Every season in Niseko offers something special, with cherry blossoms in the spring, festivals through the summer and the emotive colours of the Autumn. Summer is of course one of the best times.

Ski and snowboard videos are what hungry powder hounds feast on during the summer months and the more video's you watch the more you realise Japan is the place to be if you want deep, dry all you can eat powder.

Niseko has is firmly established as an internationally acclaimed resort destination and the name now synonymous with incredible snow, mouthwatering food and an ever increasing range of fantastic accommodation.

If you have ever visited Niseko the first thing you will usually remember is the snow!  The amount of snow the area gets is really quite incredible with many years seeing more than 15m of snowfall a season. So far this winter has been no different with countless deep dry powder days through December and January.  

Autumn is a welcome season here in Niseko, a rest from the heat of the summer and step further toward the incredible snow the area recieves in winter. Everywhere you look there are beautiful autumnal scenes to enjoy, even right here in Hurafu vlllage. This makes the autum a great time to visit the area enjoy the coulurs, the restaurants and the onsens.

If you have been to Niseko and stayed in Hirafu chances are pretty good you've been to the Burton Store. It is located on the ground floor of the Odin Place building located at the Hirafu Intersection. The store has been open for the last 5 years and it's patronage growing in leaps and bounds from season to season. For those who don't know The Burton Store is a snowboard shop selling Burton hard and soft goods with everything you need to outfit yourself for your time in Niseko.

One of the most popular day trips from Niseko is Otaru, a seaside city famous for fresh seafood, its architecture, a charming canal and sea views. Otaru lies just a one hour drive east of Niseko and draws visitors winter through summer. From Niseko there are a couple of different routes, one which takes the newly formed Yoichi IC expressway or the other over Keinashi Toge passing very popular Kiroro Ski Resort.

Last month we took a look the Toyoura / Okishi area to the south of Niseko and before this Kamoenai which is a stop on the way to the tip of the stunning Shakotan Peninsular. 

When people think of Niseko, they usually imagine incredible powder skiing, hot ramen and snowy vistas. Contrastingly few people associate Niseko with the ocean but surprisingly our snowy mountain town is just a 45 minute drive to closest coast and not much further to 7 distinctly different coastal areas including Toyoura, Shakotan, Otaru, Minato, Kamoenai, Noboribetsu and Shimamaki.

In our second part of a glance at golf we look at another 3 fantastic courses in the Niseko area, Fukui (Niseko Golf Course), Hilton and Niseko Golf & Resort. These 3 great courses are all easily accessible from Hirafu and the journey to Niseko Golf and Resort a charming scenic drive through rural Japan.