Photogenic of Niseko !

by Kazu

There are some spots to take photos against the backdrop of Mt. Yotei.  Takahashi Ranch also has some stages to take memorial photos with the logos of "NISEKO", hay bales and old-style cultivating tractors.   

I don't think the hay bale on the photo spot in the ranch had been changed for years but the smell of the hay bale seemed to be fresh and not rotten. Many visitors happily took their photos with the beautiful landscape.

On our way back to Sapporo from Niseko, we dropped by the beach in Yoichi Town to have cafe latte of "Wilderness Cafe"near the beach. As I posted before, it is a small cafe but with so exotic atmosphere. Actually, many foreigners visited there and had solid hours.

 

Hotel Nikko Niseko Style 2026 !

by Kazu

We love the interior design of Hotel Nikko Niseko Style and its hot spring spa. But when we stay in the hotel, we make a point of bringing in the culinary delights cooked and sourced locally in the other facility of the area, to be honest.    

We have to make the most of the room in our stomach during our stay in Kutchan /Niseko Area. Hirafu Area which is the center of the hot spring spa and resort in Kutchan/Niseko Area has another delights to enjoy our stay. A variety of eateries and shops can entertain the visitors including the skiers and snowboarders in winter.

We had quatro fromage pizza and baked potato for lunch on that day. Mozzarella cheese and tomato carpaccio accompanied. The quality of fromage is so high and the crisp dough satisfied us so much that I could not help compare it with the ones of our favorite Italian restaurant Mia Angela in Sapporo.　  

 

Niseko Hanazono still Developing !

by Kazu

Near the beautiful villa on the hillside, some new buildings were under construction against the backdrop of beautiful skyline and green field. Some are the new accommodation for the tourists and some for private use.

The green hill was surrounded with wire fences and something artificial design could be seen on the top. No cows and sheep could be seen there. I was wondering if brown bears were strolling around this area or not. I've never heard of brown bear attack around Kutchan/Niseko Area so far.

So many brown bears were seen in the southern part of Oshima Peninsula and an old lady was eaten in Shiriuchi Town during her work in the veggie field. Kutchan/Niseko Area may have something special to avoid bear attack.

 

Niseko Hanazono 2026 !

by Kazu

Jogging in Hanazono Area early in the morning was so refreshing and inspiring as usual. Mt. Yotei was not wearing white drape nor hat then. The constructing site did not show me any progress of their plan. Current upsurge of the cost of fuel and paints may keep them from moving fast.

The well-designed villa near Hotel Park Hyatt was still attracting the attentions of the passers by on the road to Iwanai Town. Some luxurious hotels are behind this mountain. I hope I can take my wife and stay there in the not-so-distant future.

The peak of Mt. Iwaonupri coild be seen near the villa. From the peak of the mountain, the Sea of Japan and Mt. Yotei can be seen as well as the bottom of the hollow at the foot of Mt. Yotei. Some sulfur rocks could be seen on the hillside of the mountain. 

 

Udon Noodle Bar in Hirafu Area, Kutchan !

by Kazu

Needless to say, the resource of the power that makes the huge backhoe is diesel fuel and these working machines in the open-pit coalmine don't go out of the coalmine site. So the diesel fuel for the huge machines is the subject of tax exemption. 

After the day of my business jaunt to the coalmine area in Hokkaido, I visited Kutchan /Niseko Area for pleasure and rest. Mt. Yotei was showing its beautiful curve line of the hillside.

We chose thick wheat noodle soup Udon restaurant for lunch on that day.Fried chicken tempra topped the cold noodle for me and fried soy beans curd for my wife. 

My wife found the restaurant and we waited for half an hour for our turn. It was worthwhile to be honest.  

 

Super Power of the Backhoe !

by Kazu

We stood on almost the top of the mountain of open-pit coalmine. The skylines of the surrounding mountains looked so clearly and nicely. It was like a wonderful oil painting or watercolor.  

The white and gray clouds worked wonder against the backdrop of shining blue sky. The open-pit coalmine was a little bit dusty but the winds blew away the particles from the ground. 

The bigger size backhoe was so attractive that some of us entered the bucket of the backhoe and took memorial photos to show the size of the bucket. The first investment must have been huge and hundreds of millions of Japanese Yen was required to dig the ground. Stable and tremendous size of capital was needed. 

 

When the coalmine is closed !

by Kazu

The huge working machines went back and forth carrying the soil and rocks beside us watching the layers of the open-pit coalmine. The mayor of the city said that they were planning to save the open-pit layers to show them to the visitors and tourists as a open-air museum. 

You might have seen much bigger trucks outside of Japan but I was really overwhelmed by the scale of the open-pit coalmine and the working machines on that day.The design of the machines were also cool.  

Near the top of the mountain, we could see the layers of coal where the underground coal-gasification  experiment was conducted before. A the next step of the experiment, the gasification should be conducted a hundred meter below the ground.