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we have been asked to compile ways to make Niseko ( from a tourism/government standpoint) and the information centre better.

 

 

 

Please give me every and all recommendations and I will include them with our reports- don`t be afraid to repeat points ( ie ATM) that other have mentioned as I think the more voices the better.

 

Cheers D

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from downtown cafe to the alpen hotel - terraced sidewalks that level off at shop/restaurant level, with lighting, benches (for summer), flower planters (again summer) and no ugly signage stuck up as you like...Hirafu is kinda cool in winter when it is all snowed in but as it melts it needs to look better if summer is ever to go...and buried power lines if it is possible but that could be stretching it. good luck!

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Have to agree with Blade, in that the "spaghetti" of electricity distribution infrastructure is unsightly (Not just in Hirafu, btw).

 

However, that would be one of the most expensive things to fix, and would be a "hidden" expense, as the punters would mostly not notice.

 

My 2c ... A few more access points from the "main village" area (around where Garmisch is) to the family slope would enable more of the accommodations there to have true "ski-in, ski-out" access. As it is, very few places have easy access to the family slope and this causes a bottleneck at the bridge across the drain.

 

While on the subject of the drain, when I was there (admittedly a couple of years ago) the drain that ran alongside the family slope was a source of some quite unpleasant smells. Covering this drain would give double benefit - access (as I was talking about above) and making the atmosphere more "pure and clean".

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Okay I will probably get booed of this thread. Leave everything as it is. Isn't that what we all get shitty about is how much Niseko has changed over the years. Okay so the roads a slippery wear spikes and deal with it. There is also an offensive smell a couple of places down the hill - I later found out it was sulpur from the volcano. Soon people will want Maccas and KFC there.

 

We come to Niseko for the skiing first and foremost BUT we also enjoy the total change of culture experience. If you don't like it go somewhere else.

 

Now I have had my rant maybe there a couple of things you could do.

 

1) Have a seperate lines at the chairlifts for ski instructors and their students on busy days (ones that are having private lessons). Sitting in long lines really cuts into your lesson line.

 

2) Have an alcohol cut off or curfew for the Irish Pub and Wild Bills for those idiots who can't handle their alcohol.

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Not sure about this ...

Quote:
There is also an offensive smell a couple of places down the hill - I later found out it was sulpur from the volcano.
It may well have been the effluent from the onsens, but it could have been piped, and would have made a better atmosphere.

 

When were there long lines at the lifts? OK, a few years ago, the LONGEST I waited was on a Saturday afternoon and that was for 3 minutes! Sheesh! Standard waiting time at PerisherBlue (oops, now renamed Perisher) was upwards of 5 minutes mid week and for the 8 seater. For the Front Valley drag lifts it could be over 10 minutes.

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Originally Posted By: snowhuntress
Leave everything as it is. Isn't that what we all get shitty about is how much Niseko has changed over the years.

Sure. Don't turn it into a psuedo-Japanese Disney-esque Whister Village type of place. The Hirafu village area is much more real than corporate intra-west type ski towns.
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Whatever happened to their efforts at improving avalanche control and opening up areas like Mizunosawa? Last I heard, they had an expert up there who seemed to think it would be doable if they just let people ski it on a regular basis to consolidate the snowpack.

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For shops etc, trip into Kutchan or do a day trip to Sapporo or Otaru. They will be only too happy to take your money!

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A Welcome Center that's organized;

- Display with dep/arr info, bus numbers, destinations etc.

- Designated parking for specific bus companies.

- Singposted zones for accom companies to meet/greet/park during pickups & drop offs. Too often nobody knows whos there to meet & greet who... People walking around like lost sheep.

- Knowledgable staff with half a clue.

 

Also could do with a well-stocked supermarket/drug store, a post office, an atm, and a gas station - basic amenities.

 

Is a medical center too much to wish for?

 

Skatepark for summer? Too many tennis courts, imagine the possibilities! There's a prime location right by my house!

 

Push summer mtn biking and OPEN up the lifts to the mtn bikers public more often.

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Id like to see more nice resturants that can handle group booking in the peak time of January - even if it has to be that there are two sittings and the family have to eat early or miss out. It was hard to sample some of the resturants because they were booked up for the large numbers we were asking for. Most families are happy enough with a "6pm seat - vacate your seat by 8pm for the next sitting" to get in to the popular spots.

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More stuff for cheese fans, including Cheese Shops and special menus in restaurants. I have sent my ideas to resorts before, they didn't act.

 

Cheese is not only delicious but also highly nutritious and fun for all! It's a winner!

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- An ATM that takes a big range of international cards.

 

- More (terraced) sidewalks along some major routes, perhaps.

 

- Install snow riding equipment racks on the rear of all of the shuttle buses.

 

- Do NOT Yankify it - keep the Japanese Hokkaido country charm as much as possible. No fast-food outlets, no need for a Post Office nor Petrol Station for that matter, etc.

 

- Weather & snow reports, incl. forecasts and today's conditions, in both Japanese and English, posted at varioius places around the mountain as well as on a TV channel and some of those TVs in some of the on-mountain establishments (e.g. Hanazono 308).

 

- The ability to have your electronic ticket returned after you're finished with it and redeem the 1000Yen, and then to use it's serial number on a Niseko United website which details what lifts you used that ticket on and how many times, etc.

 

- Fox Sports showing Rugby Union, Rugby League (esp. Super 14s), Poker etc. in English at more places during evening/nights/late nights and/or in the range of TV stations most of the lodge TVs pick up.

 

- Retard the price inflation, or preferrably reverse it.

 

- Ban smoking inside all public type places incl restaurants etc.

 

- The local "Niseko" free monthly snow magazine was great, including the 1/3 of a page list of useful English-Japanese Phrases - add a few more to that list and keep it available.

 

- Re: That nasty smell eminating from certain areas around the upper Hirafu / Gondola base area etc. - We heard some people claim it was Sulphur-type gasess from the volcanic surrounds, whilst others claimed it was sewerage.

It honestly smelt like sewerage to me, and seemed to kinda eminate from certain areas making it even more likely that.

If something can be done about it, it should be for sure.

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Quote:
- The ability to have your electronic ticket returned after you're finished with it and redeem the 1000Yen, and then to use it's serial number on a Niseko United website which details what lifts you used that ticket on and how many times, etc.


Now that would be interesting. The data is already there, the difficulty would be in generating the interface. Hey GN, How's the programming skills?
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