Niseko Gets A Makeover: Before And After

28 July, 2015 Rupert Orchard

See if you can tell the difference between these two photos of Niseko's main street. And we're not talking about the snow on Mt. Yotei!

After a long wait, the work to remove and bury the power lines on Niseko's main street has finished. The completion of the job sees the end of a long-term makeover for Hirafu-zaka, which only months ago had a heated road and pavement put in.

The power line-less skyline gives pedestrians uninterrupted views of Mt. Yotei, and is good news for guests staying at upper village properties like winter 2014/15 newcomer Nozomi Views (pictured).

See the improvement with our before and after photos below!

hirafu-zaka-spring

BEFORE: Hirafu-zaka in April, 2015

hirafu-zaka-summer

AFTER: Hirafu-zaka in July, 2015

Rupert Orchard
Rupert Orchard

Rupert works for HT Holidays and returned to Niseko full-time in 2014, seven years after first discovering the resort's famous powder as a ski instructor. In between, he has worked in the ski industry in China and Canada, but in the end, couldn't resist a return to the resort that made him fall in love with the sport and the industry.