Cool! Shiribeshi
We have invited people who have immigrated from abroad and are now living in the Shiribeshi region of central Hokkaido to contribute columns from a variety of perspectives. The columns appear in Japanese in the morning edition of the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper every other Monday. https://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/series/s_cool_otaru
In this section, the columns are posted in the author's original text.
Special feature
【Column】Niseko Living and Working Holiday Visas
I have lived in different cities around Japan before, including Kyoto and Nagoya. However, as a foreigner, I find Niseko to be the easiest place to live in Japan. The reason is actually quite simple: Niseko’s large foreign population. And I don’t mean tourists; I am referring to Niseko’s long-term foreign residents, who work or live in Niseko for multiple months or longer. This year is a bit unique, but usually roughly 10% of the total population of Niseko Town is made up of these foreign residents. In Niseko Town alone, there are residents from around 30 different countries, resulting in most people in Niseko being used to foreigners. Because of this, Niseko is very accepting of foreign residents as regular members of the community, which makes it a very nice place to live in. But how do all of these different people get to Niseko?
Many of the long-time foreign residents that I have met in Niseko first came to Hokkaido thanks to Japan’s working holiday visa program. Working holiday visas are a special type of visa that allows young adults (usually 30 years old or younger) to travel in a foreign country for up to one to two years while legally working to earn money for their travels. Japan first partnered with Australia for a working holiday program in 1980, and as of 2020, 26 different countries have partnerships with Japan. In January 2020, Niseko Town had over 250 residents with “special activities” (mostly working holiday) visas, about 40% of the total number of foreign residents.
Although they may first come to Japan to work for a winter season, many foreign residents fall in love with Hokkaido’s nature and the Niseko community and decide to stay in the area long term. Japan’s working holiday program has helped grow Niseko’s pool of international talent and made the area an ideal destination for many young foreign people.
Special feature
I’ve been in Japan since 2014 and if there’s anything I’ve learned since coming here it’s to stay open minded. After graduating from university with a degree in Japanese, I didn’t want to be limi...
In March I flew home to Australia to see family and friends for the first time in two years. Australia had some of the world's strictest travel restrictions through the pandemic, so I was expecting...
【Column】“Have fun!” sports
The most important thing in sports for me is for it to be fun. Sure I have been frustrated or even cried after losing. But overall, I was having fun and would be back training and in the next compe...
【Column】 All roads lead to Makkari
Makkari is where we call home. Like many people living in Hokkaido, we emigrated from elsewhere. And like many Hokkaido residents, we absolutely LOVE living here! However, arriving in Makkari wa...
At my workplace we have a long tradition of the so-called seminar, or abbreviated zemi. The term refers to a class at a university in which a small group of students gather to conduct their own res...
Otaru: population 110,410, households 61,914. This is what it read at the entrance of Otaru’s City Council a few days ago. A sign of many single-person households, a declining and ageing populati...
【Column】 2021 in Shiribeshi
Empty lines at Kiroro and Hirafu for ski lifts that are normally bustling with international tourists. Socially distanced crowds in multipurpose rooms and town centers throughout Shiribeshi, everyo...
Sometimes Niseko residents ask me why their little potato farming towns have become so popular among foreigners, and why people are paying so much money to buy land and build homes here. The underl...
【Column】Niseko’s Similarities to American Culture
When I first visited Hokkaido years ago as a college student, I was surprised. I knew that the prefecture was far from places like Tokyo, but I didn’t expect it to feel so different. In my mind, Ja...
【Column】Shiribeshi Hug a Hubby Day
Today is the official Shiribeshi Hug your Husband day. It is very important that all wives in the Shiribeshi area give their husbands a big hug today.
In the past years, the towns of Niseko and Kutchan which are home to the world-renowned NISEKO winter sport resort, have experienced a rush of foreign investment in high-end condominiums and hotels...
Despite COVID, it is heart warming to see how some businesses are showing resilience and adapt to a world that is now very different. Since I wrote my first column on the potential of Otaru for t...
【Column】The Magnetic Power of Mt Yotei
I can see Mt Yotei from my bedroom. The first thing I do after I wake up each morning is look towards it, and remember a quote: "When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it...
【Column】Hokkaido's Best Outdoor Adventure Town
When I was a kid, I was never inside. The kids in the street spent every free moment playing in the park, exploring the forest, climbing trees, swimming in pools or the river, riding our scooters, ...
【Column】The hard and soft faces of ‘cool’ Otaru
The word ‘cool’ seems like an appropriate term to describe Otaru as a destination. In English, ‘cool’ has multiple meanings and here we will focus on two of them: the first meaning of ‘cool’ might ...
【Column】Otaru and its untapped potential
Why Hokkaido and why Otaru? We have loved this part of the world since we visited it for the first time over 10 years ago. Stunning nature, great local produce, four clearly distinct seasons, and...
Niseko’s unique powder snow and international resort makeup are playing an interesting role in the evolution of ski and snowboard design. A growing number of Japanese and foreign residents are sett...
【Column】A shop where visitors and locals interact
I feel that there are not many establishments where foreign people and locals can interact naturally in the Niseko area. After the coronavirus pandemic has abated, and my company resumes working o...
【Column】Be Cool! Surf Winter Hokkaido.
In Hokkaido we think of winter sports as sliding on the snow or ice. But just half an hour away from the famous Niseko ski resorts, are several great surfing points. In winter the same weather that...
At the start of every course that I teach on international marketing, I talk about the topic of ‘control’. Businesses have control over how they develop and market their products or services, but t...
Over 1,000 foreign residents live and work in Niseko Town and Kutchan Town. Niseko Town alone has long term foreign residents from over 30 different countries, which gives it a distinctly multicult...
【Column】 Niseko’s focus turns domestic
In English the word "lemon" is sometimes used to describe something bad. There is an expression: "When life hands you lemons, make lemonade". We say this when things are bad to try to help find of ...