safety after powerful quake
by Chisato Tanaka
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 ...
Travel May 4, 2018
Beat the heat with summer sports in Niseko
by Tyler Rothmar
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.
National Apr 5, 2018
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, ...
National Feb 26, 2017
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 ...
National Aug 28, 2016
A ski resort success, Niseko defies rural Japan's demographic decline
by Chris Cooper and Katsuyo Kuwako
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 ...