NISEKO SKI HOLIDAYS

THE VILLAGE

  NISEKO JAPAN

The township of Hirafu is bisected by a road, above which is “Upper Hirafu” and (obviously) below which is “Lower Hirafu”.

The best position by choice is Upper Hirafu which has direct access to the ski lifts. The idea position is in the vicinity of the Park Hotel which is close to the Alpen Lift and to where one can ski home almost to the door.

However it is really no big deal to be lower down as a continuous shuttle service takes you to and from the lifts very conveniently, and there are just as many bars and restaurants in this area. 

There is a supermarket that stocks most items (Seico Mart) and if you need something special there is a regular bus to the township of Kutchan 20 minutes away; where there are huge stores.

One point to remember is to bring Japanese cash.  There is no money out at the moment in Hirafu, the only ATM is at the Post Office in Kutchan, and while some places accept credit cards, it is not the norm.

There are ski and snowboard rental shops in Hirafu one of which is Australian owned, “Fusions”, located up from the Park Hotel.  Plus there is a large ski shop in Kutchan with good deals on equipment.

You can rent mobile phones at Fusions.  Most Australian phones do not work in Japan.

To ring home it is simple to buy a phone card for $12 which gives 40 minutes call time to Australia and work in any phone.