Niseko, Hokkaido - 18 to 24 Dec 2014

Skiing, Sushi & Onsen

Mt Youtei, an active volcano overlooking Hirafu Village. The mountain is 1,898m high, and the last eruption was hundreds of years ago.

Niseko is about 100km south-west of Sapporo, in Hokkaido, Japan.   To get a sense of where everything is, its useful to look up the map of the United Niseko ski resort below.  The ski runs are on a smaller mountain, Niseko Annupuri with a peak rising to 1,308m. Hirafu Village is at the base of Niseko Annupuri.

This is our 4th visit to Niseko since our first time here in 2008.

United Niseko - comprising from L-R, Annupuri, Niseko Village (Hilton Hotel is here), Grand Hirafu (includes Hanazono). 

Mt Youtei on a clear day. Courtesy of United Niseko.

Niseko has many fine eating places, including famous Michelin-starred restaurants.  The food variety available boggles the mind, and many are so popular that we can't get in without a prior reservation made before we leave home.

From our apartment in Upper Hirafu Village, we could travel short distances to enjoy many of the fabulous restaurants we had made bookings for.   Below are some of these restaurants, and we like to share with all friends visiting Niseko.

Rakuichi Soba - near Annupuri

Walking bridge leading to Rakuichi.

Chef Tatsuru Rai, owner and chef of Sobatei Rakuichi. Its a 12-seat restaurant considered one the of the world's great soba house. He mixes, kneads, and cuts all the buckwheat to order.

Chef & wife Midori with Anthony Bourdain.

Chef's table.

Accolades lining the walls.

Vegetable tempura.

Braised trout on kelp.

Sashimi.

Salmon on daikon.

Sliced pork for shabu shabu.

Kelp in stock.

Bonito in stock.

All the above in the same delicious soup.

Kamotsuru "gold" daiginjo sake was the drink poured by Japanese PM Abe for US President Obama during the latter's visit this year. It was the sake of choice for the old feudal lords of the Edo era, and the pair of gold leaves is supposed to bring luck when drunk with the sake.  

Kneading the buckwheat.

Rolling out the dough.

Perfect flattening & folding.

Precision cutting into strips of soba.

Freshly made soba ready to slurp!

Chef & wife Midori presenting the house's best treats..

We are not sure if Rakuichi is a Michellin-starred restaurant, but its quality and attention to diner's palate sure makes it one.

Kamimura restaurant - in Shiki Niseko, Hirafu

Chef Yuichi Kamimura trained with the famous Austalian Japanese chef Tetsuya Wakuda. Kamimura is one-starred Michelin restaurant.  The style is French Japanese with an emphasis on using local produce and ingredients.

Our set menu for tonight.

Kamimura is a rare fine dining restaurant in Niseko.

Hanayoshi Sushi - in Niseko Town

Hanayoshi is the best sushi restaurant in Niseko Town.   The fresh fish comes from both the famous Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, as well as local fisheries.

Chef's table

Our tatami dining table.

Sushi.

Assorted tempura.

Very helpful staff advising on the course.

Salad.

Sashimi.

The right way to serve sake, overflowing...!

Grilled kinki fish.

Kariage chicken.

Hanayoshi Sushi is our favorite sushi restaurant on this trip.

Rin restaurant & bar (izakaya) - in Hirafu lower village

Rin serves great yakitori.  The restaurant is located in the Hirafu Lower Village, near the Yukoru Onsen.

Meat & tofu.

Sliced sashimi mackeral.

Grilled sardines.

Deep-fried oysters.

Serving staff preparing the cheese for the crackers.

View of the front entrance from our table.

Rin serves great yakitori to go with his "drinks".

Yamanchu (izakaya) bar - in Hirafu lower village

Crispy fried chicken.

Grilled scallops.

Grilled chicken.

Grilled chicken skin.

Grilled shimo.

Grilled sweet corn.

Checking out the menu.

Yamanchu Yakitori has an easy-going place to hang-out.

Chef Pat's kitchen - in Suiboku apartment

It would not be complete to talk about all the above gastronomy experiences without crediting Chef Pat for cooking up a storm...local Asian food...on the only cold wintry night we ate in our apartment!

Light starters..including Bak-kua, Murukku, Ikan bilis & Hokkaido potatoes.

Singapore char-mee.

Penang hae-mee.

After all this feasting, where do we work out all the calories....on the mountains! Skiing, of course!

Up by the Annupuri's Jumbo Hooded Quad Lift#1, and then down Paradise run.  A 1.5km run with inclines of between 9⁰-13⁰.

The Ace Family runs all the way down to the base where the Family Pair Lift starts. Its highest incline is 17⁰ which is at its start....

The start of the Ace Family run is at 17⁰ incline.

Up by the Niseko Village's Banzai chair, and down via Cruiser run, and then up again but down via Banzai & Shaky Knees runs into Hilton Hotel.

Up by the Ace Quad Lift #2, to the Ace Hill Rest House (near King Bell Hut). The run is almost 2km, with parts at angle of 25⁰, and a short part at Sennoki at 30⁰, unbelievable for me !   Quite intimidating, actually!

MMR route of the ski down from Ace Hill Rest House.

My coach who wishes to remain nameless....

.....and then there is more eating between skis and meals...

Lunch at the Hilton Buffet.

Lunch at Ace Hill Rest Hse.

Lunch at Nook Annupuri Base.

Enjoying a cuppa at Green Farm Cafe.

The boys at Ace Hill Rest House.

We have been to Niseko many times, but this year, we were fortunate in deciding to stay at the Suiboku Apartments, located on the main street, Hirafu-Zaka St. just next to the fire station.

A touch of Zen. Suiboku, with monk in meditation.

View of dining area from balcony.

View of dining area from kitchenette.

View from main door of apartment.

Balcony looking towards Mt Youtei.

Refreshments at basement entrance. 

Basement ski lockers.

The Suiboku Apartments are well furnished and maintained. Pat like it that the kitchenette is well equiped.  One of the best known yakitori restaurants Abu-Cha-2 is situated in the same building on the ground level.

A nice glass of Moscato after a hard day at the ski slopes.

No visit to Niseko is complete without repeated visits to the onsens...

Yukoro Onsen in the Lower Hirafu Village.

Onsen reception area. Inside there are indoor as well as outdoor hot pools.

The hot pool. Courtesy of Google.

We also went to the onsen at Hotel Prince Hirafutei, the men's section was quite cramped and unspectacular.  Although the onsen faces the Ace Family ski slope, the view was largely blocked by wooden panels. The only advantage was that it was nearest to Suiboku....

...and as the sun sets......the flood lights come on, and we packed our bags & tummies, and call it a day....

...till next year !