One of Honza’s dreams was to ski in the world-famous powder snow of Hokkaido. In the summer of 2024, when we were looking for our next destination, the choice was easy. Eating ramen and sushi while spending the winter month in a snow paradise seemed like the ideal combination. And it is.
What to expect from a winter season in Hokkaido, Japan.
For five months we lived in the Hirafu ski resort and worked in a hotel. Honza was hired as a driver/bellboy, while I resumed concierge duties, advising people where to eat, booking transfers and activities.
Hirafu is a very lively ski resort, with lots of opportunities to go out at night. If you like to socialise and party, you will have plenty of opportunities to do so at the expense of living in a place that feels more like Australia. If you are more of the quiet type, you might want to take a look at Rusutsu Resort. Less than an hour from Niseko, this resort is not as well known and is much smaller, but we had a blast in the amazing tree runs and often heard from locals that they actually prefer Rusutsu. There are not many places to go out and you will find more locals than seasonals. Hakuba and Furano are other quieter alternatives.
Whether you are a beginner or an advanced skier, a party animal or a chiller, young or old, spending the season in Hokkaido is an amazing experience. Niseko offers easy, groomed slopes for beginners and backcountry gates for more experienced skiers. Going through the gates means skiing in deep, ungroomed conditions, through trees, with jumps and small cliffs. It also means sheer joy, with powder in your face.
The Working Holiday Visa
Getting a working holiday for Japan is relatively easy and cheap! For Europeans it’s free of charge, the only ‘inconvenience’ is that you have to make your way to the closest Japanese Embassy in your home country in order to apply. The good news is, you only have to be there personally once, either while dropping of your documents, or when picking them up. The embassy in Germany, did not offer to send your passport back like other embassies do. If you live further away, consider sending in your documents per mail and pick them up in person to avoid multiple trips. This is based on my experience in an Embassy in Germany in 2024, check the Japanese Embassy website for your country for more updated information!
The job
If you are an adventurous soul, and you have a bit of cash spare in case you do not find something right away, nothing speaks agains travelling to Niseko in the beginning of the season, asking around in the shops and hotels for open positions.
If you are like me, you will want to check Facebook pages before heading over. The following pages are all good to have for more information and open positions in the area around Niseko.
- Niseko Winter Staff
- The Niseko Staff Page
- Niseko Tips & Tricks
- Working Holiday Japan
Japan is a quite expensive country and paying for accomodation in an area like Niseko, can be costly. We had our interview with NISADE, a real estate and hotel company, in August and secured our job right away. This way, you can arrive in Japan, already having an accomodation on site, without spending money on hotels. Other big companies that employ seasonals are Rhythm, Niseko Central, NBS, Niseko Sports. Basically all hotels, rental shops as well as bars, restaurants and so on, need extra hands during the season. If you have special licences, like ski instructors, physiotherapist/ massage therapist or child care, there is high demand here as well.
Accommodations in Niseko
It can be really hard to find somewhere to stay when you’re looking for a job in Niseko and the surrounding area. It can be really tricky to find somewhere affordable, and there aren’t many options out there. Luckily, lots of companies offer staff accommodation, so we’d really recommend taking a job with them to make your search easier. While the accommodation might not be the most luxurious, it’s a great opportunity to save some money.
Moving around
When we arrived, we spent a week looking for our perfect car. Japan has a great option for travellers, the KEI cars. These little cars, with their weaker motors and yellow licence plates, are easy to purchase, with minimal paperwork, and they are not that expensive. All you need is a registered address and confirmation of the registration, which is really easy to get. You can register at the local town office, which was really helpful. In Kutchan, which is the town close to Hirafu, they had English versions of the forms, which made things so much easier for us. This was the only document needed to buy our KEI car from a dealer.
We ended up spending a little bit more than the average price, but it was worth it for the beautiful little Hijet we got! With a mattress in the back, we were all set to explore Hokkaido before the season started!
We really recommend getting a car, just to be more flexible. You’ll be so glad you have a car to visit onsen and other places that are only accessible by car, try out different ski resorts and go to restaurants in Kutchan that are much cheaper. You could also go on some trips to cities or Lake Toya, or stroll along the canal in Otaru, or visit one of the many snow festivals. The snowfestival in Sapporo has both snow and icesculptures, and the lightpath festival in Otaru has beautifully illuminated canals. We haven’t been to the Shikotsu lake festival, but we’ve heard it’s quite nice as well. We were a bit disappointed by the Sapporo snowfestival, but if you have the day off when the two festivals are overlapping, it might be worth taking the train to Sapporo and stopping in Otaru on the way back.
Once we were in Hirafu, we were so happy to have a car. Hirafu itself only has small convenience stores. They have plenty of bento boxes and a small selection of food. There are lots of people who live off bento boxes for the whole season and seem fine with it. If you’re after a bigger supermarket, you’ll have to drive to Kutchan, the next biggest town. It’s a 20-minute drive when the conditions are good.
That being said, if you’re only coming for the snow, you’ll find plenty close by without having to drive. A lot of people who are there for the season share a rented car, which makes it more affordable. You might even find some amazing deals on Facebook, either from individuals or English-speaking car dealers, who are selling cars for as little as 50,000 JPY. We suggest you make your way here, meet others and then decide once you hear about the options.
The World for Us to See 
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