Audie Jones
Niseko Japan, Adorable Ski Town Known For Its World Famous Fresh Powder (Vlog)

After starting my travel agency, I figured if I'm going to call myself an "expert" on travel within Japan, visiting Niseko was a must.
Niseko is located on the northern most island of Japan called Hokkaido, which has weather that is compared to Russia. It is a 2 hour drive from the airport, which is a bit inconvenient but maybe plays into the allure. Niseko is the largest ski resort in Hokkaido and is world famous for having some of the lightest and driest snow in the world. It is considered one of the snowiest places on the planet, with an average of 14 meters of snowfall that is pure powder. It's the powder that draws people in from all over the world. The ski season runs from December to April, which made our spring break trip just towards the end of ski season.
Niseko offers a modern take on Japanese culture. The small little ski town has an aspen feel, and its walkable, which is a big plus for me. There is definitely no shortage of delicious food options all walking distance from the main area, making it quite the foodie destination. Hokkaido is known for it's Ramen, it's beef and its dairy (Ice cream and milk especially).
Due to a last minute hotel switch, (we literally landed and booked a hotel, and I will save that story for another time), we ended up at this GREAT hotel called The Chatrium hotel. The hotel rooms were apartment style, so we had a two bedroom apartment, with a fully stocked kitchen!I wish there were hotels like this all over, nothing better than having access to your own kitchen for snacks and meals when you have kids.
Did it live up to the hype? Overall....YES! the first ski day, it rained, and the conditions were not ideal, but what do you expect for spring skiing? The 2nd day when we woke up, it was snowing so we got a taste of that fresh powder. I really hope we go back again next year in January and get the full snowy experience :)
Take a look at the video to see the kids as they begin their ski lessons, me feeling super confident on the slopes, our extra activities and a peak into our travel days...