Niseko

If you asked me even a week ago if any place in Japan could ever enter my top 10 places in the world, I would have emphatically said no. But after spending a weekend in Niseko (which is really three different towns cobbled together to create one mega ski-resort (by Japanese standards)), I am smitten. Niseko is #4 on my list of top favorite places.

Just a couple months ago, I was spewing out "f-ing Japan!!" every other hour. But this weekend, I kept saying "you have to love Japan!"

Getting to Niseko is a major hassle (long walk to monorail station, monorail to Haneda airport, flight to Chitose airport, bus to major hotel, taxi to ski chalet), but if you can manage to spend a good chunk of time there (one weekend was definitely not long enough), it's worth it. We stayed in Hirafu, the biggest of the three "towns," but still a lovely, quaint ski town with lots of izakayas and cafes and international restaurants.

Our modern, minimalist and uber-Japanese chalet came equipped with towel warmers, ultra-modern toilets (the bidet, heater, flush buttons come on a Bose-like standing remote control rack!), ski equipment room with separate entrance (with exactly enough space to store all of our skis and snowboards and boots, with knobbed warmers to dry wet ski gloves and hats), flat screen HDTV, electric fireplace, ultra-modern kitchen, etc. If I were to ever own a ski cabin, I'd want to design it pretty much like our chalet in Niseko.

Some of the many awesome things about skiing in Japan are that you can:
* send all your gear ahead of time via takuhaibin, so you don't have to lug it yourself
* eat onigiri and freshly baked green tea bread for breakfast
* ride ski lifts that come with a clear plastic cover that comes down with the safety bar to protect you from the wind and the elements (I LOVED this feature!)
* ski on floury, powdery snow so soft and airy that you feel as if you are flying
* have your choice of ramen, soup curry, sushi, izakaya, etc. for lunch, made with Hokkaido ingredients (which are the BEST ingredients - the milk is ultra-creamy, the beef is ultra-tender, the vegetables are ultra-sweet)
* relax in outdoor onsens after skiing, or indulge yourself with a shiatsu massage (the masseuse will come to your house)
* eat more delicious Hokkaido food for dinner

Even with my adulation in this post, I can't adequately convey how much I loved Niseko. Even if I leave Tokyo (which I hope to do this summer), I am coming back to Niseko for a full week next winter!