Take me to powder heaven, take me to Gate 11! The Niseko gate system has allowed terrain to be opened up to the public that never has been before and one of the most recent additions to this is Gate 11 or Mizuno Sawa. Gate 11 provides some of the steepest pitches on the mountain, open bowls, epic trees and an awesome natural halfpipe to finish things off at the bottom.

Just a 20 minute drive from Hirafu is a small town named Kyogoku which sits at the foot of Mt Moiwa on the north eastern side. This quaint farming town was founded by Takanori Kyōgoku (1858-1928) and first settled back in 1897. The main attraction today is Fukidashi Park which winter or summer is well worth a visit.

Travel opprotunities are endless here in Hokkaido especially in the summer time, in every direction there is a destination to travel to or a unique attraction to see.
Erimo Misaki is the south eastern most tip of Hokkaido, a rugged windswept cape with a striking line of small islands extending from dramatic cliffs.

If you've ever been to Niseko with a little luck you will have had the pleasure of Mt Yotei's presence beaming down on the Hirafu Village and surrounds.
Mt Yotei's summit stands at 1,590m which isn't huge in mountaineering terms but it is the highest peak in the area and one that just begs to conquered.
Mount Yotei is an active strato volcano which most recently erupted back in 1050BC and lucky for us hasn't done a lot since!

Summer is a time for celebration here in Hokkaido and every year the calendar is dotted with great events. Closest to home and coming right up we have the Kutchan Jaga Festival  (2019-08-03) a celebration of summer and of course Kutchan's most prized and all important crop, the potato. This features scores of delicious food carts, local produce, spectaucular floats and processions and a fire works display.

The Niseko United boasts some of the greatest tree skiing in the world thanks to ample supplies of powder and plenty of nicely spaced Silver Birch forest. It also has some incredible stuff above the tree line too and in this installment we will cover a little of both with a quick look at what the Annupuri Summit or The Peak has to offer. 

It has never been easier to access Niseko from all over the world with greater numbers of direct flights coming to Chitose every year.  We thought we’d take a look at what’s on offer at Flight Center from some of the more popular departure points across the world. All flights departing Friday Jan 10th, returning Jan 19th.  

There's nothing much more exciting than visiting a ski resort for the first time and just imagine visiting a resort in Hokkaido Japan for the first time, wow!
You will have no doubt seen the photos, watched the videos and even heard the vocab with phrases and hashtags like Japow, Japanuary and many more that will, with out a doubt, have you frothin' ! 

Thinking of a new set of gloves for this winter? Great idea! Gloves are an essential item in your Niseko ski kit and your choice in gloves can make or break a days skiing here. The options are as you would expect seemingly infinite but for Niseko, the number 1 factor you should take into consideration is unsurprisingly warmth, for you and of course the tiny hands of the little ones! Glove styles abound but the go to for Niseko especially for

Although the Hirafu village is compact and relatively easy to negotiate on foot or with the aid of the free village shuttle Holiday Niseko has another solution for you - book a property that comes with a vehicle.