So, you've been thinking about doing a winter season in Japan for awhile now. Whether it's from the parts that you see in the pro videos, or from one of your buddies who's recently done one, it doesn't really matter. Stop thinking about it and do it! You can thank me later.
Having done 3 winters in Hirafu (which is the main village in Niseko) in a variety of positions, I feel the time has come to pass on some tips. Bear in mind I started my first season here having no idea what snowboarding even meant. Evidently, I got bitten by it as quickly as your face hits the ground after catching an edge. So, first timers, this may be of some help to you too.
1) Look For Jobs Early
- Failing to plan is planning to fail! Get your applications in there like swimwear. It is quite common to see staff who go for whatever’s available at the last minute and end up whinging about it for the rest of the season. That’s not saying that the rest of us who get the positions we want don’t do it as well! Have a look at a couple of the bigger companies like Ski Japan, Niseko Central, Ki Niseko, Nisade, and Holiday Niseko. Interviews usually get properly underway in June but it definitely won’t hurt to show your enthusiasm early. Then again, what’s life without some spontaneity?! Knowing most seasonaires, you’ll probably end up deciding to come over some time in late November and just taking whatever you can get. When looking over offers, keep in mind there will be 20% government tax.
2) Buying Your Equipment
- If you’ve done a season before you probably already know this, but try not to buy your riding equipment here in resort. As it is, the prices here are quite inflated (unless you’re comparing it to Straya where it’s completely screwed). Combine that with the few stores in town that carry decent inventory, and you will be paying well over the odds out of desperation.
- Get outlet/off-season stuff from the states and online shops. If you really can’t help it, use local online shops like Amazon, Rakuten or Yahoo Japan where you’ll find good deals on last seasons’ stuff. And if you still can’t find what you need online or just prefer to buy from a brick and mortar shop, get here early-ish and pick up past season rental gear from shops like Rhythm and Niseko Snowsports. Both of whom clear stock before the season proper gets underway.
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| Car? What car? |
3) Stay in Hirafu!
- As the community and demand for accommodation has grown in Niseko, so has the need for staff and land. Because of this, many companies now push some staff out to Kutchan which is the neighbouring town for accommodation.
- As always, this comes with pros and cons. On one hand, living in Kutchan means your company will probably offer you door-to-door service for getting to work. You will also be really close to the supermarkets and local shops which will save you a fair bit when it comes to food. Rent is usually also cheaper in Kutchan compared to Hirafu.
- However, that door-to-door service also means that’s all you have to rely on. As most nocturnal activities will be happening in Hirafu, it will be fairly crap for you to leave the party early to catch your shuttle. The shuttle service also usually gives priority to staff who are working that day. The last thing you want is to not be able to get into Hirafu for first lifts on a powder day because the shuttle is full.
4) Data Sim Cards for Travelling before/after/during your Season
- It is close to impossible to get a sim card in Japan legally. If you plan to travel around Japan before, during or after your season, the wonders of having data to use with Google Maps are truly unparalleled and has saved me more than once. Definitely look into companies like e-connect Japan, who does both data only sim cards and portable wifis. Alternatively, you could pick up a portable wifi unit when you land at the airport. In-resort though, you’ll have no problems living without a simcard. There’s wifi most places and living in the mountains without a phone is actually really freeing!
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| The Niseko Whiteroom |
5) Luggage and Taking the Train
- Ah… the train from Chitose Airport to Kutchan. Not once have I enjoyed this ride. If you arrive pre-season like most people, there will probably be no public bus options to get you to the village from the airport and the train will be your only option. It takes over 3 hours and the last leg will be on a cramped single carriage train where locals are giving you strange looks because you’re getting in the way with your board bag and 6 months worth of shit in luggage. You will also be lugging all that stuff up and down stairs when switching trains.
- My advice, send your stuff to your company before arriving. Local luggage services like Takkyubin allow you to send your luggage from the airport directly to the resort and vice versa. Especially if you’re visiting other parts of Japan en route to Hirafu, this will be a godsend. Alternatively, you could ship it from home with services like luggage forward but this will cost a whole lot more. Compare it to the oversized luggage charges you will be paying your airline to see if this will be worth it.
6) Stuff You Probably Should Bring
- Pretty obvious one, your winter boots. Proper ones like Sorels or the North Face are ideal as road clearers do not keep up with the amount of snowfall and if your job involves you being outdoors, you will be trudging through ankle deep snow all day. I thought I would be able to get through with sneakers and spikes but quickly learned that working with frozen toes is definitely not ideal.
- If you’re looking for winter gear, the snow in Niseko is very light and very dry and you could probably get away with gear that is slightly lower on the waterproofing scale. What you really want to make sure you do have, is a powder skirt. The combination of not having ridden powder and lack of a powder skirt means having copious amounts of melting snow constantly up your back. Then again, just don’t fall.
- Condoms and medication. Living in a village slightly removed from the town, they’re harder than you think (no pun intended) to find when you really need one. Definitely bring from home.
7) All Mountain vs Grand Hirafu
- If at all possible, check if your company provides you with a personal season pass. While some companies save on this with using a shared passes, having your own is just that little bit less of a hassle. Your next decision is between getting a Grand Hirafu pass or an All-Mountain pass. The price difference is really quite drastic with the All-Mountain being up to 6x more expensive. Grand Hirafu gives you access to Hirafu and Hanazono, All Mountain opens up Annupuri and Niseko Village as well. If it’s your first season here, you will probably be able to get away with a Grand Hirafu and then buying a 50 hour pass for the other 2 sides as you will be spending most of your time exploring Hirafu and Hanazono anyway. I’ve personally always gone for the All-Mountain as it’s one less thing to worry about when you want to get those first tracks in! Do keep in mind that as a majority of the guest accommodation is based in Hirafu, it's naturally the busiest of the 4 resorts and you will very rarely be able to find fresh tracks after mid-day (unless you know where to look of course *wink*)
8) Travel Insurance
- You want travel insurance. Look at all the options from home as they tend to be quite expensive once extreme sports is involved. You definitely do not want to be stranded with mounting bills for injuries and out of bounds rescue, amongst other things. For the sheer value of it, I also recommend getting local insurance from the Kutchan council office. It will cost something like 20 bucks but you get the benefits of local government healthcare at ridiculously low cost.
9) Stay Alive credits to Luke
- Sounds easy, but can quickly become a lot harder than you think if you let it. Unfortunately, there have been deaths every season I've done in Niseko and it typically boils down to 2 causes.
- The Gate System. Niseko devised a gate system to ensure the safety of all riders by having an in-bound, and out-bound area. Most of the sidecountry or backcountry you see in my videos usually are accessed by marked gates which open or close based on Ski Patrol's discretion. If you do not know the area I highly suggest not going out the gates alone, doubly so if you do not have backcountry gear. I know it's easy to go "nah, she'll be alright" but I have seen massive avalanches and cracks that open up due to the bamboo under the snow base. Also, respect the mountain!
- Drinking. Again, this one seems absurd when you're sober but has claimed probably more lives than the mountain? Please always make sure you're never alone when walking back to your accommodation after a big night. There has been countless cases of people falling into streams, lakes or falling asleep in snowbanks only to be found in the summer when the snow melts. Those lovely fluffy snow pillows are not meant for sleeping in believe it or not.
This is a little playlist for the riding you can expect in Japow:
As always, I look forward to any feedback and you can follow me on:
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