羊蹄山Youtei-zan (pronounced Yoo-tay and not you-tie or ute-tee) dominates the surrounding Hirafu-Niseko skyline. Mt Yotei is one of the 100 famous mountains in Japan and the name can be translated as sheep’s foot. Standing 1898m tall, Mt Yotei is also known as Shiribeshi-yama, Makkarinupuri and Ezo Fuji (Hokkaido Fuji). Mt Yotei is an active stratovolcano less than 100,000 years old.

If you are driving near the Annupuri ski resort around dawn or dusk during the summer months you may have noticed a strange yellow object in the sky.  It is the Niseko Balloon and recently I got the chance to check it out. I headed out to the Niseko Annupuri Ski Resort at 4pm as I wanted to see the whole process of setting up a hot air balloon.

In winter many international guests often ask us what we do over the summer months. “Do we remain open?” and “Who visits Niseko in summer?” are also common questions. Yes, we do stay open, and we are kept relatively busy providing accommodation for the domestic market.

The fastest way to the Rusutsu ski area from the Niseko resort area will take you through the small village of Makkari. The Makkari area gained some exposure recently when the wives of the G8 leaders visited the village and had lunch at the French influenced Restaurant Maccarina.
 

Often in winter I get asked by guests who stay in our Niseko apartments, “Is there anything to do in Kutchan? Or “Is there anything to do that isn’t skiing or snow related?” Choices in winter are usually pretty limited so I set out to find something to do in case the ski lifts are closed due to bad weather.
While the primary reason to stay in Niseko during winter is for the skiing, people also travel for the cultural experience. Using cul

Lake Toya is a more developed area than Shikotsu. It takes 40-50 minutes to get there from Niseko.  On Toya's south east side are several large hotels as well as Volcanic Mt.Usu which closed down the  area when it erupted in 2000.  Toya hosted the G8 summit last year at the exclusive 5 star Windsor hotel. In July and August there is a fireworks display every night that can be seen from all sides of the Lake.
 

Park golf is unsurprisingly a form of golf played in a park. The game was invented in Hokkaido in 1983 and it now boasts over a million players nationwide. Part of the appeal of park golf is the simplicity of the game. Only one club and one ball are required to play the game. The courses are quite short with the maximum length of a single hole being 100 meters and a typical 9 hole par 33 course being limited to 500 meters. Since there is no lower

Ever wondered where all the snow in Niseko goes? A lot of it filters into the ground and later  resurfaces as spring water.  With an average annual snowfall around 13 meters, it's no surprise that the quantity of spring water around the Niseko region is one of the largest in Japan. Around the Niseko area there are many places to collect spring water.  Some places are very popular as many Japanese believe certain spring waters to contain benefi

One of the more popular summer tour destinations in Niseko is Milk Kobo in Higashiyama,(on the road to Niseko Hilton).

The Niseko View Plaza, located on route 5 just outside of Niseko town is a Michi no Eki (Road Sation). There are around 900 of these road side rest areas in Japan. Local governments often use Michi no Eki to represent and promote tourism.  Michi no Eki range from restrooms only to those with shops selling local specialties. Some Michi no Eki even have camping grounds, hot spring, parks and a wide range of services. Interestingly most do not have