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Hokkaido Drift from Robin Lee on Vimeo.
''...Something Japanese...'' from Robin Lee on Vimeo.
That's a reasonable summary. My friends and I have been over there a couple of times, I absolutely love the place. Can't wait to go back.
Hokkaido, as mentioned, gets the best snow but the terrain tends to be a bit more mellow. There's some gnarly lines, including plenty of lift accessed ones, but they tend to be pretty short.
Personally I love the rolling tree skiing that's pretty typical of the Hokkaido fields. Niseko is badass, it's absolutely chock full of Australians these days but that means there's a bit more night life if that's your kinda scene. As you go north you get into more out-of-the-way, smaller fields... next stop on the line from Niseko is Rusutsu which has some really badass playful terrain but not a lot of vert... luckily there's no queues so you just lap it furiously. Then there's a bunch of tiny little fields with like 2 lifts and no crowds at all but I have no idea what they're called.
Down on the mainland (Honshu) the big collection of mountains around Hakuba is where it's at, if you're a groomer-basher you'll be in heaven. Steeper, more open terrain and a bit more altitude means more terrain above the treeline.
As for park, if you care about that, Niseko's fields tend to have a reasonable park... there's something strange about the way they shape their jumps though and the rail side of things tends to get a bit neglected. They love pipe over there so if that's your kinda thing you'll have that available too.
A few days in Hokkaido from james winfield on Vimeo.
Lift tickets range from around 5,500 for a day pass in bigger areas like Niseko and Rusutsu down to 3,000 for Kamui. 6 hour passes in larger areas are generally around 4,000.
BD Lodge is definitely a little more expensive than other accomodation. People that stay there generally seem to enjoy it and say it's worth the money. I think if you use their guiding services, and transport services to get to other ski areas then they provide a good package. Travelling independently would be cheaper, but if you're unfamiliar with Japan/Japanese, then it'd be alot more stressful. Peace of mind and knowing that you'll be well looked after is worth alot. You'll probably meet a few pros there too, as most of the film crews stay there! If you're just using it as somewhere to sleep, then there may be better options that are cheaper, and more centrally located. (The BD Lodge isn't in Hirafu where the majority of bars/restaurants are)
But more expensive than most other similar hostels/lodges in Niseko.
The Yen is weak at the moment, so its a good time for people to come visit from overseas. Things will seem alot cheaper.
Hirafu has some of the most legit eateries I've ever had the pleasure of stuffing my face in.
The ramen shop on the main road up the hill, holy crap... I miss that thing at least once a week. I ate there every single day I was in town.
Also Waza's café, just up the hill from the bottom of the Family chair. Best burgers in the world, I reckon. The backpackers in the same building is really cheap and reasonably decent too.
And a visit to Gyu bar (aka Fridge bar) is pretty much compulsory. So many awesome hot alcoholic drinks.
Unicorn Sashimi from FELT SOUL MEDIA on Vimeo.
Unicorn Sashimi from FELT SOUL MEDIA on Vimeo.
Around Niseko it's 18-25 year old Australians getting drunk and rowdy - whether that's your scene or not.
Personally, as I was there for less than a month each time, I'd just have a couple of beers with dinner, maybe grab a couple of cans from the Seikomart, but considering that you're virtually guaranteed pow at least every second day and you can ski like 12 hours a day I was always too tired to be out getting wasted very often.