Australia-Japan Tourism Convention

Niseko Gourmet, in association with Hokkaido Tracks and the Niseko Promotion Board, will be hosting the Australia-Japan Tourism Convention luncheon on the 2nd June 2010.

With many national and state tourism managers from Australia attending as well as the Governor of Hokkaido and several very important delegates from Japan, this is a great opportunity to continue increasing the message that Niseko, as a destination that has developed through positive co-operation between both countries, is still growing and will continue its upward development through sustained marketing both here in Niseko and also in Australia.

Ceramic Knives…these are amazing

These Kyocera Ergonomic Ceramic knives are absolutely amazing and are the perfect accompaniment to your kitchen knife stocks.

I’m not an expert, but they are the sharpest knives I have ever used, or anyone who has worked with Niseko Gourmet for that matter, and I even witnessed one of our staff tip the end of his finger off without even knowing earlier this year.

They also don’t need sharpening and still manage to slice smoothly and finely after about 5 months of extensive use. Obviously, they don’t go in the dishwasher or get used where they are not meant to but we are both really impressd with the quality and durability and hope that everyone gets the chance to try some out one day.

Please be careful.

Sakura Week in Niseko, June 6-14

From the 6th June to the 14th June will be the inaugural Niseko Sakura Week.

With the backing of many of the local Niseko, An’nupuri and Hirafu businesses, the aim of the week is to help promote the greater Niseko area through working together and raising the awareness of the beauty of the region.

Many of the local food businesses will be creating specific Sakura themed menus for the week, outdoor adventure companies will be uniformly offering a 10% discount on their activities, onsens will also be getting behind the project as well as some of the hotels and pensions in the area.

The culmination of the week will be a planting of 300 Sakura trees in Niseko Town. As part of an initiative to plant 1000 trees over the next 3 years, community members and businesses will become involved in the planting process thus helping to improve the existing beauty and creating a significant tourist attraction for years to come.

Sakura Golf success

With the beautiful weather over the whole weekend bringing out people from Niseko and beyond, the Sakura Golf event was a success for all involved.

Over 150 golfers teed off with the Cherry Blossom in full bloom, the grass manicured and green and the peaks still capped with snow which made for beautiful photo opportunities. It was also great to see many of the local golfers and their family and friends join in the day.

Although it was a little bit windy on the Saturday, the marquee held up well and provided some nice shelter from the sun.

Obviously, the Niseko Gourmet BBQ we provided was one of the highlights, particularly for the Japanese customers who had not experienced a real gourmet western style BBQ before. In particular, for many of these customers, being able to eat beef tenderloin, lamb racks, pork belly and chicken with all manner of salads experienced a real eye opener as to how we foreigners like to enjoy a BBQ.

A huge thanks to Niseko Village and Niseko Golf course for putting on the event. If you are reading this and looking at playing a round or two over the coming summer, be sure to get in touch with Jeff Marks about your needs. (jeff@niseko-village.com) and send me an email or visit our lodge website if you need accommodation.

Cycling at Niseko

With the weather really warming up over the past week, it is time to take your bikes out for a ride if you haven’t already done so. Niseko has so many roads that take you through the many farming areas that are full of sensory overloads; from the potato and edemame farms to the sunflower fields, along the shiribeshi river or around Mt. Yotei or if you are really into cycling then the climb over the An’nupuri ranges and down to Iwanai. Have a look at the lap of Yotei route below the picture.

Mt Yotei in Summer

Lap of Youtei – Basic