Village Sports Japan — Local services in Niseko

This is a store with good product quality but wildly inconsistent service, making it unsuitable for beginners. The staff here are hit-or-miss, and most seem uninterested in helping. For beginners, this can be a real nightmare.

For instance, they gave me the wrong shoe size, which caused foot pain all night. The next day, I had to go back to exchange it, and during the process, the staff mentioned they’d also given me the wrong binding. So they swapped out the board and binding entirely. Only later, when I started skiing, did I realize the new board was a different length from the first one. To make matters worse, the new boots extended way beyond the board, requiring me to adjust again. It felt like they handled everything carelessly and recklessly, especially when they figured out I was a beginner unfamiliar with the equipment.

Fortunately, the staff member assisting with gear returns on the last day was polite and professional. If it had been the same unhelpful team from earlier, I would have had no hesitation about filing a formal complaint.

While their snow gear—like jackets and pants—is of decent quality, I cannot recommend this shop to anyone who needs service beyond self-help. Some of the staff are so busy that they seem to completely ignore you, no matter how many...

I had some issues with my boots with tight spots and causing pain to my ankle i booked in here to see their boot specialist and the blokes knowledge was top tier. First he added padding to my boot but it wasn't going to be a permanent fix i decided that the option could possibly be new boots, i ended up going down that road and he moulded my new boots to my feet, and the difference is so crazy my heels dont come out my boots and the offer great support. The service i had here, i couldnt have asked for better and they...

I rented gear from Village Sports for 4 days last week. We were VERY well taken care of. The team at Village Sports was very helpful, knowledgeable and always available. we showed up at 9 pm, they worked with us for an hour and even gave us a ride to our lodge down the road.

I would 100% rent from them again. They actually cost less than flying with my skis and boots especially when you account for storing your gear at the airport or dragging it around with you on vacation. Thanks...