Dubbed Asia’s premier alpine destination, Niseko is located in northern Japan on the island of Hokkaido. The region boasts world‐class ski resorts, golf courses, rafting, trekking, fishing and a host of other activities. Cuisine highlights include excellent seafood fresh from nearby fisheries. Local produce include delicious sweet rockmelon, potatoes, corn, and other vegetables. Much of the agricultural produce comes from low chemical, environmentally friendly farms, and recycling and composting are promoted across the region.Nisade's properties are positioned for you to capture the fabulous year round Niseko lifestyle and cuisine.

MT YOTEI 
Located in the Niseko region, Mount Yotei is special to the locals as it looks over the Niseko region; this amazing mountain is located in the Shikotsu‐Toya National Park. An extinct volcano, it resembles its more famous older brother Mount Fuji and is one of Japan’s most famous mountains. Covered with snow for 3⁄4 of the year it provides a spectacular photo opportunity and can be hiked in the summer months, a return trip takes 5‐6 hours of rigorous climbing.

KUTCHAN
A short drive from the Niseko ski area and Hirafu village with a population of 16,500, Kutchan offers supermarkets, pharmacies, restaurants, hospital and clinics, photo processing, banks, post office and shops. Kutchan is a great place to shop for all those unique Japanese items and sweets to take home. The local Kutchan post office provides an ATM that foreigners can withdraw cash between 9am to 5pm. Kutchan features over 50 restaurants including sushi, noodles, Japanese BBQ and Izakaya (bars with tapas style Japanese bar food). A visit to Kutchan for dinner is a must for all visitors to discover the local scene. Nihonbashi serves sushi and sashimi sets that rival some of Japan’s best sushi bars. For the younger crowd, bars such as Loaf Lounge or Be Bar are popular hang outs.

SAPPORO
The capital of Hokkaido and Japan’s fifth largest city with a population of 1.8 million people, Sapporo is the gateway to Hokkaido and the Niseko district. It is also featured as one of Japan’s most desirable cities to live in. Sapporo is well known for its many parks and also its enormous range of shopping including luxury high end stores.

Every February, Sapporo hosts the Sapporo Snow & Ice Festival where nearly two million people come to experience the amazing ice sculptures on a grand scale. The world class Toyota Big Air Competition is held in January. Watch world champion snowboarders get ‘Big Air’ whilst fans go crazy when their favorite snowboarder wins US$100,000 in prize money.

OTARU
Otaru is a port city featuring picturesque canals and is renowned for fresh seafood, boutique brewery, glass specialties and wineries. A trip to Otaru will reward you with some memorable souvenirs. The Otaru Yukiakari‐no Michi (Snow Gleaming Festival) is an event where snow candles are lit and placed amid historical streets. Illuminated with floating candles every year in February, this picturesque scenery attracts thousands of visitors not only from Japan but from all around the world.

LAKE TOYA

Lake Toya (Toyako) is part of the Shikotsu‐Toya National Park. In addition to the stunning circular lake itself, the Toyako region features hotsprings and an active volcano, Mount Usu. The area also offers many fishing, hiking, and camping opportunities. The picturesque lake was chosen as the location of the G8 summit which Japan hosted from July 7 to 9, 2008.

SHAKOTAN PENINSULA
Situated on the rugged and picturesque west coast of Hokkaido, the Shakotan Peninsula is just a convenient 60 kilometres from Niseko and easily accessible by vehicle. Autumn is one of the best times of the year to visit this area and there are some truly amazing trekking courses to the tip of Cape Kamui. The summer season boasts some of the most renowned uni (sea urchin) in Japan. Yukinobu Shibata, former owner of Hotel Snow Universe (which stood before The Vale Niseko) and one of the pioneer operators in Niseko owns a popular restaurant specializing in local seafood Shinsei on the Shakotan Peninsula. Shibata is a renowned fisherman and travels internationally to teach his tuna fishing methods. Shibata was also the first man in the world to ski Mt Kilimanjaro.