JaPOW – 2 weeks in Niseko

Hokkaido – January 2023

My arrival in Niseko is more than chaotic. As I haven’t pre-booked the ticket for the 1pm airport bus, I have to wait 2 hours for the next one to leave. I do my best to inform my HelpX host, and then go in search of the ramen place a fellow traveler has recommended. At 3pm I can finally board the bus and 3 hours later I descend somewhere in Nisekocho. Unfortunately, it’s not exactly where I thought the bus would stop, and I have no means to communicate with my host Yukio. So I just wait for a while in the dark with my big backpack, the wind blowing at -10 °C degrees.

No car shows up, and I’m not exactly sure where the Airbnb Yukio runs is located. After 20 minutes, I finally decide to walk toward the heart of any town: the train station. On the way, I pass a bank office and spot the “Free-Wifi” sign on the door. I quickly connect and see a missed message from Yukio. I update him on my location, and he picks me up 10 minutes later. I apologize repeatedly on the short drive to the house under the famous Niseko bridge. Yukio says not to worry, and we immediately begin to prepare dinner. What a great welcome.

He tells me a lot about his business’ content and his life story. When he drops that he used to be a chef, I spot a chance to finally learn how to make all my favorite Japanese dishes. And even better! Yukio is a big Onsen fan. Unfortunately, Kiranoyu, the hot spring located opposite Niseko Station, is closed that night. But at least the houses in Hokkaido are better built for the cold weather than in Honshu, I can just turn up the temperature on the radiator in my room while I take a shower. That way, I slip into my warm queen-sized bed and swiftly fall asleep.

The next morning, over breakfast, Yukio tells me what my work will be. It varies from day to day, but mostly includes updating Airbnb listings for his properties in Hokkaido, light maintenance at the 4 rental units next door, and of course: shoveling snow. I place myself on the second floor of apartment number 4 and start writing a short descriptive text in English for Airbnb. The weather is great and the white summit of Mt. Yotei is clearly visible against the blue sky. After an hour or so, Yukio asks me to come outside, he wants to show me something.

“Something” turns out to be a lesson on how to drive the massive snow shoveling truck. It’s less difficult than intimidating, and I continue to clear the car park until Yukio tells me it’s lunchtime. Over a bowl of hot Hokkaido soup curry, I spontaneously decide to take advantage of the good weather and ask Yukio to drive me to Annupuri Ski Resort. He drops me off at the rental centre where I pick up a set of skis, boots, and poles for ¥5000. Then I ride down the short track to the ticket office and buy a 5-hour lift pass. My first impression: There are definitely more foreign tourists than on my last ski day in Kusatsu Onsen.

The gondola takes me to the upper slopes, where I enjoy the incredible view of Mt. Yotei emerging from behind the rolling hills and snow-covered trees of Mt. Annupuri. With the sun shining on my face, I ride down the slopes to the Jumbo Quad ski lifts. Trying to make the most out of the 2 hours left until the upper lifts close, I ride fast and dart between the trees lining the powdery slopes. The dopamine is hitting hard, and I feel on top of the world. Shortly before 5.30, I take a last chair lift to the black tracks and watching the sunset, ski down to the lower slopes.

I spend the last 2 hours of night skiing for the first time in my life and see the sky turn from a fire red to a dark blue. I almost forget how cold my feet are until I realize it’s almost time for Yukio to pick me up. So I quickly return my equipment and find him waiting in his dark rose car. Before returning home, we head to the supermarket in Kutchan, where I get to buy all the ingredients I need to prepare my meals for the next days. After dinner, we give Kiranoyu Onsen another try, and I have to say: Hot spring after skiing might be better than any European Après-ski party.

The next day is the last sunny day and I go for a walk through town. I first head up to the only 7-11 around and buy a bento, which I eat on the bridge. I stroll through the snow-covered streets and sit by Shiribetsu River for a while. Then, my limbs are almost frozen and I return to the warm house. That night we have Yakisoba for dinner, followed by another Onsen visit, which you can read about in my previous post. For the remainder of my stay in Niseko, the weather is mostly cloudy and snowy. But without the snowstorms, you don’t get the famous JaPOW.

The days blend together. I shovel snow, update more Airbnb listings, build a snowman outside my window, read Murakami, cook Okonomiyaki and Nabe with Miwako and Hina who arrive to help when Yukio has to go to Sapporo, and enjoy another ski day at Grand Hirafu. During the last few days, I take Yukio’s car on a road trip to Shikotsu-Toya National Park, which I will write about in another post. When finally the day arrives, on which I should leave for Otaru, there is a huge snowstorm, which stops all transportation in western Hokkaido. So I get another day to drive down snowy roads and read before boarding the single-car train bound for Kutchan at Niseko Station .