Tourism boom sends prices soaring at Niseko ski resort

Why blame tourists? Why not blame those who are raising their prices to exploit tourists?

What is Niseko? Overpriced ski resort for tourist that have no clue existence other good deal of ski resorts in Japan?

Nothing like a good opportunity to gouge customers.

It seems more prevalent in Nikon than here when it usually happens during hurricanes.

(Damn autocorrect)

Went to Niseko a few years back. Nature was beautiful, the snow was incredible, but the food was already remarkably expensive for the quality, and also, the sheer amount of australians everywhere was... not really that pleasant.

Exactly, it is not the tourists who directly drive up the prices, just the tourism and real estate agencies that capitalize on it to make money.

saying he raised his nightly rates by more than 10 percent from 88,000 yen to 99,000 yen due to the weaker yen.

Weaker yen is not an issue for domestic hotel prices. Just making more money from tourists.

Went to Niseko last year in June. It was nice, and the ski resort does not feel like Japan but overseas. And in some restaurants, staff could not speak Japanese.

But not worth the beautiful ski resorts in the European Alps.

I've never been to Niseko, or known anybody who has been there, but what is so special about it? I think there are a lot of other ski resorts in Japan that offer powder snow and great skiing/snowboarding. Aomori has some great ski areas, but for some reason Niseko is the magnet, but not sure why?

And now that they are being gouged these tourists should find other places to visit.

with a private lodging operator in Rankoshi, a town in the Niseko area, saying he raised his nightly rates by more than 10 percent from 88,000 yen to 99,000 yen due to the weaker yen.

He raised his prices just to get more money, it has nothing to do with the weak yen!

I used to go every year until about a decade ago, and Niseko is special. The powder snow was fantastic and the town had tons of charm, with great restaurants. But I suppose this happens at all great tourist destinations. They had to raise school teacher salaries in Vail, Colorado to 50k-70k because otherwise they couldn't afford to live there.

 he raised his nightly rates by more than 10 percent from 88,000 yen to 99,000 yen due to the weaker yen.

which he really means:

* he raised his nightly rates by more than 10 percent from 88,000 yen to 99,000 yen THANKS to the weaker yen.*

"In hotels around mountains with ski resorts, people can earn 2,000 yen per hour just making beds, without interacting with anyone. We don't stand a chance," he said.

FYI, there is quite a bit more than just "making beds" involved. And yeah so what? If you want people, qualified people, to come work for you, then pay them what they are worth.

It takes a hell of a lot of work, helping to take care of elderly people, and if you expect them to work for you instead of just "making beds", you come across to me, as having a sense of entitlement, that your work is somehow more important than what they do at a hotel!

¥2000 per hour is still poverty level wages, so the guy who can’t pay that to his deserves his troubles.

Some of the Aussies skiing there , at the lowest end of the wage scale now, are making minimum $32 (¥3200) yen an hour as unskilled workers. Hence they can afford to travel to Japan.

Even cleaners in Australia now get $40-$60 an hour average! ( I just looked at Seek website)

Looking after elderly in Australia you can, and deserve over ¥5000 per hour.

Pay decent salary and you have no problems getting staff, and/or eating in a tourist area.

Japanese tourism caused a surge in pricing in Australia in the 80s and 90s, especially Gold Coast and Cairns.

Tourism and price gauging go hand in hand, everywhere in the world.

I've never been to Niseko, or known anybody who has been there, but what is so special about it?

Marketing. They did a good job of it.

Many tourist places are nowhere as good as other “local” areas. IMO Hawaii beaches in Honolulu area very poor compared to the average beach on the east coast of Australia.

Blame the foreigners (again) they are the cause for all that ails Japan!

Is it price gouging or the free market? Sounds to me that as long as there are tourists willing to pay the price, that the free market is working.

I would love to go to Disneyland more often, but it's been probably 10 years since I've been there, and probably won't be able to ever go again because it's become just too darn expensive. But I don't see Disneyland suffering from a lack of visitors, so who am I to complain?

Iveseenfootage...maaate....you should pay MORE to be around Australians...Gods faves.

Overrated and overpriced. Not worth visiting.

Iveseenfootage...maaate....you should pay MORE to be around Australians...Gods faves.

Yeah... this is exactly what I'm talking about. No thanks.

I am a mad keen snowboarder but there are way better places to board. Niseko would be the worst place for a snow holiday. Full of Aussies trying hard to make the place Aussie. My Japanese partner was keen for us to visit when we were in Sapporo but I was more interested in watching the Fighters and getting my Photo taken with Bat Boy.

Although hotels and services have hiked up there prices, I hope they pass the benefits on to the staff, or will the boss just line his or her own pockets?

Don’t mind tourism if the local population is benefiting but generally it just screws over most of the people living in Japan, affecting their lives negatively. The government should take this into consideration if they are planning to increase numbers further. It is bad already.

Plenty of others places to go here too many yobbo Australians up there for my likings.

Anyone reading this would think that Japan doesn’t have a true democracy. After all, any Japanese person can concoct and send a letter to the local politician asking for change and if enough of them do that then change will come, right?

In the meantime whilst waiting for that reply.

The local Japanese residents would do well to take a course on capitalist economics and maybe they could grasp the merits of demand and supply for themselves.

If it were me then I would start up a ramen business….

I've never been to Niseko, or known anybody who has been there, but what is so special about it?

It all lies in what you need.

If you need lessons in English so you can enjoy the pow and don't have to ski with your five year old, if you need to rent high end skis or a boots that fit and are 29cm or larger, if you have dietary needs, such as Halal or allergies that will send you to hospital, if your wife wants to stay somewhere nice with private bathrooms and comfortable heating, with easy transport to and from the resort, if apres ski is a thing for you, the number of Japanese ski resorts you can go to drastically falls.

If you are single or a couple prepared to travel with your own gear and entertain yourselves, eat whatever you find, yeah, you can go anywhere, pay much less and avoid the crowds. For the case of families, parenting is hard and adds limits and hassles, which one big reason why lots of people aren't having kids any more.

The tragedy with Japanese ski resorts is that locals should have learned English and promoted themselves. This happens in other countries. Instead they sold up at mostly rock-bottom prices and sat back and watched mostly know-nothing-to-begin-with outsiders take over. It would one thing if Niseko's foreign adopters were already skilled at hospitality or promotion and brought something new to the table, but I strongly doubt this. Most of them were just skiers who got a cheap buy in and learned to do what was needed on the job, which wasn't difficult because Niseko, Furano, Hakuba, Nozawa Onsen etc. are such an easy sell and the Internet makes it very easy to sell them. Skiing in Japan has been super cheap by global standards since the early 2000s. This also makes it an easy sell, yes to Australians who have to pay a fortune to ski terrible snow at home.

Why blame tourists? Why not blame those who are raising their prices to exploit tourists?

I've never been to Niseko, or known anybody who has been there, but what is so special about it? I think there are a lot of other ski resorts in Japan that offer powder snow and great skiing/snowboarding. Aomori has some great ski areas, but for some reason Niseko is the magnet, but not sure why?

And now that they are being gouged these tourists should find other places to visit.

with a private lodging operator in Rankoshi, a town in the Niseko area, saying he raised his nightly rates by more than 10 percent from 88,000 yen to 99,000 yen due to the weaker yen.

He raised his prices just to get more money, it has nothing to do with the weak yen!

 Full of Aussies trying hard to make the place Aussie. 

I have been to the Niseko and Rankoshi areas. There is a simple explanation here. Niseko has great powder snow that is fine for skiing. The explanation is that Japan is open to foreign ownership of land and foreign investment, and Niseko is a victim of a large influx of foreign ownership. As John-san notes, Niseko is full of Aussies trying hard to make the place Aussie. About 33 percent of foreigners living in Niseko are Australian, and a great deal of the overseas marketing of Niseko skiing is to Australians, therefore, when private lodging operators raise their rates by more than 10 percent due to the weaker yen, it is a business decision to keep the Australian prices at the same rates, not to gouge residents of Japan with higher prices. Residents of Japan are not the targets of the Niseko marketing. Hokkaido residents know to head to Niseko as day trippers, and to stay in less expensive places if they are money-conscious. Or, to head to the powder slopes of Furano instead of going to Niseko. The Japanese who have not sold out their lands in the Niseko/Rankoshi area are critical of their compatriots who did sell out, and often complain about the numbers of foreigners in the area. I have seen figures that foreign ownership of land in the area is about 7 percent. It is certainly not being used for agriculture, like much of the area was before the foreign influx. Other ski areas in Japan are noting the experience of Niseko and considering what they can do to make sure they do not become quite the foreign havens that Niseko has become. I miss the old Niseko area with the dilapidated old hotels and hot springs that disappeared during the ski resort boom, but that era is past. Those who complain about price gouging are mostly those who didn't sell out or those who have memories of the way things were. We miss the byegone era. And the younger Australian and other foreign tourists who flock to Niseko know nothing about how isolated and country it used to be. They should not be blamed for the changes that were made as a result of foreign investment and ownership of the wonderful ski industry. It put a lot of money in the pockets of those who sold their lands for the development and for the tax base of the Niseko area governments. The infrastructure, unfortunately, has not kept pace with the tourism growth, and the roads need to be expanded for the number of tour buses plying the routes from the Chitose (Sapporo) airport to keep the tourists in the limited area if the other people of Hokkaido do not want the tourist dollars and headaches associated with them. With growth comes change.

Takes money to make money.

This story is like the woman walking around with a smithfield ham under one arm and no bread under the other.

Stop the whining. Enjoy profits.

Australia has a short snow season and probably third rate skiing.

Niseko top not notch.

The "Australians buying up Niseko " thingy has at least a decade or more in age .

BUT...you dont get residency by buying Japanese property...I am assuming many Aussie business owners have Japanese spouses.

Or, presented a business plan to Japanese Immigration.

I am seeing/hearing the "too many foreigners moving in " line where I live, a beach, not snow area.

And I see also the places where NO ONE buys old property.

Abandoned houses and minshukus everywhere.

Lets hear some solutions from the foreign born posters on the forum.

he raised his nightly rates by more than 10 percent from 88,000 yen to 99,000 yen due to the weaker yen.

they won’t decrease them back when the yen gets stronger though. That’s the old trick to rip off foreigners lol

Pretty soon the only people that enjoy Japanese holidays to ryokan or Okinawa will be foreigners..

A Chinese visitor remarked that while it was not cheap, the prices were reasonable considering how expensive things are in Europe.

Europe? Where in Europe this buffoon is talking about?

Japanese crying about things getting expensive is hilarious. They should be better complaining about the greedy also Japanese who increase prices to rip off tourists.

I've never been to Niseko, or known anybody who has been there, but what is so special about it?

One example is dinner and breakfast: In Niseko, fun festive restaurants with ambience, and good coffee for breakfast. As opposed to some less advanced places, where dinner is in a cavernous room, at a folding table, all set meals that people eat in hushed tones, and breakfast is cabbage and powdered eggs. It's just not as much fun. To be fair, Hakuba and Nozawa and others have great vibes - cheaper and easier to get to.

So blame the foreign tourists again!

So the week yen and the hotels and resorts are raising prices to make more money and that is the fault of foreign tourists?

Blame the places that decided to hike prices mostly just because they can and know tourists will pay.

It is the Japanese owners doing this.

If before foreigners they could charge less then why other than the week yen which affects every business not just tourists industry.

These owners are using "tourists" as an excuse to raise prices and make higher profits.

Heck I could easily raise my prices because yes foreign tourists will pay more. Yes I did adjust slightly for the lower yen and the higher cost of certain supplies but that isn't related to anything to do with tourists.

So I chose not to do profiteering and to keep my prices in line with the Japanese economy and public.

These owners chose to put profit over the Japanese public.

Why blame tourists? Why not blame those who are raising their prices to exploit tourists?

Why blame anyone? Tourism is a boon to restaurant and hotel owners in Niseko. Good for them!

These owners chose to put profit over the Japanese public.

Of course they do! They're not the government...they're private businesses and profit is their motive

Pretty soon the only people that enjoy Japanese holidays to ryokan or Okinawa will be foreigners..

Wealthy Japanese people can still afford to visit Ryokams and Okinawa. Even Hawaii, Cairns and Europe.

Mid or low level income earning people, will find ot harder.

This is the same for any poorer person on the planet. Japanese people are not entitled to stay in Ryokans and hotels as much as poorer Filipinos and Thais can't stay at their more expensive hotels and resorts.

They need to budget and change their spending habits differently as times change.

Japanese people have no qualms about taking up the hotels in other countries, when they have money.

It is what it is.

The entitlement and whining are very ingrained here about anything to do with anything foreign, unfortunately.

My son and I are going on a snowboarding trip in Nagano next week. Two nights hotel breakfast and dinner included, lift tickets for 3 days, bus to and from the resort. All for ￥25,000. $165 each...around the same as I paid in 1988

Moiwa ski resort raised the lift prices by more than 30% to ¥12,000 a day for the whole purpose of driving Japanese guests away, and have a more exclusive experience. Same Rusutsu with a day ticket for ¥14,000.

There's all sorts of hidden gem ski areas that get loads of snow, with cheap lift tickets, no lift lines, and great onsen-based ryokan nearby where you won't pay much more than ¥10K/person overnight with 2 great meals.

Make hay while the sun shines. These places are pretty much ghost towns for the other 8 months of the year. If they can't make any money for the other 2/3 of the year it makes perfect sense their prices should be 2/3 higher during the boom period.

Why even bother to blame tourists. This is an opportunity to restore wages, develop resorts and transport projects...first world problem?

GBR48 - well said. But why is this the Top Story anyway?

I've been to the Niseko area several times but in summer. It's much cheaper and there are lot's of family activities. You can go white water rafting on the Shiribetsu River famous for its very clean water. We did level 1 because we had kids but there's also higher levels. I went for a swim and it was super refreshing. There's also Takahashi Dairy Farm where you can get very fresh, high quality ice cream, milk, butter, cheese, etc., made on the farm. Nice restaurant with great pizza too perfect for lunch. We stocked up on a lot of stuff especially pizza! A few gift shops with arts & craft and lot's of space for kids to run around. We actually stay away from the town of Niseko.

So will the operator drop prices if the yen rises? We can all guess the answer.....

Other far cheaper well equipped resorts available in asia. guaranteed artificial snow. If people are willing to spend the yen. somebody knocks on your door and offers a wad for your veg. T.Y T.Y nah different.

My daughter went skiing to Niseko last month and she said it's really nice but expensive for Japanese skiers.

Anyway, shouldn't all those municipalities that complain from over-tourism and higher prices get a share from the pie? Aren't they getting higher income in the coffins from the hotels and restaurants that bring higher profits? If not, something is very wrong and they should adjust the local tax system, etc.

BlacklabelToday  11:36 am JST

he raised his nightly rates by more than 10 percent from 88,000 yen to 99,000 yen due to the weaker yen.

they won’t decrease them back when the yen gets stronger though. That’s the old trick to rip off foreigners lol

This isn't a tactic of Japanese ripping off foreigners. LOL! It's rare for businesses to lower their prices certainly significantly regardless of currency fluctuation. How many US businesses have lowered their prices.

If businesses find deeper pockets to dip into, they will, and for as long as they can. On the flip side it’s important to pay well enough for your people to be able to afford to live well. When times change, as they surely will, there will be a greater reliance on the local market.

The good news particularly for Australian snow lovers is that come December there will be direct Qantas flights to Sapporo from Sydney.

Sure are a lot of people complaining about property they did not buy! Want to lower prices? How about you spend the money to buy a place and then provide services at a lower price? Problem solved.

private lodging operator in Rankoshi raised his nightly rates by more than 10 percent from 88,000 yen to 99,000 yen due to the weaker yen.

Expensive.

Now Quantas are going to open a direct sydney-chitose flight expect even more Australians

Niseko and to a lesser extent Hakuba are resorts that have managed to position themselves to cater for the foreign market. That means at least a few higher-end western style hotels and also some kind of apres-ski nightlife options - bars and restaurants. The vast majority of Japanese ski resorts have none of that - just a few minshuku and there is absolutely nothing to do once the ski lifts close. Niseko is also famous for the powder snow, although there are plenty of other options in Hokkaido and even northern Japan that are just as good for that. Another thing is that Niseko have a gate system that allows skiers to access off-piste terrain when it's not too dangerous. Most other resorts, anything out of bounds is strictly forbidden. I think another thing for Niseko - it was, I think, partly owned by an Australian airline so they could offer great packages. Personally, I'll leave Niseko and Hakuba for the foreign tourists for the most part. There are plenty of other good places to get some nice powdery turns in Japan without the expense and the crowds!

GBR48

Today 06:55 am JST

Why blame tourists? Why not blame those who are raising their prices to exploit tourists?

Because, gaijin/tourists bashing is in fashion among the Japanese news and a certain sas incapable of change portion of the population.

Blame the tourists blame the gaijin is always the safest route when they are not happy.

Rice prices high: blame the tourists for eating it all (and yes we actually had that accusation in previous articles.

Food prices higher: blame tourists and use the excuse to change firefighters more in restaurants (remember that one).

And the list goes on.

Don't use reality, of a poor growing season, higher fuel and fertilizer cost due to the weak yen, etc...

No no no far easier to blame tourists/gaijins.

10,000 yen for sushi?

Businesses will charge whatever gullible customers are willing to pay.

first went to niseko in 2006, never liked hirafu/hanazono, village was ok and annupuri was best, moiwa an untouched gem. watched over the past two decades as it became overcrowded and stupid...and now too exxy and im in otaru now, hitting kiroro and kokusai. wondered if I shouldve bought up in niseko 2 decades ago, but no way i'd be willing to put up with the aussie riff raff that plagues the area

This is what the Japanese government wanted "TOURISM" this not what the Japanese people EXPECTED the invasion and problems that has affected their everyday life. Mainly the cost of things going up. The tourist after all can go home leaving the inflated prices but the Japanese people are left with the competing increase in prices across the board while living on small wages.

I'm sure the 2000/hr bedmakers aren't complaining.

If the economy in Niseko is booming, tax revenues should also be up. Perhaps the local government should subsidize the non-tourist businesses which provide essential services for local residents like the home care service run by Mr Mori.

"Residents voiced concern over the financial strain caused by rising prices amid the tourism boom."

So... hang on... when a hotel or restaurant is asked why they have increased prices, it's "because of the weaker yen" and not possibly their fault. When residents are asked how they feel about paying more and if they know the cause, it's "because of tourists" and is totally their fault that places are raising prices and food is in shortage.

Foreign tourists are responsible for two things: 1) Keeping the Japanese economy alive. period. 2) allowing these self-entitled locals to blame said tourists for all their problems. No rice? Well, can't be because the government subsidizes farmer to grow other crops and not be competitive, gotta be the tourists. Prices high? well, can't be the Bank of Japan and/or government devaluating it (as they said they have done) and raising inflation WILLINGLY, it's simply gotta be those pesky foreigners.

No wonder nothing changes here -- it is always out of people's control and is the fault of others.