Niseko Hirafu
Niseko Hirafu is the main heartbeat of Niseko in Hokkaido. Hirafu is the largest of the Niseko villages (although Hirafu Village is probably large enough to be considered a town), and the Niseko Grand Hirafu Ski Resort is also the biggest of the four interconnected Niseko United ski areas.
Niseko Japan is famous for the high quality powder that falls in abundance. Niseko is also world renowned as a premier Japanese ski resort due to its huge range of restaurants, bars, shops, and services, yet in reality, these are largely just elements of the Hirafu Village.
Pros and Cons of Niseko Hirafu
Most other pros and cons outlined on the
Niseko overview also pertain to Hirafu.
Pros
- The Hirafu Village is somewhat unique. There aren’t many Japanese ski resorts that have a village where you can wander around and explore lots of restaurants and shops.
- The nightlife is very vibrant, which is rather rare for a Japanese ski resort.
- Hirafu has the best developed facilities and services in Niseko, so it has the best choice for snowboard and ski rentals, and the most options for ski and snowboard lessons with an English speaking instructor (group or private format).
- Niseko Hirafu is family friendly and has kids’ lessons and babysitting.
- Apartments and houses are somewhat rare at Japan ski resorts, but Niseko Hirafu has a multitude of options.
- As part of Niseko United, the Grand Hirafu Ski Resort provides access to extensive terrain (relative to other Japanese ski resorts), and off-piste and sidecountry skiing and snowboarding is permissible.
- Grand Hirafu itself is a decent sized ski area.
- The Hirafu night skiing is very impressive.
- As with all of Niseko, Puki Yuki the snow goddess blesses Hirafu with lots of blower powder.
Cons
- Niseko overall is rather busy, but Grand Hirafu in particular can get a little crazy during peak holidays (see when to ski in Niseko).
- All of Niseko is very expensive relative to most other Japanese ski resorts, and Hirafu accommodation comes with a premium price tag if you want to be near the slopes.
- A small amount of the Hirafu accommodation is ski-in ski-out, but much of the lodging sits below the Hirafu ski resort which requires a walk or shuttle bus to get to the slopes.
- For a busy ski resort that charges so much for lift tickets, it’s surprising that the lift infrastructure isn’t better.
Pro or Con Depending on Your Perspective
- Most people speak English and Japanese is not widely spoken. Most of the staff in the Hirafu hotels, restaurants, ski schools and shops are not Japanese native speakers.
- Some of the pros have come about because Hirafu is very westernised (e.g. nightlife, self-contained accommodation, international ski school) and only small amounts of Japanese culture have been retained.
Grand Hirafu Ski and Snowboard Terrain
Niseko Hirafu Ski Resort is a decent sized ski area (by Japanese standards) with 22 marked trails (or courses as the Japanese call them in English), 940 metres of vertical (260 - 1,200m), and 9 lifts. It is good for beginners and intermediates, whilst Grand Hirafu is particularly famous for its off-piste skiing, tree skiing, access to “the peak”, and the impressive night skiing.
Grand Hirafu is inter-connected via the slopes and lifts with
Hanazono and
Niseko Village and then onto
Niseko Annupuri (so long as ferocious winds haven’t closed the lifts), so a Niseko United lift pass provides access to additional terrain.
See the
Niseko Grand Hirafu Ski Resort page for more information on the terrain.
Where is Niseko Hirafu?
The Niseko Hirafu Ski Resort and the Hirafu village that sits at the base are located between
Niseko Village and
Hanazono. Hirafu is officially located in Kutchan Hokkaido, although the actual town of
Kutchan is 8km to the northeast.
The New Chitose Airport (Sapporo Airport) is the main gateway airport (100km away) and there are airport shuttle buses and private transfers available. See the
travel to Niseko page for more information on location and transport.
Hirafu Accommodation
The Hirafu village can be subdivided into Upper Hirafu (above Highway 343) and Lower Hirafu (below Highway 343). Upper Hirafu is closest to the slopes and includes some ski-in ski-out accommodation. Lower Hirafu accommodation is a short walk to the Ace Family lift, or a shuttle to the slopes is required. As a gross generalisation, there are more Hirafu hotels in the upper zone, and more big houses and apartments in the lower village.
Nearby are sub-villages that are within walking distance of the hub of Hirafu such as Hirafu East village (Izumikyo) and South Village (some call it West Village), where the cost of accommodation is more affordable.
See a map and search for Hirafu accommodation rates and availability and book online:
Ski Resort Facilities & Activities
Niseko Hirafu Ski Resort and Hirafu Village pretty much have whatever amenities and services you may be looking for, including snowboard and ski rentals, snowsports schools, on-mountain eateries, and even the all-elusive international ATMs. See the
Niseko facilities page for more information.
Niseko Hirafu also offers lots of activities including day spas and ski tours. See the
Niseko activities page for more information.
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