Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu — Hotel in Kutchan

The slopes were amazing. Powder day was incredible. Staff at the Annex rental store were lovely and so helpful (best to know some basic Japanese though, as some of the staff aren't English speakers).

Over-priced food for Japan at least at the cafe/ restaurant ($25 for a beef burger and wedges). Knowing this, buy food at the Lawson convenience store down the road from the Annex rental shop and save yourself heaps of money. Just don't go to the Lawson after a day of skiing (6:00pm) and expect there to be food left. Massive lines and most of the food gone. Save yourself the trouble and buy it in the morning before you head up to the mountain.

Facilities are plentiful. Lots of info desks, toilets are easily accessible, lifts are very easy to catch, ski passes and rental stores are easily accessible/ easy to purchase on the day. Places are nicely heated and comfortable to rest in after a few hours of skiing/ snowboarding.

A few down sides. The place is absolutely overrun with tourists (specifically Aussies and Americans). I'm an Aussie so no prejudice here. Some of us can be a bit...much, especially when drunk, which is a frequent occurrence here. The problem is that the Japanese staff that operate the buses and convenience stores have to put up with this, day in and day out, so expect some staff to be snappy or even yell at you if you step out of line, even a smidge. I asked a bus driver in Japanese if the bus was going to a particular stop. He death stared me for about 3 seconds and suddenly started yelling at me, waving his arms around. He obviously wasn't having a good day. Not a big deal, just be prepared for it.

Some buses just don't arrive, are full of people and so you can't get on or in some cases, just don't stop in one rare case.

Overall, a great experience. Just tailor your expectations, so that you're not surprised by an ocean of tourists, lack of restaurants that don't require a reservation or angry bus drivers. Otherwise, an amazing time. (Take the gondola up to the...

I've been skiing for over 50 years, and consider myself qualified to review a ski resort.

The good: great snow, excellent tree skiing, solid mountain overall. The town is great, the food is good (need reservations!!) and its a great vacation and you should go at your first opportunity.

That said......

Areas for improvement: this is the only place in Japan that seems to be understaffed. They only have one employee per lift. They do not have ropes set up for lift lines, so its an absolute free-for-all getting to the front of the line.

They underinvested in equipment (example: the quad chair has only three ticket gates instead of four). The line management leaves a lot to be desired. Management needs to see how its done at Deer Valley or any other ski resort in the US.

Finally, because there are four resorts that share the same mountain, they have underinvested in things like cat trails that let you easily go to and from each base. And there are weird things like four ski schools instead of one.

If all four resorts were under one management company or ownership then the mountain would get the investment they need to truly be world class.

Great opportunity for a...

Snow5, view of Yotei if you are lucky 5 , lifts 2, the best town infrastructure 4 out of the 4 towns Hanazono, Niseko, Annupuri and Hirafu as the other towns dont really have a center or a lot of restaurants.

But i have to say they need chairlift upgrade. These lifts are so old and scary. There is a one-seat lift with no safety belt just a wooden slab going up to the top, another 2-seaters with no safety bar which causes every bump along the way the feeling you are going to be bumped out of your seat. So you dont need to worry about falling down the slope but rather falling out of your lift chair. In addition, the only way of going over to the other slopes in other towns is going to the top w the one-seater. Just be forewarned. The bus is jot frequent, usually once max 2 an hour and takes quite a while 20-30 min to the next town. The best lifts are in Hanazono but H has quite boring slopes and no town center.

In summary, terrible infrastructure compared to major European ski resorts, boring sports shops, mediocre slope grooming, boring slopes, not challenging for advanced skiers, paradise for beginners/intermediate, but good snow and nice...