Food & Nightlife
Eating Out We would suggest not to include dinner in your package, as Hirafu has so many great eating spots, and prices are very cheap by Western comparison. The variety of
Japanese cuisine will be a highlight of your trip.
You’ll need to book in for dinner at many of the mainstream trendy restaurants, but if that’s too much of a chore, pick one of the more authentic but less flashy restaurants. A favourite is the
Zyukou ramen restaurant on the corner of the main intersection.
Out of Hirafu there are also great eating opportunities such as the “
all you can cook and eat yourself in 1 hour” near An’nupuri.
The town of
Kutchan is not far away and there’s a large variety of restaurants here. Whilst you might not get English menus or English speaking staff, it will be cheaper and you’ll experience a little of the “real” Japan.
Bars and Nightlife 
Niseko is renowned for its nightlife with a large range of bars to choose from. The Après is really good by Japanese standards, but pretty average compared to Austria or Canada. There’s the
Après Bar next to the King No. 1 chairlift specifically catering to early drinkers, but our favourite was the A-frame building on the slopes,
Boyo-So (also shown in the image above) which we affectionately re-named "the stinky bar" for it’s unplumbed toilets. It’s really low key with a great atmosphere around the fire whilst sinking Sapporo biero.
A favourite post-Après bar was
Hanks which apparently no longer exists, and may have been bulldozed to make way for “progress”.
Fatty’s bar is on the back of a truck, so there’s also potential it might not be there anymore.
We have fond memories of the
Yuki bar, but perhaps that’s because of the romance that further blossomed outside the back door.
And what would a big resort be without an “
Ice Bar”? It is great for a visit for the novelty factor but generally one drink is enough.
Another favourite was the
Fridge Door Bar where you literally entered the bar through a tiny coke labelled fridge door. A favourite hangout for Qantas staff, this place always seemed to be happening.
There’s not much nightlife in An’nupuri or Hanazono, so this is the place to stay if you’re looking for peace and quiet.