Ohyu-numa hotspring pond in Niseko !

by Kazu

The smell of sulfur might be the main element of the hot spring. It's very healing and refreshing. Beside of this marsh, there is a hot spring spa facility renewed a few years ago.

Before its refurbishing,  there was a hotel with the hot spring spa before but it was so old and shabby,  the municipality rebuilt the new facility for day trip tourists and citizens. After the pandemic of Covid-19, the number of the people inside the hot spring spa has been limited and regulated. 

 

Riverside Park in Kutchan !

by Kazu

The reason why we commute to Niseko so frequently is the enough distance from Sapporo to forget distance to forget daily nuisance and pet peeve upstairs in my condo. and  the appropriate time to require to go back to Sapporo just in case of emergency.   

On the first day of our stay in Niseko, we dropped by the riverside park in Kutchan. It seemed that we were lost near the park. Precisely speaking, the navigation system did not work to reach the park in our first approach.

In our second try, we could find the riverside park beside the public townhouse run by the municipality. The skyline of Mt. Yotei was so clear and beautiful even from Kutchan Town on that day. 

 

Mt. Yotei with diamond sunrise !

by Kazu 

The sky was getting brighter and Mt. Niseko Annupri was colored orange. Mt. Yotei was

wearing a white skirt of cloud. The lowland at the foot of Mt. Yotei was covered with the

cloud. 

A white cap of cloud appeared over the peak of Mt.Yotei. We focused on Niseko area to visit on weekends for stress relief recent years.  The rate for stay in this area gets expensive in winter.

Just enjoy what we appreciated amply in the morning on that day !
 

Mt. Yotei at the crack of dawn !

by Kazu

After jogging on the treadmill, I soaked in the hot spring bath of Hotel Skye Niseko for an hour. It was so nice to relax in onsen. But to avoid to catch a cold, I cooled down my body a little bit outside of the hotel. 

The beautiful silhouette of Mt. Yotei with bright rising sun inspired me so much. The chilly breeze from the mountain was so comfortable to cool down my body heated up. Thanks God and the deities for the nice experience !

 

Applause to the chef of "Kumo" in Hotel Niseko Skye !

by Kazu

The other protagonist of the course dinner on that day was steamed rice with salmon and salmon roe accompanied by white miso soup. We were getting so concerned of the bottom line of the hotel's financial report before high season in winter.

The chef seemed to have the expertise of Japanese broth culture and fermented foodsthat were so helpful to keep our body including intestine fit and sound.

The ice cream flavored with Japanese citrus "yuzu" and hot green tea wrapped up our dinner filled with happiness. We were so satisfied with the taste and the total amount of the course dinner.

 

"Kasagumo" dinner in "Kumo" , Hotel Skye Niseko !

by Kazu

The name of the course dinner in Restaurant "Kumo" on that day was "Kasagumo" which meant a cloud shaped like an umbrella that could be seen over the peak of Mt. Yotei.

The official starter of the course dinner was fresh sushi-grade pink prawn tartare. Fried half chicken flavored with special homemade spices followed. 

My wife loved its crisp and juicy texture.The chef of the restaurant seemed to be the specialist of fried chicken. The homemade spices contained turmeric and other kinds of herb.

 

The course dinner in "Kumo" in Hotel Skye Niseko !

by Kazu

We had a nice course dinner in Restaurant "Kumo" of Hotel Skye Niseko. It was so fine and the beautiful crescent was shining in the dark sky. The upper side of the clouds were bright with the moonshine. 

We were so convinced of the high degrees of skill  the chef showed before that we were so looking forward to the course dinner arranged by the seasoned chef. 

The mixture of cream cheese and smoked and pickled radish was the reliable starter with fresh veggie salad sourced locally. Pints beer ? Why not? 

 

Mt. Yotei as time goes by !

by Kazu

I took the photo of Mt. Yotei from the lounge of Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono first and other ones from the room we stayed in Hotel Skye Niseko in Hirafu area on that day.

The peak of the mountain was covered with white cap made of a cloud. Reflecting the sunshine from the west, the hillside of the mountain was colored with pale yellow.

The clouds over the mountain were moving with their shadows on the hillside. Just watching the changing landscape gave us so happy time in comfortable room.

 

Afternoon Tea in Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono !

by Kazu

We had so nice "Afternoon Tea Set" in the lounge of Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono on a certain day in autumn. The starter was salmon roe, egg tarte, liver paste and truffle. 

I think a focaccia and a variety of sweet cakes followed. The cheese cake was particularly superb among the top-quality. We were so impressed and moved.

I had been so interested in cannele de Bordeaux before our visit to Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono but it turned out that I preferred cheese cake to cannele. 

 

Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono in the mood !

by Kazu

The design of the building, the interior, the cutlery, the glassware, the lighting, the stationery on the desk, the objects on the wall and the floor in Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono must be appreciated amply by the guests, I think. 

The much higher ceiling on the ground floor creates comfortable spaces in the building. The concept of the building design seemed to be an amazing labyrinth in the nature.  

Surrounded by the forest and veggie fields on the hillside of Mt. Niseko Annupri, Park Hyatt Niseko Hanazono created the world of healing and relaxation. Well-healed tourists sit back and stretch their legs  there.