Nisekoニセコ

Colorful flowers please your eyes from spring to summer. In winter, Niseko invites you into its snowy world and lets you drift in the wilderness.

Niseko is located in the southwestern part of Hokkaido, in the hilly district surrounded by Mt. Yotei-zan (national park) to the east and Mt. Niseko Annupuri (quasi-national park) to the north. Niseko is only about 100 kilometers away from Sapporo, the center of Hokkaido, and has earned a worldwide reputation as an ideal ski resort in winter with the Niseko Annupuri International Ski Area and Niseko Village. However, Niseko is also known as a summer resort. The magnificent beauty of its rich nature appears in TV commercials, drawing great attention to this area, and making it well known as a leading all-season resort in Japan. In recent years, Niseko has welcomed many visitors not only from Japan but also from overseas.

The name "Niseko" means "sheer cliff" in the language of Ainu, an ethnic group indigenous to Hokkaido, while "Niseko Annupuri" means "'mountain with a (river which runs around the bottom of a) sheer cliff." It has typical inland weather, with an annual average temperature at 6.3 degrees Celsius, while the deepest snow in winter can sometimes reach 200cm in depth.

Niseko demonstrates its beautiful scenery in every season of the year: In summer, you may want to enjoy climbing, canoeing, rafting, and other outdoor activities. In winter, you may want to try sports in the world-class snow at its grand-scale ski resorts. There are many hot springs of various qualities, and sufficient accommodations, from hotels to unique resort inns.

From spring to summer, after a long winter, Niseko is covered with a carpet of colorful flowers. One of the most typical scenes must be that of huge cherry trees standing in a vast green field, with Mt. Yotei-zan looking them down. The view from the observatory on the plateau at 1,000 meters, located at the 7th station of Mt. Niseko Annupuri, is brilliant. The route from the station to the summit (about 1.3 km) is a popular hiking trail for everyone from families to experienced climbers. In addition, Higashiyama Flower Field (Hana-no-oka) is where you can enjoy the gorgeous flower field of bright yellow, big sunflowers from mid July to late August.

In winter, Niseko will take you into a pure snowy world. With vast ski slopes and powder snow, you can enjoy not only skiing, but also snowboarding or just playing in the snow. Ski lessons are available for beginners. Other than that, just by simply being in snow, you can feel the romantic atmosphere offered to you.