Some good news and up coming events in Niseko and its surrounds

Early bird Season passes – You only need to register for the early bird season pass to take advantage of this discount. Before the end of August the discount off the All Mountain pass is 30% and from the beginning of September to the end of October it is 15%. Register online at the Niseko United website and even if you don’t use it, there is not cost to you.

Golf – The Aliens (foreigners) v Samurai (Japanese) International Golf series continues at Niseko Village on the 23^rd August. This round will be a ‘Best Ball’ match play round and should be a great day to support the golfers and the initiative put on by Jeff and the guys. If you need more information, contact Jeff Marks at Niseko Village.

Cycling – One of the biggest event on the Niseko calendar this year will be the 2^nd Annual Niseko Cycle Week. From the 30^th August to the 6^th September, Niseko will play host to people from Japan and abroad who will be competing and supporting this fantastic event. As cycling, both Road and Mountain, has become one of the preferred sports of choice for many people living in the area, the community has really worked together to organise and promote the event to developing international markets which helps develop a more sustainable year round activity base which everyone can enjoy.

If you are in Niseko around this time, support the events, support the local economy and enjoy your stay.

For more information, please visit the Niseko Cycle Week website

Taste of Melbourne

Watch expert chefs in action, take part in tutored tasting sessions of wine and beer and buy local produce at this years Taste of Melbourne festival from the 27th to 30th August. The Royal Exhibition building is transformed into an inviting, culinary haven where you can discover an incredible selection of fine wines, exquisite signature dishes and specialty food and drink.

With Spring only just around the corner in Australia, there will be many more exciting festivals and food events coming up so keep up to date with what is happening here.

Tastes of Gold Coast

A two week long festival promoting wine, food, music, relaxed lifestyle and all things Gold Coast. Chefs will transform all kinds of dishes into something special using regional produce so join in the fun and celebrate the popularity of regional cuisine. Great food and wine, new taste sensations and idyllic settings – there is no better way to explore a city’s cuisine!

On from the 21st August,Tastes of Gold Coast will be a great event to attend if you are in the South East corner of Queensland or about in the Northern beaches of New South Wales.

Resort Guide – Meribel

Tess and I lived in Meribel for 2 years and as this was her first place to really enjoy snowboarding, she did about 20 days in Japan in 2002 in Hakuba, Gala, Naeba, we made sure we spent as much time as possible on the mountain. I say mountain, as living in Niseko and comparing to the size of Meribel and the 3 valleys makes our current home look like a ‘mole hill’.

The best way to describe Meribel is the jewel in the 3 valleys. The Meribel Valley is in the middle of the three roughly parallel, North/South valleys, making it the ideal base for exploring the whole ski area. Around the Altiport you’ll find gentle, tree-lined runs ideal for beginners. Higher up on the Saulire are steeper blues and reds which allow mixed-ability groups to ski in the same area. Over on the western (Tougnete) side of the valley is another good mixture of blues, reds and blacks, and also the two snowparks (open to boarders and skiers). The head of the valley is dominated by the Mont du Vallon, and in the Vallon / Mont de la Chambre / 3 Marches area you’ll find long, steep reds served by high speed chairs and gondola lifts, and the most dramatic scenery. Of the major resorts of Courchevel 1850, Meribel, Mottaret, Les Menuires & Val Thorens, it is at the lowest altitude of 1450m but by far the prettiest with the local mayor passing local by-laws that only allow buildings to be built that adhere to the local Savoyard design style….stone base with wooden structure. As it is a valley, everyone has a view of the snow, gets sun in the morning or the afternoon and generally that is what you get. SUN

The Three Valleys is the home of eight ski resorts that are linked together by a unique network of ski lifts and ski runs. As implied by its name, the area originally consisted of three valleys: Saint-Bon (Courchevel & La Tania), Allues (Meribel & Brides-les- Bains), and Belleville (Val Thoren, Les Menuires & St Martin de Belleville). The skiing area has since been extended into a ‘fourth’ valley, the Maurienne valley that is adjacent to Val Thorens. The Maurienne valley can also be accessed using a long gondola lift from Orelle. The Three Valleys is the largest ski area in the world with 600km ski slopes which equates to 2,500 hectares of groomed runs. The snow cannon count a few years ago remained at 1500 but that would have surely continued! The area boasts 200 ski lifts that can transport 260,000 skiers hourly.

Onto the Snow.

I am pretty sure that I could count on 3 hands, if I had 3, the amount of times it snowed like it does in Niseko each year but it usually snowed heavily when it did. The snow was always light and dry, very different to Japanese snow because it was so much colder and unfortunately, being a valley, everyone skied/boarded to the same place at the end of the day, during the day, going to lunch…you get the picture..so it became very icy.

But as I said above, it is a huge area and with the gondola’s taking up to 20 minutes to get from bottom to top, there are endless areas to ride all day. In the morning, the Tougnete side is the pick as it gets the sun and taking the Gondola to the top allows people to either come back into the Meribel valley towards Mottaret, off piste towards the Roc de Tougne or towards Meribel off piste by heading towards the Roc de Fer and then dropping into the open powder fields. For on piste, you can take the Equeruil (black) or the Combe du Tougnete (red) for adventure or Foan/Chevreuil (blue) or the Cretes/Chucas/Escargot (blue) for beginners and intermediates. What is difficult to describe is just how much of the area is not groomed/pisted each day. For the 600km of pisted slopes, there are 10 times that that are not and that is part of the beauty. You can get anywhere from anywhere, whatever you level of skiing or boarding.

You can also drop over the other side into St. Martin or into Les Menuires. The whole St. Martin area is amazing, a bit like Niseko if it didn’t have trees, not very steep but just lots of cruisy runs, some short steep stuff but as there is only one lift, a gondola into a high speed quad, you can ride there all day and just get fresh tracks for hours. Staying on piste, take either Pramint or Jerusalum (both red) into Biolley (blue) to the bottom as this is a cruiser worth doing. Very fast if you want or just meandering if that is your style.

Going down into Les Menuires, you can take the Gros Tougne (blue) into La Voilette (green) but this is a traverse to avoid if you are a boarder. The better option is to take the Granges quad chair to the top of Plattiers (Roc de 3 Marches) and then heading down Allemande (red) into petit creaux (red) and then onto the Stade (red) and down to the bottom, through the village which is not pretty at all and down to Masse 1 Gondola.

La Masse is awesome and somewhere that not many people go as it is on the other side of the valley. There are only a couple of fixed chair lifts and 2 gondolas that take you 1200m up and into endless fields of powder. This is an area not for beginners but definitely for adventure seekers. Long, steep and pisted if you want or just unbelievable open areas to explore. Once you have done this area, or the bits that you can, head back to Les Menuires and take the Tortollet lift (really strange old one), ski down to the Menuires high speed quad and then take the Mont de la Chambre high speed quad to the top. From here you can go down to Mt Vallon (2950m), back to Les Menuires on the Leo Lacroix (black), David Doulliet (red), or Mont de le Chambre (blue) or over to Val Thorens, the highest village in Europe at 2350m and with a highest lift at 3230m.

Head towards Marielle (black) and Plein Sud (blue) and down towards the village, again not the prettiest with its concrete block apartments art deco styling everywhere. Head down to the Funitel Peclet and up to the glacier for some amazing views and some freezing temps. the skiing/boarding back down is nice as well as there are so many areas to branch off from to get off the beaten track. Once in the village, go down to the Caron then up to Cime Caron to the 2nd highest point in the area at 3200m. This is not for beginners or intermediates as the only way down, except back in the telecabin is the Combe de Caron (black) or Col de L’audzin (red but with the moguls by the afternoon it should be black) or the black that heads into Orelle.

Orelle is small and only has a couple of lifts but is a huge area that has lots of hiking within the confines of the huge bowl and it has the highest peak in the area. You could spend a whole day here dropping into bowl after bowl that all funnel back to the same central spot but it is still a 1000m each time.

Leaving here, head back towards Val Thorens up the Roseal lift and then take the Chamois down the other side (red) to either the Funitel Grand Fond or the High Speed Quad Portette and go back towards the ridge again that separates Orelle and Val Thorens. You don’t have to do these as most of the terrain is the same, steep at the top and then flattering into more 20-25 degree slopes, but one area that isn’t skied much is the Glacier de Thorens. A bit past the Portette, is the Moraine High Speed quad which takes you up to the fixed grip chair Col and up to the glacier. There are about 6 glaciers within the resort boundaries as it is so high and many people don’t want to go that high which is always where fantastic snow is.

Follow the valley down to the village again, passing the major park which is pretty good. 5-6 booters side by side followed by the same again and again, lots of rails, hips, spines, a boardercross track, a couple of DJ’s from lunch onwards means that it is pretty popular with the locals and day trippers.

When heading back to Meribel, head below the village and take the Cairn Gondola up to the Bouquetin Funitel. NEVER take the 3 vallees 1 or 2 as they are slow, exposed and a waste of time. The only time you ever take the 3 vallees 2 is if you are hiking off the top of the Col de la Chambre.

From Plattiers 3 looking towards Val Thorens. You can see on the left the bottom half of the Lac de la Chambre from the transfer point from Val Thorens to Meribel and on the right are the pistes back to Les Menuires.

From the top of the Bouquetin, you can either head 2 ways down towards the Meribel valley. One towards Mt. Vallon and the other to the Cote Brune chair and then onto the Plan des Mains. If going towards Mt Vallon, take the Lac de la Chambre (red) which is steep and fast at the top for about 3 km before flattening out at the bottom. As a boarder there comes a point near the bottom of the steep area where you just have to point it and run or you may have to do a bit of skating unless you have a good wax job. This almost always happens to people who are good but not quite aware of the contours of the pistes. Once at the bottom of the Mt Vallon Gondola you can go up to the top or up to the Plattiers 2 point via the Plan des Mains. Mt Vallon is awesome for advanced skiers and boarders and pretty good for intermediates but somewhat daunting.

Once at the top of Mt Vallon 2952m, there are 4 ways down. On piste left on the Campagnol (red) which has a skinny cat track at the top into a huge downhill course that comes out at the bottom of the flat part of the Lac de la Chambre; on piste right down the Combe Vallon (red); straight down under the Gondola off piste which is huge and amazing but there are plenty of rocks so it is only advisable doing this when there is more than 175cm of a huge dump; and then traversing the ridge back towards Mt Vallon and then dropping into the glacier on the right. This is possibly one of the best runs and one not for the faint hearted but if you are up for it there will be endless smiles and high 5′s at the end.

This is from our balcony looking towards Mottaret, Mt Vallon on the left and Tougnette on the right where you go into the Val Thorens and Les Menuires side of the 3 Valleys.

Back at the bottom, take the Plan des mains to Plattiers 2 and then take the Gondola up to the top. This is the same point that the Granges Chair takes you to and allows for some extremely difficult lines, a couple of bowls or some cliff drops and chutes. Pick of the on piste is Mouflon (red) back towards the Plattiers 1.

If you want to hit the park then it is just below Plattiers 2 and you can then enjoy the leisurely Marte (blue) all the way back to Mottaret.

One area that often gets forgotten is the Roc de Tougne, a double button lift that is hard on the front leg if you are a boarder but rewards you with lots of powder opportunities as many people cant be bothered riding the button lifts. There are lots of secret spots around this area but they will stay secret.

From Mottaret, take the Pas du Lac Gondola to the top of Saulire 2783m and this is one of the access points to Courchevel or back to Meribel.

This is looking at the Tougnette side of the Meribel valley from Saulire, the peak that separates Meribel and Courchevel. The very left side of the photo is almost showing the top of the Tougnette Gondola, now a 6 man High Speed hooded chair.

From the top of Saulire take the Combe Saulire (red) which is a steep but wide and open bowl that crosses under the Saulire Telecabin, famously used in one of the James Bond movies. I don’t like to do the same things twice but you have to take the Telecabin back to the top to really see the most of the resort.

From the top of Saulire, follow the piste toward Meribel, keeping to the left, the right goes to Meribel and Mottaret, following the motorway like Creux (red), past the Chanrossa high-speed quad to the right and the Marmottes high-speed quad to the left until you reach the bottom of this small valley. There are 3 lifts that take you out, the fastest being the Aiguille du Fruit triple chair.
At the top, follow the Lac Creux towards the Chanrossa and take it to the top. From here, there are very few people, wide, open and long rolling pistes that will continue for 5 or 6 kilometres on the Pyramide (blue) before continuing on as the Belair (red) to the bottom of the Chapelets high-speed Quad chair. At the beginning of the Belair piste is the very impressive Bel Air restaurant.

Take the Chapelets chair to the top where there are 2 options, the first is to take either the Chapelets or Rochers (both red) to the bottom and back to the top again. This is a beautiful area often missed as it is at the very edge of the resort but has spectacular scenery and great intermediate terrain. The second is to follow the Rochers (red) towards the Bel Air restaurant before joining the Ariondaz (blue) and following the Gondola all the way to the bottom of Courcheval 1650. It is a great place to enjoy the sun, have a quick Panini to eat and then hop back on the Gondola and head over towards Courcheval 1850. From the top of the Gondola, exit right and follow the un-named green piste that winds its way across the open skiing area towards Gravelles (blue) and follow this down to the Aiguille du Fruit again.

Again, exit left and follow the Lac Creux which joins Biollay (blue), a huge autobahn like piste that continues for several kilometres into the main Courchevel resort of 1850 where the rich and famous like to be seen. There are several Michelin Star restaurants here and the shopping and nightlife are second to none in terms of European resorts. As you are coming into 1850, follow the signs towards 1550, heading under the pedestrian bridge and following Proveres (blue) to the bottom.

There isn’t a lot in 1550 so take the Grangette Gondola back to the top and then join the queue at the Chenus Gondola which will take you to the top of the Col de le Loze, one of the access points between Meribel and Courchevel. After all the skiing, this is a great rest point as this will take about 30 mins from the bottom of 1550 to the top using both Gondolas.

There are many options from here available. The slow double chair Coqs towards Meribel, heading back to 1850 via Lac Bleu (blue) or Chenus (red) but my suggestion is at the top, exit right, enjoy the spectacular views of Mt Blanc, and follow Cretes (green) for 500 metres until it joins Duo du Midi (red) which follows the Planterey chairlift and bypasses one of the many ski and snowboard parks in the 3 Valleys. At the bottom continue on the Brigues (red) to Amoureux (red) and down into the village of La Praz or Courchevel 1300.

There are 2 Gondolas out of La Praz, Foret heading back towards the Col de la Loze or Praz, heading back into 1850. Take the Foret Gondola to the top before heading to the village or La Tania, a purpose built village used to host the Media during the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics. Follow Arolles (blue) to the right where it joins up Folyeres (blue) and Blanche (red) which take you down to La Tania.

La Tania is a great place to ski if the weather is poor due to the pistes all being lined with trees. It really makes a difference to have the contrast of the white and green/black which are not present above the tree line. This is not a secret in the area but despite there usually being more skiers than usual when the weather is not the best, it is better than experiencing vertigo.

I will give special mention to a small Michelin star restaurant, Le Farcon, which has some of the best food I have ever eaten. If you are in La Tania, this is the place to be wowed yet still at a very reasonable price.

From La Tania, take the Gondola to the top and then the Duo des Lanches high-speed Quad chair back into the Meribel Valley. There are two options again here, and it may depend on the time of day as to which option is best. In the late afternoon, when the sun has been on Pic Noir (blue) for the whole afternoon, the snow and piste are often very thin so it would be best to take the Boulevard de la Loze. Once you reach the Geai (blue) junction, follow it down the piste toward the top of the Altiport then follow the Blanchet (green) and the Lapin (blue) into the beautiful little area of Meribel Village. If it earlier in the day, follow the Pic Noir under the Loze chair until it meets the Blanchet piste and continue towards Meribel Village.

Unfortunately, the Golf quad chair is the slowest lift in the valley (possibly) but the piste on the way down winds through he trees and small cafes and restaurants make it worth the trip. Once at the top of the Golf, join the Altiport high-speed 8 man chair and then head towards the Altiport when you get off. If you follow the crowds along the Belette (blue) you will eventually come to the Rond Point (round-about in French) where Vin Chaud (hot mulled wine) and live music await. If you continue on another couple of hundred metres you will find the Adret high-speed 6 man chair.

The Adret is a great chair as it takes you to most of the skiable area in Meribel without having to come back to La Chaudanne and meetings with ski schools and the huge queues at the Gondola stations. Take the Adret chair to the top and then ski down to the mid station of the Saulire Gondola. Take this to the top of Saulire again and then enjoy one of the best skiing moments possible with a top to bottom, 1400m descent over about 4km. Follow the signs back into Meribel ensuring you don’t head back into Mottaret and veer left onto the Mauduit (red) piste, continuing over the Chardonnerret (blue) until just after the mid station where the piste splits and either continues on as Mauduit to La Chaudanne or joins the Cerf (red) towards the Rond Point again.

If this is a little intimidating, then rather than veering left onto the Mauduit, follow the Biche (blue) on the right side of the piste until it joins the Cerf and the Marmotte and chose which would be more appropriate for you level. Once at the Rond Point, the Doran takes you back to La Chaudanne where the free shuttle buses carry people all over the resort.

Some recommendations if visiting are to enjoy the Savoyard Cuisine throughout the 3 valleys. There are some amazing restaurants to enjoy but as with everything in ski resorts, it can become expensive.

If you are looking for accommodation, look no further than a fully catered holiday with Ski Cuisine. Ann and Ed are truly amazing people who live and breath food, wine and service and Ed also manages one of the best ski schools in the Alps, Parallel Lines.

Bars, of which there are plenty, are dotted all over the resort but my favourites are Fifty50 on the road between La Chaudanne and the centre of Meribel, the Rond Point for an afternoon drink on the huge terrace and Le Poste right in the centre of Meribel and right next door to La Poste (Post Office).

Despite not getting the volume of snow that we get here in Niseko, Meribel is absolutely amazing and definitely worth the visit.

Food TV

In Japan, the original Food TV program was Iron Chef.

Despite being filmed up to 15 years ago, Iron Chef is still an amazing program to watch despite the average person not being able to take much away from the show in terms of their own culinary development.

What has happened in the past 5 years is the development of many interesting Food TV programs that are informative, educational and exciting.

Most Australian’s will have seen MasterChef Australia but this is just the tip of the iceberg.

In the UK, Masterchef has been running since 1990 and has spawned 2 spin off series, Masterchef: The Professionals and Masterchef Celebrity Challenge which have all been highly successful.

There is The Cook and The Chef with Maggie Beer and Simon Bryant in Australia, Bill Granger is doing a new series aimed at bringing British people to Australia called Bills Holiday, Bravo TV in America has Top Chef and Top Chef Masters hosted by Tom Collichio and there are numerous others that are great to watch and learn.

If you are interested in food, you can see most of these on the internet, there are recipes, ideas, video clips and tips so jump online and have a look for your self.

Niseko Restaurants

There are many wonderful restaurants in the Niseko area, most of which can be found in Hirafu, the largest resort in the Niseko United area. The great thing about Hirafu though, is the variety in both choice and price and, except for the specialist experiences of Kamimura, the ability to find a similar quality restaurant if your first choice is not available.

Although each year brings new restaurants and sees some close their doors, some continue to produce great food year in, year out and I’ve listed my favourite places to enjoy Niseko Food at its best, that is if you can’t join us at Niseko Gourmet.

Wild Bills: Next door to The Lodge at Niseko is Wild Bills, Hirafu’s iconic restaurant and bar. Although it’s the only Tex Mex restaurant in the village, it is great value, authentic ‘American’ Tex Mex. You can enjoy your food either in the restaurant upstairs or at the bar. All the favourites such as Tacos, Fajitas, Enchiladas, Burritos and Wild Bills famous Buffalo Chicken Wings are on the menus but I can never go past the Chicken Fajitas with extra chili.

Rin: In the lower village, 50m from Yukoro Onsen is a local favourite held in such esteem that they don’t need to advertise a with phone number. Rin is an Izakaya, a Japanese eating and drinking restaurant that serves delicious bite sized, sharing style food that encourages lots of conversation around the table. My personal favourites here are the gobo sticks (burdock in English) and the Hoke (Atka Mackerel in English) which both are delicious with a cold beer.

Kamimura: Head Chef Yuichi Kamimura once trained under the famed Tetsuya Wakuda whilst living in Sydney. After returning to Sapporo, Yuichi brought his culinary skills to Hirafu in 2007 and the rest is history; fine dining at its best with an 8 course degustation menu and a rather impressive wine list to match.

Syokusai: Located in the Alpen Hotel, Syokusai is a must for sushi and sashimi novices or lovers. The menu is extensive, delicate and with many ‘must try’ dishes so it is naturally popular with well to do Japanese clientele; a sure fire way to judge a sushi and sashimi restaurant.

Del Sole: The best pizza in the Niseko area in tucked away in An’nupuri. Unfortunately, this means you need a car to get there unless you wish to take the Free Passport Shuttle bus (the big orange bus during winter). The pizza is thin crust, wood fired and has authentic homemade toppings with homemade pickles on the side. A very good Italian experience even down to their choice of still and sparkling water.

308: Built last season, and located exactly 1000m below the peak of Mt. An’nupuri, the 308 building is the first development to be completed in the re-design of the Hanazono ski area. In addition to lunch and apres-ski (there are live music acts each afternoon), there is a retail and rental store, information centre and a lift ticket office.

Torimatsu: As a Kutchan resident, this is my favourite place to have a bite to eat and enjoy a beer. They specialise in Yakitori (chicken on a stick) and it is an experience to just sit there and watch the chef flipping the sticks on the grill. Sometimes difficult to find, Torimatsu is on North 3, the same road as the 7-11 and West 1. I also recommend arriving early as it becomes very smoky as the night goes on due to the amount of grilling being done.

There are so many other restaurants that I haven’t been to on numerous occasions that could, and maybe should, be on the list but we are usually so busy over winter that it is not always possible. I’ll be updating this page regularly during winter so have a look closer to your visit and try some of these out if you haven’t already.

Happy eating, enjoy the amazing Niseko Food that’s on offer all year round.

City Guide – Sapporo

The closest major city to the Niseko area is awash with great restaurants in all price ranges, quirky boutiques fashion stores, more hairdressers, cosmetics stores and cake/dessert shops than you can poke a stick at, and just about everything you could find in Tokyo minus the thousands of tourists.

Summer is a great time to visit but if you are in Hokkaido in February, then the Yuki Matsuri (Snow Festival) is an absolute must.

Cheap Eats: Nuts Cafe Trip is a great cafe, not too far from the JR station. The website link is in Japanese but you can see the pictures and see that the food looks great and it is cheap, sometimes as little as 500yen for a lunch set. It is hard to beat that price so it is naturally very popular.

Exceptional Chinese: Yinzu was introduced to us by our friend Yoichi from the famed Kamimura restaurant in Niseko. After a wine tasting event in Sapporo last summer, we joined some sommeliers from Village Cellars, Mick Nippard (formerly of Sekka, now running AWines) and some of Yoichi’s friends for an amazing Chinese dinner.

Drink: Sapporo has so many bars and izakaya’s that it is hard to pin down a favourite but I have to say that were lucky to be in Sapporo in August of 2007 (possibly for the first time) and visited the Cross Hotel, just after it had opened. The bar is very modern, clean lines throughout and the perfect place to sit down, enjoy a cocktail or a beer, meet some friends or associates and enjoy the views below of the street.

Coffee: With quite a few stores in Sapporo, Miyakoshiya is a fine example of what good coffee can taste like in Japan. I really like the shop in Mitsukoshi Department store on the 3rd floor. It overlooks Ekimae-dori and is a great place to relax and enjoy a good coffee. You can buy the beans directly from the store (like most coffee stores in Japan) or you can buy it in Co-op or MaxValu in Kutchan. There is a great story behind the company yet as it has grown, there has always been a constant company demand…to make excellent coffee.

Cheese: We only recently discovered Cheese Please in Poletown, the underground mall running below Ekimae-dori, when Mick from AWines pointed us in the right direction to find really amazing Hokkaido Cheese. This little store has such variety from many amazing boutique fromageries all over Hokkaido that the standard ‘Hokkaido Camembert’ or ‘Brie’ are no longer acceptable at a dinner party in Hirafu.

Shop: A personal favourite of both Tess and myself is Marithe + Francois Girbaud (or MFG) in Stellar Place, Centre L4. The collection is always funky and fashionable, amazing quality and well priced in Japan when compared to the same pieces in Europe. There are stores in all the major cities in Japan and you can find locations on the web-link above.

Event: Not much needs to be said about the Yuki Matsuri. It is the biggest and most famous event in Sapporo and brings people from all over the world each year. Other event that are notable are the Tour de Hokkaido cycling classic from the 9th September to the 13th September and the Sapporo Beer Festival, a month long festival in Odori Park usually beginning in late July where all the major beer companies construct areas to sample their beer and new gimmicks.

Sapporo is a great city with an amazing climate in summer, much more bearable than in cities like Tokyo, Nagoya or Osaka. Maximum temperatures of around 30.c make this city a great city to walk around and with a grid design, it is easy to navigate visiting the many sights and shops.