Activities & Tours
Niseko Activities
There are sooooo many things to do in and around
Niseko Japan if want to part with some of your hard earned cash. You can do a ski tour, or if you need a rest day from skiing or snowboarding, there are a plethora of other Niseko activities on offer.
Many of the hotels and tour companies will provide you with activity information, but here are some examples of things to do.
Niseko Ski Tours
Black Diamond Tours offer a variety of one day ski and snowboard tours leaving from Niseko. BDT offer guided off-piste and
backcountry tours at Niseko as well as tours to Mt Yotei,
Chisenupuri,
Rusutsu,
Sapporo Kokusai, or
Sapporo Teine. Some of the tours rely primarily on lifts for back-country access whilst others require lots of hiking. Some of the adventures include an onsen at the end of the day, and prices are very reasonable considering the fresh powder on offer. See the
Niseko ski tours page for more information.
Niseko Cat Skiing
Niseko has a few tour operators that offer cat skiing and cat boarding. One example is Niseko Weiss Cat Skiing who operate from the former Niseko Weiss ski resort. The terrain here is very mellow so it’s ideal for intermediate skiers and boarders learning to ride powder. The rates are very inexpensive.
The defunct Iwanai ski resort is now used for cat skiing. The terrain here is somewhat steeper than Weiss, but if you book directly with Iwanai they’ll only let you ride on the courses which could be snoringly boring.
Black Diamond Tours have started doing cat ski tours at Iwanai and because they provide a certified guide, there’s a lot more scope for getting off-piste.
Niseko Kids Activities
Beyond snowball throwing, Niseko has lots of kids’ activities on offer. Lucky, because often the powder is too dry at Niseko to make a snowball!
Niseko has a couple of dedicated snow parks that have kids’ toys and tobogganing and tubing. The Mate Kids Park behind the Hirafu Alpen Hotel even has a small zoo with a few animals including penguins. Other options include snow rafting or zip lining (for the big kids too!).
Adventure Activities
Lots of different companies offer snow-mobiling, or other adventure activities include dog sledding or indoor rock climbing.
Day Trips
In February a visit to the Sapporo Ice Festival is a highlight to see the huge statues and sculptures created in ice.
A train trip to the seaside town of Otaru is also interesting. It’s novel to see snow at sea level, but it’s also nice to look at the historic canals, the seafood market, the glass crafts, the wacky Japanese shops, and indulge in some Japanese culture. A train from Kutchan to Otaru takes about 1 hour to 1:20 hours, and from there, Otaru is easy enough to explore on foot. The information centre at Otaru station can provide English maps that outline the various tourist attractions.
A day trip to Lake Toya (about 45 mins from Niseko) is also very worthwhile. Lake Toya is a volcanic caldera lake, and the associated Mount Usu is a very active volcano which last erupted in 2000. There is a museum that outlines lots of fascinating information about this geothermal region, and not surprisingly, the area also features various hot springs (onsens).
Niseko Onsens
Some of the Niseko hotels have onsens and there are also various public onsens, an essential experience whilst in Japan. Hirafu has various onsens and there is a large concentration of onsens in the An’nupuri and Konbu Onsen area, with various shuttle options to get there.
We can recommend the Yukoro onsen in Hirafu which is clean and pleasant and a reasonably traditional Japanese experience.
The Vale hotel onsen is also open to the public. The Vale hot spring baths are delightfully decked out with timber and stone work, and you can choose from an indoor or outdoor onsen. Don’t fear that the people skiing down the Family Run will be able to peak at you in the outdoor onsen – it’s not like the hotel onsen further up the hill!
The An’nupuri onsen (Niseko Grand Hotel) can be a bit of fun but it’s more of a touristy onsen. The bathing area is mixed (ie males and females), and this is quite fortunate or unfortunate depending upon your view of things. The change rooms are segregated thankfully, and if you’re still a bit shy, make sure you visit the onsen at night time or grab multiple modesty towels.
Of course remember that visiting an onsen requires some etiquette and respect for local customs. Snow angels in the nuddy are probably not good manners!
See our
onsen overview page for tips on how to use an onsen.
Day Spas
Niseko has various day spa facilities and lots of massage services.
Niseko Activities & Tours Listings
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Black Diamond Tours
Do you want to be assured of finding Hokkaido's deepest POW? We offer 1 day off-piste & backcountry tours in Niseko, Rusutsu, surrounding areas & multi day trips throughout Hokkaido. Individuals & groups.
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Hokkaido Powder Guides
We run off-piste, back country & ski touring trips in Niseko, Furano & Asahidake plus avalanche courses. Come ski the deepest powder that Hokkaido has to offer.
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