2pints-mate 0 Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 ... what % of the people on the slopes are Japanese would you (people in the know) estimate? I would just like to imagine and really don't have a clue. Cheers. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 well, on the slopes, it's a fair number as the lift queues will tell you. My rough guesstimate is perhaps 70% but that would be my latest observation from Jan 2007 Link to post Share on other sites
2pints-mate 0 Posted February 16, 2008 Author Share Posted February 16, 2008 Thanks. As much as 70%? Well what's with this 10% that someone was talking about the other day? Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Pow 52 Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Week days = more non-Japanese Saturday = roughly 50 / 50 Sunday = more Japanese Link to post Share on other sites
gerard 6 Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Originally Posted By: 2pints,mate Thanks. As much as 70%? Well what's with this 10% that someone was talking about the other day? Exaggeration perhaps? Imagine that.... On the internet... Link to post Share on other sites
ex-lurker 0 Posted February 16, 2008 Share Posted February 16, 2008 Interesting MikePow. It was Indo that said 90% I think. Perhaps in jest Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 So what is it? Weekends perhaps more? The Hirafu carparks is full most days, that's why they had to expand it. That means more Japanese are going to Hirafu. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 Originally Posted By: thursday. So what is it? Weekends perhaps more? The Hirafu carparks is full most days, that's why they had to expand it. That means more Japanese are going to Hirafu. Posssibly, but we are not Japanese and we had a car. And some of the lower village apartments being marketed at the Aussie/CAnadian investors come with a car for the use of rental tenants. Link to post Share on other sites
Rag-Doll 0 Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 I used to think the foreign punter population looked to be larger than it was because people were looking at the people walking around the village at night and transposing those numbers into people on the snow - japanese punters are traditionally not big apre ski types. However, having just got back from 10 days at Niseko I've completely changed my mind - sitting in a restuarant at Annapuri/Hanazono at lunch time, it was pretty obvious that easily half the punters were western and given that this was during Chinese new year when half of Hong Kong is in Niseko, of the "Japanese" looking people, probably half were actually Chinese - probably the ones not wearing '80's ski gear The remarkable thing was that just 40min down the road at Rusutsu probably only 10-15% (if that) of the punters were western. It's a bit strange flipping between Falls Creek and Rusutsu and back again so quickly in one day. Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 What's the big deal with the amount of foreigners in Niseko?? If you ski at Whistler do you bemoan the fact the there aren't enough Canadians on the slopes? Who cares what the percentage of foreigners are? As long as the resort is thriving and developing it's got to be a good thing right? Certainly better than all the Japanese resorts that are barely able to afford to run their lifts... Link to post Share on other sites
big-will 7 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I'd say that 'the big deal' is that there are nothing like the same amount anywhere else (in Japan). That makes it interesting. Link to post Share on other sites
quattro 1 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Niseko has found away to make money and improve on many things within the resort by catering to foreigners. What is wrong with a little capitalisms. Link to post Share on other sites
me jane 0 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I think it's interesting too. Link to post Share on other sites
Rag-Doll 0 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I've no problem with the numbers of foreigners at Niseko. Walking around the village last week I was amazed at how much the place has improved over the past 5 years. Really, the development and the additional commercialisation of the place means it offers so much more than it did previously. Ok, it's probably nolonger a typical "skiing in Japan" experience with the cultural aspects that entails, which I suppose some peeps may be after, but in terms of shelling out a stack of cash and going to the hassle of getting there, the whole experience is more rewarding now I reckon. Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 My only complaint comes from the fact that round eye is more keen to seek the powder stashes thus places getting tracked out way early in the day and the lines at certain gondolas and lifts. It only bothered me because I had experienced it several times before the invasion. In the 5 years since I have been I think the place has improved though. It's not as sleepy as it once was and has a bit more of a vibe to the village. The accommodation standards are up and so to are the restaurants. The pow is the same, just gotta think to get the stashes! Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 just check out the French resorts and count how many Brits are there, its just the same. Development is good, but some people, especially with a country like Japan, may be looking for the cultural experience to go with it. Its not a big deal for Niseko as there are plenty other resorts for such minded people. Niseko has done well by attracting top tourist dollars to the country Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 it's a good mix. Perhaps too good. Best of both cuisines. Meat and fresh fish, not to mention authentic fast food to go with the Sapporo and Kirin beers. Link to post Share on other sites
quattro 1 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 If you are coming from overseas and looking for a Japanese style resort it can be difficult, there is not a lot of advertising. So the first thing you get is Niseko or Hakuba. I think the next up and coming resort in Hoks will be Furrano. They seem to following the Niseko model. Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 yeah, last month my bro went to Furano 'cos there was nothing he could book in Hirafu. Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Furano will always be hamstrung by it's no off-piste policy. People come to Hokkaido to ski powder and that's not so easy when you're not allowed off the groomers. They do have a couple of ungroomed areas but they are limited and if there were a fair number of westerners there they'd be skied out in no time. Furano is also considerably smaller than Niseko but the town is really nice and much more convenient than Kutchan is to Niseko. Link to post Share on other sites
Mantas 3 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Originally Posted By: Indo My only complaint comes from the fact that round eye is more keen to seek the powder stashes thus places getting tracked out way early in the day and the lines at certain gondolas and lifts. It only bothered me because I had experienced it several times before the invasion. In the 5 years since I have been I think the place has improved though. It's not as sleepy as it once was and has a bit more of a vibe to the village. The accommodation standards are up and so to are the restaurants. The pow is the same, just gotta think to get the stashes! Indo,I;m curious to know why someone like yourself would even go to Niseko. If I had an interment knowledge of all things Japanese and spoke the lingo fluently. I doubt I'd bother competing with all the round eyes for powder at Niseko . I'd go further a field. BTW. Your starting to sound like me......... aahhh... the good ol days. Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 Yeah, sound like an old man! Remember back in 85 in Bali! Why would I go there? I'd previously had 3 sick,sick,sick trips to Niseko. The nighta makes a short trip a pretty good deal and throw in almost 2m of POW in under a week and you can't really complain! Looking back at our last trip, we had a bloody great time.. Just took a while to adjust to the reverse culture shock! Link to post Share on other sites
thursday 1 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 But when you go back to Aus, will you be pining for Niseko again or some other place? Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted February 20, 2008 Share Posted February 20, 2008 I'll be missing the snow for sure mate, but I won't be missing the surf. I'm hoping to get the fam up there in the next year or 2 for our winter holiday.. Link to post Share on other sites
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