insights from frontier Japan

Ono Tomohiro, founder and CEO of international IT venture company Kudan, liked the “borderless” Niseko community and relocated to the Hirafu district from Shinagawa, Tokyo last August. He thinks that Niseko is also a perfect base for his technical research facility and investment department.

“It’s appealing because there are Japanese people who kindly accept foreigners like us.” Taiwanese snowboarder Bonny Wu talks about her reasons for deciding to settle in Niseko.

Potato plants are in full bloom at the foot of Mt. Yotei in the town of Kutchan in the Shiribeshi prefecture, which is known as one of Hokkaido’s leading potato producing regions. The sight of fields full of flowers swaying in the breeze is a sign that summer has arrived.

It is understood that the town of Kutchan in the Niseko region of central Hokkaido is considering tightening regulations to restrict the use of buildings in the Hirafu district, where there are many resort facilities.

Chatrium Niseko, a luxury hotel located in the Hirafu area of Central Hokkaido's town of Kutchan, announced a new plan allowing hotel guests a free upgrade from a standard room to a special "Penthouse" room on the top floor. In anticipation of the State of Emergency Declaration ending, the goal is to enhance guest inflow from the summer tourist season to the autumn slow season.

The shibazakura (moss phlox) cared for by former farmer Mishima Kazuo in the town of Kutchan within Central Hokkaido's Niseko region are popularly known as "Mishima's Shibazakura Garden". And the shibazakura flower viewing season has arrived again this year, with a virtual carpet of vivid flowers spreading out across the field and delighting the gaze of area residents.

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, bikes and skateboards. Endless, there was so much to do outside and nothing to do inside.

This year’s season for ‘spring rafting’ that involves shooting the snowmelt rapids in a rubber boat has begun on the Shiribetsu River, which flows through the towns of Kutchan and Niseko in central Hokkaido.

It has been revealed that the UK hotel chain, IHG Hotels & Resorts, which develops the ‘InterContinetal’ brand in Japan, is planning a luxury brand hotel ‘Six Senses Hotel Resort and Spa’ in the town of Kutchan in the Niseko region. It is hoped the hotel will open in 2024 or ’25.