The Niseko resort area comprises three towns in the southern part of Hokkaido: Niseko, Kutchan and Rankoshi. With several world-class ski destinations, such as Moiwa Ski Resort, dotting the landscape from Mount Yotei to Mount Niseko-Annupuri, it’s one of Hokkaido’s most popular destinations. While Niseko garners a lot of attention for its winter sports and fruitful bounties, and rightfully so, other sides deserve our love, too.
Niseko has a long history, dating back to early human settlers after the last ice age. Visitors can explore its historical sites, spiritual places, and hot springs, which offer a rich experience for those interested in Japanese history and culture in the country’s wild northern frontier.
Digging Through Niseko’s Past
Photo: Pixta tkyszkNiseko’s history stretches back thousands of years, and the area has several places to learn more about its past.
Hokuei Soga Stone Circle
The people who lived during the Jomon period (14,000-300 BCE) left a lasting legacy on the Japanese archipelago. This era saw the invention of pottery, the bow and arrow and the shift to a more sedentary way of life. In Niseko, you can visit a remnant of the Jomon past that dates back nearly 3,000 years.
Sitting in the shadow of Mount Yotei, this stone circle is one of many that can be found throughout the prefecture. You’ll find the remains of four circles here, which have been walled off by a short stone barrier to discourage damage to the site. Several artifacts and human bones have been discovered during archaeological expeditions. In addition to serving as burial grounds, these stone circles may have had a spiritual purpose.
Kutchan Museum of Natural History
While human settlement in Niseko and Hokkaido began nearly 22,000 years ago with migration from the north, the area’s natural history began much earlier. At the Kutchan Museum of Natural History, visitors will dig deep into the region’s geological past.
In the Nature Exhibition Zone, you’ll learn about the flora and fauna of Niseko. As you continue to the Humanities Exhibition Zone, humans gradually populate displays and dioramas. The museum moves through the prehistoric era of the Jomon and ends in the 20th century.
Temples and Shrines
Photo: Pixta MonkeyFor much of Japan, the history of Shintoism and Buddhism begins in the early centuries of the first millennium. For the northern prefecture, however, the two pillars of Japan’s spiritual life are largely a product of the colonization of Hokkaido during the Edo and Meiji periods hundreds of years later.
Kaributo Shrine
Located less than two kilometers from JR Niseko station, Kaributo Shrine is Niseko’s main shrine. With roots in the late 19th century, it is also one of the oldest shrines in the area. The shrine was constructed in the shinmei-zukuri style, one of the three main schools of architecture for ancient Shinto shrines. Characterized by simplicity, the dimensions and construction typical of the shinmei school can be traced back to the Kofun period (300-583 CE).
If you’re in town at the end of August, check out the Kaributo Shrine Festival. Held to ensure the health and good luck of the town, the festival includes a parade of portable shrines (mikoshi) carried throughout the town and performances by local dancers and musicians.
Daibutsu-ji Temple
In the early decades of Niseko’s colonial history, settlers established Daibutsu-ji, one of the oldest Buddhist temples in the town. The main draw for many visitors is the ornate ceiling painting.
Looking up, you can see over 170 tiles, each depicting scenes from the Buddhist tradition. They were created by the temple’s first head in the 1910s, an amateur painter with no formal training in art. In addition to Buddhist scenes, the ceiling also shows a variety of floral and fauna motifs. A large circular painting in the center of the ceiling shows a tense standoff between a dragon and a tiger.
Niseko Onsen
Photo: Pixta AzusaMany indoor and outdoor onsen (hot springs) provide scenic views of the surrounding forests and mountains. Among your choices are a few historical onsen whose doors opened nearly a hundred years ago and are worth a trip after hitting the slopes.
The origins of the Niseko Yumoto Onsen area lay in a nearby hot spring marsh called Oyunuma. According to local legend, the man who discovered this source of revitalizing water built the first permanent hot spring service along its banks around the turn of the 20th century. Today, you can visit Yukichichibu, which continues the tradition of supplying Oyunuma’s unique waters. Located just off the marsh, you can soothe yourself in its sulfur-rich baths. Women looking for a unique experience can cover themselves in volcanic mud.
Other onsen (like Jozankei pictured in the lead) are also worth the trip. Opened in 1930, Niseko Goshiki Onsen Ryokan is one of the oldest hot springs in the Niseko area, which is still in operation. Its name comes from the five water sources feeding the inn, which produce five different colored waters. At this nearly century-old onsen built completely out of wood, you can soak at 750 meters in a rustic atmosphere.
Yukichichibu
Niseko Goshiki Onsen Ryokan Have you ever been to Niseko? What do you like to do in between runs on the slopes?
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