G'day Niseko! Australian skiers flock to Japan

SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) - Every winter, the northern ski resort of Niseko in Japan turns distinctly Down Under.

Niseko, in Hokkaido, is one of the most popular ski destinations for Australians, attracting the bulk of the estimated 30,000 skiers who visit Japan for an affordable, overseas winter break that's got some of the comforts of home.

Unlike other places in Japan, English is widely spoken in the resort town by everyone from restaurant staff to tour operators. Maps and gourmet guide book in English are also available, as well as restaurants serving Australian food.

A mere two-hour time difference between Niseko and Sydney and a strong Australian dollar against the Japanese yen are also boosting the number of visitors, tour operators say.

"I really enjoyed Niseko and will travel there again soon,"

Keiran Williams, a skier from Melbourne who was in Niseko recently, told Reuters.

"It's a clean and isolated snow village. The absence of the hustle and bustle of big cities and a large Australian contingent were notable attributes of the town."

Ian Farrow, chairman of the Australian Alpine Club (AAC), said the organization liked Niseko so much that it set up its first overseas lodge there last year.

"It is highly cost competitive, it has the best deep powder snow in the world and it includes a fabulous cultural experience, quite unlike anything in North America or Europe," he said.

"There may be other exotic locations, but they don't have anything like the standards for snow sports tourism in Japan."

SKIING WITHOUT THE JET LAG

Australians make up the sixth biggest tourist contingent to Japan, and are their number is the second largest after Americans hailing from a country where English is the main language.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the number of Australian holidaymakers to Japan during the last ski season, which ran from December 2007 to March 2008, was just over 40,000, almost five times more than three years ago.

The AAC's Farrow listed his main reasons for favoring Niseko: "excellent snow, no jet lag, well-organized resort, cheap compared to Europe, U.S. and Canada, good food".

Last year, Japan's national tourism agency launched a media campaign to promote skiing in Japan entitled "Affordable Japan". It included television shows featuring Japanese ski resorts as well as a adverts that showed that the price of a one-day ski-lift pass in Japan were much lower than passes in Australia, which the AAC said were now the highest in the world.

Jotaro Horiuchi, executive director of the Japan National Tourist Organization's Sydney office, said the agency plans to build on Niseko's popularity with a campaign in Australia to promote it, and all of Hokkaido, as a summer destination as well.

Japanese waitress Tomomi Mishima wishes the JNTO success.

Mishima, who lived in Australia for six years before moving to Niseko, said she enjoys living in the town because it is Japanese, and Australian, as well.

"Niseko is a very unique place. I can't compare it to any other places in the world," she said.

"I hope Niseko can do well throughout the year to maintain the quality of services."

(Editing by Miral Fahmy)

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