Niseko, Hokkaido
Niseko (ニセコ町, Niseko-chō) is a town located in Abuta District, Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. To the Japanese people, Niseko principally refers to a mountain range and a municipal area. However, overseas the name has come to refer to a wider area of ski resorts encompassing Hokkaido's Mount Yōtei, often referred to as the "Mt. Fuji of Hokkaido", and Annupuri ranges. The name Niseko derives from the Ainu language and means "a cliff jutting over a riverbank deep in the mountains". The Niseko town's main industries are agriculture and tourism.
Town
The town had an estimated population of 9896 with 2,187 households as of 31 March 2012, and a density of 23.81 persons per km2. The total number of visitors during the 2009 winter season was 201,000. The total area is 197.13 km2.
Resort
Niseko is composed of six ski areas, in order of size:
Niseko Hirafu.
Niseko Higashiyama (also known as Niseko Village).
Niseko Annupuri
Niseko Hanazono.
Niseko Moiwa.
Niseko Weiss
Niseko Mt. Resort Grand Hirafu, refers to the combined areas of Hirafu and Hanazono. Both of these and Weiss are within the municipality of nearby Kutchan. The other three resorts are within the adjacent municipality of Niseko.
