The Australian Takeover of Niseko Ski Resort

[GomiGirl]

I think Shukan Shincho's theory about any link between the popularity rise and 9-11 is, with respect, crap. Basically, Japan skiing had a reputation for being expensive and hard to get to (particularly due to the language barrier). When a few pioneering companies convinced people otherwise, the customers started trickling over from Oz, then went home singing the praises of the best powder snow they'd ever seen, and then word quickly spread, causing a snowball effect.

Nothing to do with terrorists other than the many pirates at other resorts around the world who charge a fortune for everything.

Well the fact that lift tickets are half the price in Japan than in Australia can't hurt either. Also the exchange rate etc etc.

There are so many factors that have caused this boom but it has all happened before the locals in Hokkaido realised how big it would be.

[Marvin Feltcher]

Bubble!

[Mulboyne]

Yet another article:

CNN: Japan's slopes emerge as international ski magnet

American skiers have the Rockies, Europeans the Alps. But for increasingly affluent Asia, Japan's powdery slopes are emerging as the top international draw from Shanghai to Sydney. Even as skiing wanes in popularity at home, Japanese mountain villages like Niseko are trading on their fabulous snow, high-tech infrastructure and reasonable prices to thrive as snowbound boom towns. International investors are also taking a keen interest in Japanese resorts as the region's skiers increasingly eschew the likes of Aspen and Davos for the pure powder next door. "Japan is at the top in Asia in terms of skiing. For good skiers, they know that," said Patrick So, a 40-year-old Hong Kong financier spending a week on the slopes of Niseko's 3,924-foot Mount An'nupuri...Tourists also lap up the Japanese twist on the downhill tradition -- ramen noodles at mountain huts instead of fondue, and ubiquitous hot spring baths to soothe sore muscles. Not to mention karaoke. Yet some differences still take adjustment -- on both sides. "When foreigners go to the public hot spring bath, they sometimes like to wear towels or swimsuits. But Japanese visitors just go in naked," said Kitami Itoh, a manager at the 506-room Prince Hotel in Niseko. "Sometimes the Japanese complain about foreigners' manners."...more...

I'm surprised to see "high-tech infrastructure" mentioned as one of the attractions.

[Greji]

Yet another article:

CNN: Japan's slopes emerge as international ski magnet
"....."Sometimes the Japanese complain about foreigners' manners.".....". I'm surprised to see "high-tech infrastructure" mentioned as one of the attractions.

I'm more surprised that a country where the indigenous people will actually graze in a bowl of ramen and smack their kuchi at a freight train rate/sound, piss on a light pole in a flash and runover the little old lady waiting in line to get on the train with ease, can be concerned about manners of anybody else.

[Mike Oxlong]

I'm more surprised that a country where the indigenous people will actually graze in a bowl of ramen and smack their kuchi at a freight train rate/sound, piss on a light pole in a flash and runover the little old lady waiting in line to get on the train with ease, can be concerned about manners of anybody else.

Shit - Chuckles has hacked gboothe's account8O

I once heard that the worst PR for Australia was the overseas Aussies themselves. People who meet them and formed their impression of the country based on these people invariably had a rather negative impression. Once these now Aussie-hating folks got down under (usually on business...they had no desire to vacation there), they were pleasantly surprised at what they found.

So, where the bloody hell are you?

[GomiGirl]

I once heard that the worst PR for Australia was the overseas Aussies themselves. People who meet them and formed their impression of the country based on these people invariably had a rather negative impression. Once these now Aussie-hating folks got down under (usually on business...they had no desire to vacation there), they were pleasantly surprised at what they found.

The same can be said of most countries.. how about the stereotypical loud American wearing plaid golf pants wondering why nobody speaks English, the English football hooligan, the snobby Eurotrash etc.. But the most interesting travellers I have met have been either Canadian or Scandinavian. But that is just limited sample size.

The other Australians I met and saw in Niseko were mainly older couples and families. Of course there were some loud drinking boarding bums but the majority of Australians I saw were on family holidays. It surprised me how many couples in their 50's and 60's were on ski-holidays with their friends.

[Charles]

I once heard that the worst PR for Australia was the overseas Aussies themselves. People who meet them and formed their impression of the country based on these people invariably had a rather negative impression. Once these now Aussie-hating folks got down under (usually on business...they had no desire to vacation there), they were pleasantly surprised at what they found.

How do you think I formed my impression of ozzies? I never met any until I went to Japan. And oh the stories I could tell.

I have no objections to ozzies as long as they stay in oz where they belong.

[Greji]

The same can be said of most countries.. how about the stereotypical loud American wearing plaid golf pants wondering why nobody speaks English, the English football hooligan, the snobby Eurotrash etc.. But the most interesting travellers I have met have been either Canadian or Scandinavian. But that is just limited sample size.

The other Australians I met and saw in Niseko were mainly older couples and families. Of course there were some loud drinking boarding bums but the majority of Australians I saw were on family holidays. It surprised me how many couples in their 50's and 60's were on ski-holidays with their friends.

Hey, you an the OX missed me point. I was talking about the Japanese! As for the loud drinking boarding bums, that was me and me Aussie mates discussing Charles. You were the gal in the plaid golf pants with the phony Scottish accent, right?

[Captain Japan]

I knew this article was coming; I just didn't know when...
Booze-fueled antics take gloss off Hokkaido ski resort boom
Foreigner-led influx helps Niseko prosper, but locals residents have mixed feelings
Japan Times

For Niseko resident Shigeru Uehara the times are changing. The well-reported influx of Australian visitors and businesses to the region over the past few years has brought significant change to his community.

This is a change that, by all accounts, appears likely to intensify and is both warmly welcomed and cause for some minor concern.

While working with Niseko Home Design for roughly five years, Uehara has noted several developments. "First of all it used to be only in the winter time that we saw foreigners working in town," he says.

However, Uehara noticed that there were now many, older foreigners arriving during the summer months and looking at property in the area. Kutchan district figures show that the number of non-Japanese visitors to the resort area has risen more than 11-fold in the past six years, with 80 per cent of these arriving from Australia.

In fact, during winter, the town of 15,796 people sees more than 7,000 Australians arrive on its doorstep. Uehara says about 50 per cent of his clients are Australian customers looking to enter the housing market.

"It used to be higher, but now we have more people coming from other countries like Hong Kong," Uehara says. "It's getting more international now, a lot of Malaysian people too."

Has all this change been positive? "For the most part yes I think. Definitely economically it's a lot more active than a few years ago. There are also some people, especially those not directly involved with the economic boom, who are a little bit negative. A lot of Japanese who used to live here for a long time are starting to leave."...more...

[Mulboyne]

[Mulboyne]

[Mulboyne]

[Mulboyne]

For anyone interested, JETRO has just updated some reports in Japanese which look at the prospects for foreign investment and tourism in Niseko.

Page with PDF links here.

[Mulboyne]

[amdg]

Japanese ski grounds are simply excellent value. The package deals - bus, hotel, passes, and equipment rental just can't be beaten. The last time I rented a set of boots and skis it was 500 yen per day - the skis (carving skis) were virtually unscarred, freshly waxed, only a few seasons old.

[Charles]

..Instead of a rip-off burger and Coke, expect a bowl of piping hot noodles with fish or meat with sake or Japanese beer for a fiver..

Wot? No Watney's Red Barrel? Blimey!

[GomiGirl]

Just got back from 4 days at Hirafu (Niseko). The best snow I have ever seen in my life and as it was early season there was hardly anybody there. Only a few lifts working but we had waist deep powder. Also as it was early season the shuttle busses were not working so we had to walk everywhere but it was fine.

[Greji]

so we had to walk everywhere but it was fine.

Walk everywhere? Are there that many pubs?

[GomiGirl]

Walk everywhere? Are there that many pubs?

Well a few - it is an Australian enclave afterall (bite me Charles). We did send up our own fine wine in advance though.... Takkyubin is a fine thing.

[Charles]

We did send up our own fine wine in advance though.... Takkyubin is a fine thing.

[Mulboyne]

The world's first and only daily online English language show. Produced and presented by Sarah - a New Zealander based in Niseko, Japan. Teachers: feel free to use these videos and scripts in class.

Around 600 video clips here.

[YT]mK3x7OtTi90[/YT]

[Charles]

The world's first and only daily online English language show

I'm not convinced this is actually English, the language does not include words like "funished" or "theyuh."

[Mulboyne]

SMH: Churning Japanese

Hakuba is a more authentic and less crowded alternative to Niseko, writes Angela Mollard...Japan's reputation as a skiing mecca is well known but this secret spot, just over two hours by train from Tokyo, is often overlooked in favour of its northern big sister Niseko. While the move by Qantas to start direct flights from Cairns to Sapporo has resulted in Niseko being swamped with Australians, many are now seeking a skiing experience that is more "Japanese" than the VB-and-Vegemite village up north. Whether surveyed from a balloon at dawn or from the Virgin Cafe at the top of the Happo One ski field , it's hard to believe that this extraordinary alpine playground is only just being discovered by foreigners. Although the area hosted the Nagano Winter Olympics in 1998, language obstacles and a lack of PR has meant its pristine powder and enviable elevation have been enjoyed almost solely by the Japanese. The lucky few foreigners who unwittingly stumble across it have naturally kept the secret to themselves...more...

[GomiGirl]

Pristine Powder - that is a bit much for Hakuba. It is a great place but not really famous for podwer like Niseko is.

[blackcat]

"Wherever an ozzie goes, he can always find what he desires most: liquor, and a gutter to sleep it off in a puddle of his own vomit."

True! Got it from their British "culture" no doubt.

[Takechanpoo]

[SIZE="3"]No more Aussie[/SIZE]

[Mike Oxlong]

I skied in nearly a metre of fresh powder over New Year's in Nagano. Best skiing I've had in years.

[Mulboyne]

[floatr][/floatr]The Mainichi has a report (Japanese) saying that as the number of foreigners on the slopes of Niseko has increased by twenty times since 2001, so the numbers of injured foreign skiers has inevitably increased. One local hospital treated 345 during the 2005 season and, a year later, this number rose to 831. Local medical staff have been taking weekly English lessons and the hospital now drafts in English-speaking reception staff during the peak. A consultant says that foreign patients can get panicky if they can't be understood and the communication problem is becoming exacerbated by an increasing number of Chinese and Korean visitors. From February, they have been trialling a Skype system which puts them in touch with interpreters elsewhere. If things go smoothly then it will be made widely available next year. Local tourist offices are also considering using it. A spokesman for the office says that they want all local people to focus on the fact that the area is becoming an international resort and to face up the challenges it brings in every walk of life.

[amdg]

A spokesman for the office says that they want all local people to focus on the fact that the area is becoming an international resort and to face up the challenges it brings in every walk of life.

Challenges and opportunities*







*Sheesh, what a crappy tourism office spokesman.

[Greji]

[SIZE="3"]No more Aussie[/SIZE]

Do you get a lot of Ozzies on your ski slopes in Kichijoji?