Deciding where to stay in Niseko is probably going to be the biggest decision you make in terms of the type of experience you want to have there. I recently visited Niseko for the first time in February and got to experience two areas: Hirafu Village and Hanazono. Both places had their pros and cons, but both had great locations regardless if you are mostly interested on just getting on the mountain. I know there are other locations on the mountain, but this blog post is based solely on my first-hand experience. Hopefully, one day I’ll get to try other parts of Niseko and I’ll be sure to update it then!
- Related Article: Top 7 Tips for Your First Time in Niseko
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Where to Stay in Niseko for Your First Time
HIRAFU VILLAGE
Overall
We spent our first half of the trip in Hirafu Village and I’m really glad that we did. I think for first-timers, this is a great place to stay in Niseko. This area is where you’re going to get the most options in terms of accommodations and restaurants. There are plenty of markets, convenience stores, izakayas and bars for you to shop and explore. It’s a small ski town and you can get almost anywhere by foot, albeit, the town is on a pretty steep slope just FYI.
Where To Stayed in Hirafu Village
We stayed at The Maples Niseko and absolutely loved it. We had a 2 bedroom + tatami/3 bath unit for 5 people and it was perfect! It came with a roomy living room, kitchen, and a HUGE dining table which was great for hanging out on. The Maples is run by a company called Nisade and they have a bunch of properties all around Niseko. We liked the Maples the most because it was close to the lifts, on top of the hill, and close to the Hirafu Welcome Center where all the ski shuttle buses from the airport drop you off.
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Transportation
The best thing about staying in Hirafu Village is that all the ski shuttle buses from the CTS airport make a stop at the Hirafu Village Welcome Center. So, it’s an easy pick-up and drop-off point for people that are coming to and from the airport or Sapporo. There village is small enough where you can walk the whole thing, but check with your accommodations if they offer a shuttle service around town. Our hotel did and we used their shuttle every day to get to around to restaurants.
Food/Après Ski/Nightlife Options
As mentioned before, this village is going to be the closest thing you’ll get to having any sort of nightlife. There are a lot of restaurants and bars here and is just a cute area overall to walk around in. If you are looking for the typical après-ski scene that you might find in Europe or in the U.S. (a.k.a. loud music, dancing, etc.), you won’t find it here or probably anywhere. Japan isn’t really the type of culture to be overly load and over indulging in alcohol. Instead you’ll find great cocktail bars like Bar Gyu+ or foodie heaven izakayas like Bar Jam.
ADA Tip
Some of you might have seen on Instagram that I fractured my ankle right before this trip. I KNOWWW! What crappy luck, but I tried to make the best out of it. I brought along my knee scooter thinking it would be better than crutches to get around but I was wrong. Luckily, I didn’t know this at the time, but the Maples (and I believe all the Nisade properties) has a free shuttle service to get you around places. So, since I couldn’t walk and I could barely scoot, they were happy to shuttle me around to lunch and bars while my friends were skiing/snowboarding.
HANAZONO
Overall
Hanazono is the side of the mountain that is probably known for being the bougiest. Everyone on my trip agreed that the best snow is on Hanazono side so I can see how it got that reputation. If you are staying in Hirafu Village and take the lift up, you can definitely ride on over to Hanazono side but I hear it’s a bit of a trek. If you want to get on that great snow before anyone else, then staying in Hanazono is your best bet. That way you can ride in the morning before all the other people from other sides of the mountain come on over.
Where To Stayed in Hanazono
We stayed at the Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono. I’m not going to get too much in detail since I did a full blog post about it here, but it’s definitely one of the best places when choosing on where to stay in Niseko. The Park Hyatt Niseko is a true ski-in/ski-out hotel where you can wake up in the morning and literally ski down to the gondola. On top of that, they offer a shuttle at night to the local towns of Kutchan and Hirafu Village so you don’t have to just eat at the hotel. That’s what we did!
Transportation
Getting to Hanazono is not that convenient. There’s no public transportation to get there so you have to drive, take a taxi, or hire a private shuttle. If you want to save some money, you could take the ski bus and have it drop you off at the Hirafu Village Welcome Center and then take a taxi from there. Or, if you are staying at the Park Hyatt Niseko and are a Globalist, the hotel offers a free pick-up from the airport that you can utilize. You can read more about it here.
Food/Après Ski/Nightlife Options
During the day, the best option will be Hanazono EDGE lodge at the base of the gondola. I know lodge food might not seem appealing, but this is Japan after all and they always take it to the next level. We went there for lunch one day and I got the crab ramen which was absolutely fantastic. The amount of crab that they give you is crazy generous. There is somewhat loud music at the lodge which might make it seem there’s an après ski, but there isn’t. It’s just loud music.
For nighttime, there isn’t a lot of food/nightlife options around Hanazono unless you just want to go to another close-by hotel. In that case, you will need a car or taxi to get there. Again, if you are staying at the Park Hyatt though, they have a nightly shuttle that can take you in to the town of Kutchan or Hirafu Village.
ADA Tip
Unfortunately, there is nothing around Hanazono that you can walk or roll to unless it’s already in your hotel/accommodations. As mentioned before, if you stay at the Park Hyatt Niseko, there’s a shuttle every night that takes you out to Kutchan or Hirafu Village, but that’s about it for all I know.
What About the Towns of Niseko or Kutchan?
For your first time staying in Niseko, I wouldn’t recommend staying in the town of Niseko or Kutchan. The towns do have more infrastructure but both are pretty far away from the mountain resorts and from what I’ve seen, has even less nightlife. When we went to Kutchan for dinner, the streets were literally empty. Not another soul in sight. Not sure if it was just the area we were in, but looks like it’s mostly local residents living there that are staying in their homes and sheltering from the cold.
Conclusion
Overall, if it’s your first time in Niseko, I would definitely stay in Hirafu Village if you want to do things after the slopes that are in walking distance. If all you care about is the Japow and shredding all day, then your best best is the Hanazono side, but we warned, it is very pricey!
