Go Native
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Posts posted by Go Native
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zebra mid Dec can be a little difficult off piste if the season is slow to start. Most areas will need well in excess of a metre for all the sasa grass (bamboo) to be covered. As some have suggested the ropeway at Asahi dake should have some good snow (as it's around the highest lifted point in Hokkaido) and it's certainly laid back and has plenty of backcountry options although beware the weather can get pretty extreme above the ropeway and you'd need to know your stuff to head out from there.
If you want to ski Niseko, mid December is not too busy as most of the Aussie hordes don't arrive until after xmas. Rusutsu is a great mountain also although accomodation options are limited outside of the big resort hotel. There are a couple of backpacker style lodges though.
For those interested in what the climatologists are forecasting for this winter check out this link
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If you don't want to ski at a place full of Aussies then yep you shouldn't come to Niseko in Jan or Feb. Dec and Mar are a lot quieter but the snow is not guaranteed to be as good.
Even if you do come here in the busy months there are plenty of ways to lessen the exposure to the Aussie hordes. Do some research as there are plenty of accomodation options that are not right in the heart of the village which are nice and quiet. Also there are fantastic dining options in Kutchan, only 10mins away on the free night bus where you may find yourself being the only gaijin in a restaurant.
At the end of the day things are not really that bad in Niseko. Yes on chat forums like this you hear all the worst things that stood out during the season but there were well over 10,000 Aussies in Niseko this season and the vast bulk of them had the time of their lives.
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Although I don't agree at all with Dorkin's views on criminal activity I do empathise with some of his sentiments. Niseko is a ski resort and people will party at ski resorts.
I have posted my views previously about how I do not believe that drunken, loud behaviour is in itself disrespectful to local Japanese and their culture. Just live in Japan awhile and you'll see plenty of drunken, loud Japanese roaming the streets late at night as well.
If the behaviour of some Australians offends other Aussies well as Dorkin advises go elsewhere. I just get sick and tired of people who've only been to Niseko for say 1 week who suddenly think they are specialists on Japanese culture and how gaijin should act in Japan. Believe me none of my local Japanese friends and aquaitances have ever complained to me about the behaviour of some tourists in terms of it being offensive to their culture. The behaviour of some is just plain offensive no matter what culture you come from.
How do we stop the truly offensive characters from coming here? It's not easy.....I do know that some tour operators are looking at increasing their prices so that only a more upmarket clientele can afford to come here. Reduce numbers and make more profit per person. We'll see how that works.
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Spud some friends of mine did a ski mountaineering trip to Kamchatka a couple of years ago.
Their website is 2004 Kamchatka Ski-Mountaineering Expedition , I'm sure you'll find it an interesting read.
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It just may be a little arrogant to believe this forum will have that much influence over the Aussie skiing public
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The whole 'Niseko is flat' thing really is getting a little boring. If steepness was the only criteria for having fun in the snow then there'd be few people skiing....
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Fatties is being managed by a bloody Kiwi these days!
He's name is Nick and he's a great guy. I actually bought my car off him. Hachi and Chie are usually behind the bar and I will be there tonight taking advantage of the nomi hodai deal for staff in the village. Just hope I remember getting home this time
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ellie the main employers of gaijin are NOASC, Hokkaido Tracks, SkiJapan.com, Niseko Powder Connection, Deep Powder Tours, Harmony and SAS.
Generally Japanese language skills are not essential but will help your application. If you are under 30 then getting a working holiday visa is simple. If you are over 30 then it gets more difficult as you will generally need to be sponsored. Most companies will start advertising around July/August.
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It's a glamorous title yes?
If you saw my pay packet though you'd know the title is the only glamorous part. I'm defintely here for the lifestyle.
Originally from Melbourne. My wife is here with me and she works for the same company. Unfortunately I married a bit early as a Japanese wife would have made it a lot easier to stay here long term (and probably would have been better at housework
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It's in my profile
I'd rather not say exactly who I work for but you will notice I have never done any plugs for any particular company and never will.
I just love this place. And unlike most of the winter punters I get to see it during the quiet times like in mid October when the whole region is ablaze with autumnal colour. And I get to see most of the festivals through the rest of the year and take part in the local culture.
Yep we have a few crazy months over winter but the rest of the year it's just another perfect little corner of rural Japan.
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One thing I've noticed a lot of is how those who work or live here also get pretty antistoke. It's weird how even the seasonal staff set themselves apart from the punters by getting really defensive and angry when they see bad behaviour but see little problem when they themselves head out and get drunk and obnoxious.
The worst ones though are those that have been living here for some time and constantly complain about how bad the place is becoming. Of course these are generally the ski bum types who came here when nobody else knew about it and are now pissed their powder heaven is getting all ripped up. Plus they are generally not the ones making any of the huge profits that some business owners are now reaping.
I also wonder what parts of Japanese culture do people think are being lost with the influx of Aussies? What are the Japanese unable to do now that they could years ago? There's no doubt that the place is changing but in a province where things have only been going backwards since the '80's bubble, change may not be such a bad thing.
Personally I think this is still one of greatest places on the planet to live. I just bought a house here and never plan on going back to Aus.
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Yep 99.9% of people who come here have a great time without causing any trouble whatsoever. Hell it's a ski resort and people are going to go out drinking and have fun. It's just a few dicks who bugger it up for everyone else.
Fattwins yes the police (most in plain clothes) had a heavy presence in the village and tried to catch the culprits. Don't think they were successful. The police are certainly cracking down on Gaijin drivers and I certainly won't touch a drop if I'm driving.
The midnight curfew is for all as far as I know. Personally if I go out these days I go into Kutchan. Great restaurants and bars and never any problems.
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There were some recent incidents where some guys took some snow clearers for joy rides and there was a car taken also. It's got to the stage where you can't go into a place and leave the car running!
Anyway the police, along with the rest of us, haven't been too impressed and have advised all bars that they must stop serving alchohol after midnight.
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Because of some of the bad behaviour that has been going on this season at Niskeo the local police have initiated a ban on serving alchohol after midnight. This should help reduce the drunken louts in the early hours of the morning.
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Thanks for that Spud. Certainly explains things so that I understand the 'culturally insensitive' argument better. Also helps put in perspective one of the problems we face living here, that we are judged by a different set of rules than they judge themselves by.
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The point is not about whether there are differences or commonalities between Japanese and Australian cultures. Many people seem to feel that Aussies getting drunk and being loud in Niseko means they are being 'culturally insensitive'. Please advise me what part of Japanese culture drunken Aussies are insensitive to? I'm not saying I think it's good behaviour or that I like it. I'm just saying that I fail to see what is culturally insensitive about it.Quote:Originally posted by sakebomb:
I can see the differences between Aussie culture and Japanese culture but I am having trouble identifiying the cultural differences between Aussie culture and English culture........care to point these out!! -
sakebomb when Aussies visiting London go out and get drunk do we claim they are being culturally insensitive? No, we just think they're idiots. Why is getting drunk in Japan any different? What part of Japanese culture is it especially offensive to?
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I've been living in Hirafu for most of the last 12 months. My wife and I have just bought a house in Kutchan and we plan to be here for a long time to come
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What I find interesting is how so many people think that loud drunken behaviour is somehow being culturally insensitive here in Japan. Basically that's crap.
These people obviously haven't been in Niseko in summer when late at night the streets are full of loud, obnoxious drunken groups of Japanese.
Groups of loud drunken people are annoying at any time but it's hardly culturally insensitive. You notice too how most of these comments come from those that don't live here.
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Living in Niseko Hirafu and loving it
Top powderhound recommendations, please
in Snow talk, trip reports, Japan avalanche & backcountry
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I think another early season start is on the cards so there should be plenty of white stuff on the ground mid-december (by my reckoning!)
Check out the following link
Met Office: Winter 06/07