When you are planning a family ski holiday there is a vibe of excitement and togetherness between family members. However, for the organiser of the holiday there are many different aspects to consider when during the planning phase and can be a very stressful experience. Trying to sift through all the travel agent information, surfing the web to research your options and gathering opinions of others that have already been through your situation; honestly if you can organise a family ski holiday you can organise a military operation!

Organising a family ski trip to another country like Japan can bring an entire new range of factors to consider. However Niseko is one ski destination that is well adapted to International visitors and makes for a fantastic family ski holiday destination.

Niseko Ski Resort

The village of Niseko is approximately 2.5 hours from Chitose International Airport. The most adapted Japanese ski resort to International visitor makes Niseko an easy and stress free family ski destination in Japan.

The terrain is suitable for families with something for everyone; learning areas to off-piste runs for the more advanced and adventurous are easy to access and in close proximity to each other. This makes it easy for everyone to meet up at lunch time and share the morning stories.

There are multiple service providers of lessons and rental equipment in English; I would recommend Rhythm Snow Sports for rental equipment and Pro Powder for highly personalised lessons.

Transport from your accommodation to the lifts is well organised with regular buses making it easy to get the entire family to the ski hill with equipment, peak times can be crowded however. As the village is reasonably small, it is possible to walk to just about everything with the family when you are not on the hill, caution will need to be taken when walking as the roads can be very slippery at times.

Signage around the village can be found in English, restaurant and bar menus are provided in English at almost all establishments and there is a wide range of cuisines to keep everyone in the family happy.

Accommodation varies from traditional Japanese pensions, hotels and lodges to western friendly condos and apartments. If you want to experience Japan I highly recommend staying at one of the locally owned and operated pensions, hotels or lodges as your hosts can bring that extra element to your stay in Japan.

Hope to see you in Niseko!