There are so many designs to choose from and depending on your choice, creating the effect on your glass plate can be a little hard. However, no task is too difficult and no matter what you choose, the plate always looks good!

The best part about this activity is that if you don’t like the designs provided, you can always create your own!

HINT: Be careful not to choose a design that is too complex as they may require a little bit more time and effort to sculpt into the glass. Remember, glass is a solid object and trying to manipulate an object already set in place is difficult. Be careful of glass shavings as you are sculpting your design. You wouldn’t want to cut yourself!

You aren’t allowed to wear clothes or togs in onsens as it disrupts the functions in the water. All jewellery must also be taken off before entering the onsen and its best to have your hair up and out of the water.

It is completely natural if you feel a little uneasy in your first onsen visit. It is never the easiest thing to completely undress in front of a bunch of complete strangers! It gets easier each time you go. You generally become pretty comfortable about it after the first visit.

If you do have any concerns, just remember, the Japanese have been going to onsens since they were little, so it is completely natural to them; they won’t even batter an eye. If you feel awkward, it makes everyone else feel awkward. So its best to just go with the flow!

Bathing facilities are provided for you to wash yourself before and after the onsen. Most onsens also provide shampoo, conditioner and bathing soap. If you prefer to take your own bathing supplies, this is not a problem.

The butter is made from fresh milk and you really have to shake it up to get a result. It is hard work, and is best if you have a couple of people to share the load. When you are finished however, you have delicious freshly made butter and crackers (which hare provided) to share with everyone.

We also give you the option of salting your butter, or leaving it unsalted. You could even try a little bit of both to see the difference in flavours.

As there is left over milk not required for the butter process, we make you fresh milk tea, which in my opinion, is the best milk tea I have tasted yet.

In Japan, horse riding is not very common and it’s very rare to meet a Japanese person who has ridden a horse. For that reason, our horse riding is perfect for our Japanese customers as it is more oriented around first timers or those who just want go for a stroll on a nice afternoon. Horse riding at the Saison Club, it is not really for those who are into extreme riding. I would definitely recommend this activity for families or groups who haven’t had much experience on horses before.

We also offer the free shuttle bus services for those not staying in our accommodation. Quite a convenient little services really.

Our restaurant and bar lounge is also available for private functions such as Christmas or New Year Parties.

The extent of illumination is outstanding, reaching well into the tree runs and out of bounds areas, providing a unique skiing or snowboarding experience. This is Niseko Hirafu’s best-kept secret. Perhaps there is a perception that it’s colder at night (although this is not necessarily the case), or that only a few runs are open (almost all except Hanazono are open) but very few tourists come out at night leaving the mountain empty and free lift queues.

The best advice we can give anyone who visits Hirafu for the first time is to take an afternoon siesta after a morning session and go out at 5:00pm for the night skiing until lifts close at 9:00pm.

NIGHT LIFE
Niseko Hirafu is a lively little resort town and nationalities from all over the world including Japanese flock to Niseko. There are many hotels full with people especially around New Year and early February which are the peak holiday periods. Fatty’s and Wild Bill’s bar are just examples of the many bars in Niseko. Although be warned there, is no such thing as cheap drinks in Niseko unless you are prepared to hit a private karaoke room for your party with friends (BYO).

…at Saison Club
The Saison CLub have alot to offer customers looking for night time activity. We have our restaurant dinner menu which includes popular Japanese dishes such as Sukiyaki and Shabu Shabu.

In addition, we have a Bar Lounge available complete with karaoke, pool, a disco room and the largest alcoholic beverage menu in town! It is perfect for large groups looking for dinner and a good night out!

We also offer the free shuttle bus services for those not staying in our accommodation. Quite a convenient little services really.

Our restaurant and bar lounge is also available for private functions such as Christmas or New Year Parties.

The Saison Club offers free arrival pick up and departure drop off from the bus stop and the nearby train station (Niseko Station) for all guests staying in our accomodation. Our friendly staff will be waiting to greet you upon your arrival at the bus stop or train station. We will also wait with you until the departure of your train or bus to ensure a safe departure (this can also be handy to ensure that you are on the right bus or train as many of the signs are written in Japanese - you would’t want to be going to the wrong place!).

Below are website links where you can find timetables and information on the bus and train services listed.

BUS TIMETABLES
DONAN AND CHUO
http://www.snowjapan.com/e/travel/hokkaido-niseko.html

GOOD SPORTS/BIG RUNS WHITELINER
http://www.niseko-hirafu.com/nisekopowderconnection/information.schedule.php

RESORT LINER
http://ixsmtravel.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=4

JR TRAIN TIMETABLES
http://www2.jrhokkaido.co.jp/global/index.html

AIRLINES
New Chitose Airport Homepage: http://www.new-chitose-airport.jp/language/english/index.html

If you are flying internationally, our advice is to choose an airline that offers the most seamless connection to Sapporo and avoids Tokyo transits, wherever possible. This is because Tokyo has two airports and requires a transfer from international to domestic to access the flight to Sapporo. If you need to transfer within Japan to access Sapporo, it is easier to fly via Osaka.

Niseko is made up of 57 runs, which consist of 38 lifts and gondolas, totaling over 47km in groomed slopes. There is a good mixture of beginner, intermediate and advanced runs, with skiers and snowboarders welcome everywhere.
The longest run is 5.6km and as well as the powder, the terrain offers first timer slopes, half-pipes, quarter popes, table tops, mogul fields, tree runs and lots of natural hits to ensure everyone’s tastes are catered for.

Lift facilities are great and operate without rest for over 12 hours a day – starting at 8:30am and closing at 9:00pm. Niseko also offers seven different on-mountain restaurants to eat or rest in.

Some of the lifts in Niseko have automatic, protective weather hoods as Niseko weather can be extremely cold. Skiers and boarders should be fully prepared with warm gloves and facemasks (these are available in the village and on the mountain. Prices vary from 1000 JPY to 2000 JPY).

VILLIAGE INFORMATION AND FACILITIES
Although Niseko is well known for its fresh powder snow, it is fast being famous for its vibrant village. The village of Hirafu is packed with great places to eat and drink.
Niseko has a large selection of restaurants of all types: Izakayas, Yakitori and sushi restaurants, rahmen shops and curry houses. Prices are about average by Japanese standards. Almost all restaurants have English menus and English speaking staff, but don’t be afraid to take your Japanese phrase book! Please note that although some places accept Visa or MasterCard, cash is the main form of payment.

Mount Youtei, at 1,898 meters, provides a spectacular backdrop to the Niseko area. It is an extinct volcano located southeast of the main ski area. Mount Youtei’s top half is draped in snow for about 8-9 months of the year; a truly breathtaking view when skiing or boarding the slops of the resort.

The 7000-hectare area around the summit has been designated a national park. As the snow melts in summer, the landscape comes alive with the colourful native alpine plants of Japan. This impressive landscape can be hiked in summer, requiring about 6 hours. It ranks ninth among the hundred most famous mountains in Japan.

Other facilities of interest:
- 30 meter indoor swimming pool, which is available for public use (600JPY). There are also single spas, steam rooms and saunas within the complex. Location: Niseko Alpen Hotel (open 12:00 – 9:00pm daily).
- Child minding services
- There is a shuttle bus that runs from 9:00am to 5:00pm offering free transfers from accommodation to the lifts and back. This shuttle service is only available for skiers/boarders and cannot be used for transport around the village (http://www.niseko.ne.jp/en/bus.html).
- Massage and physiotherapy services

USEFUL INFORMATION:
Niseko has two convenience stores. The SeicoMart is quite large and is open from 7:00am – 11:00pm. This stocks most groceries and alcohol and is the main place to get food and supplies. There are supermarkets in Kutchan accessible by free bus (6:30pm – 11:40pm Hirafu to Kutchan).

If you don’t like sharing when it comes to untracked powder then Rusutsu is the place for you. The main advantage Rusutsu has over other resorts in Hokkaido is the accessibility of the tree runs and backcountry. It’s possible to ski straight off the lifts and into the best tree skiing in Hokkaido and then ski straight back out onto the lifts. This means on any given day, you get more powder turns and less time on lifts.

For those not quite ready to negotiate deep snow the groomed runs are amazing. Groomed to perfection they resemble gigantic freeways with long consistent fall lines, perfect for those wanting to warm up their powder legs. For the kids there is a host of activities in and around the Rusutsu Resort hotel including tubing, dog sledding and snowmobiling.

The town of Rusutsu comprises the Rusutsu Resort Hotel and a handful of pensions, restaurants and a new sports bar called the ‘Cricket Bar’ that serves pizzas, boutique beers and has a large screen TV.

Rusutsu has 3 main mountains - East, West and Mt Isola. They offer amazing variety and fantastic natural terrain features not found in other resorts. The backcountry is superb; with just a 20-minute hike you can access long steep chutes or a myriad of tree runs. There’s also night skiing till 8pm.

Add to this one of the best half-pipes and snow-parks in the area and you have a resort, which offers everything that the other resorts offer without having to share.

MOUNTAIN STATISTICS
Opening Date: 10/12 – 5/5
Lift Operating Hours:
- West Slope: 9:00am – 9:00pm
- East Slope: 9:00am – 4:00pm
- Mt Isola Slope: 9:10am – 3:30pm
Number of Runs: 37
Beginner: 30%
Intermediate: 40%
Advanced: 30%
Number of Lifts: 17
Number of Gondolas : 4
Longest Run: 3500m
Elevation: 994m
Snowboarding Allowed

OFFICIAL WEBSITE
http://www.rusutsu.co.jp/english/

TRAIL MAP
http://www.rusutsu.co.jp/english/ski/img/07RusutsuCourseGuide.jpg

For our guests, this is an ideal activity for those who love to fish. Even if you are not a fan of fishing, you are sure to enjoy yourself! We have 2 fishing ponds at the back of the Saison Club property. The surroundings are beautiful, especially on a clear, sunny day with a cool breeze.

You are able to catch as many fish as you like, but you can choose only one to eat! Yes, our fishing activity allows you to not only catch the fish, but each one as well! The fish are rainbow trouts and are extremely tasty!

As a staff member, this was the strangest activity for me to host. It was rather difficult learning how to gut the fish and prepare them for the guests to eat. It is not so much physically difficult as it is mentally difficult. I spent a good part of my learning curve apologising to the fish for killing them, much to the amusement of the other staff members! However, after my first fish or two, it wasn’t so bad!