It’s been an snowy 2010/2011 winter season so far for everybody at Holiday Niseko and our guests staying in our accommodation. Snowboarding and skiing the inbounds powder on Niseko’s slopes has been awesome awesome awesome. Going on day tours, dropping lines in Hokkaido’s national park backcountry and riding the Hanazono park has been epic as well. It’s all good up here! We had so many bottomless days in January and February with our three week mega storm that piled us up past the 4 meter level in town. +Way more up top. With all the gnarly sasa(bamboo grass) covered early January and Niseko trees fully filled in, the mountain became a giant snow-pillow playground park. It’s been a motivating month of getting the house up early, digging the car out and beating the crowds to the lifts to rip the special zones. A lot of days have started early up on Annupuri riding powder lap circuits and circling like sharks until the access gates opened up the back bowls. Days of dropping high speed powder runs down steep bowls, hitting a drop or two, then slashing the best gully hits back to the bottom. Repeat.

popping around Annupuri Burn to earn your turns in Hokkaido's national park outside Annupuri Signage next to the avalanche report(not pictured) at gate 2 of Annupuri Between Higashiyama’s steeps, Grand Hirafu’s and Hanazono’s trees, everywhere on the mountain was the right place to be. With all the fun in all the snow comes all the dangers and riding in good judgement is tough when the snow is so inviting. Trusting the ski-patrol signage at the gates and reading the daily avalanche bulletins helped keep us in the know with what the snow was doing. Always doing our best in trying to keep the group together even if there are “no friends on a powder day”(your friends are your enemy when too close while ripping through these trees). -Shredding until our legs were burnt, bodies were shaky and riding solely on the stoke, we carried on. Some days we would take that snow energy from the pow mornings and session the NisekoSnowRamsay backyard park after lunch and even shred under Hirafu’s lights at night. Never enough. We welcomed the few sunny days with mirrored lenses in the goggles, turning up the visibility knob to full blast and more full speed powder runs. It’s a nice relief to see the sun and mountains surrounding us… enjoy a biru and talk a little smack about climbing Mt. Yotei. Now we are back looking through yellow/clear/pink lenses on our faces and riding in a snow storm again. Bodacious! Holiday Niseko Chuckin it NisekoSnow surf style the staple lunch of ramen. refuel Ramsay's backyard park last hip in the Ramsay park Snowy nights at Hirafu

With all the powder we have had fun skiing and snowboarding in, there also comes a lot of work to deal with it. The Niseko Grand Hirafu city snow removal crew has been working 24/7 to keep up with the snow this season. Our Holiday Niseko team has been putting in a ton of shoveling as well. With dangerous roof slides constantly filling in our walk-ways, we are always on alert and looking up as we clear snow. There were even days last week when we had to mark the car so the plow would not hit it! Niseko city did a great job in cleaning up the street in front of our Holiday Niseko office, Asuka, Yukon and the Seshu. Now our guests have a little more space to walk about, cars can pass by each other again and we are ready for more snow. Sweet! clearing up our street in front of the Yukon, Asuka and the Seshu Hiromi's car is under that snow- marked with a pole Holiday Niseko Seshu

Our Holiday Niseko office is snowed in as well as all of our accommodation in Grand Hirafu! But with amazing effort of snow removal, guests are able to get out to ski and snowboard the deep powder with ease this Chinese New Year. The last days of this month have shown everyone what Hokkaido Japan can do and January 2011’s snow depths have buried last season’s mark! Base depths around the Niseko are deeper than normal for this time of year and the village is hyped.

2 meter dump at the Holiday Niseko office

It’s February 1st and the current snow depths are 300cm at the top station of Annupuri, 400cm up top Niseko Village and 450cm on top of Grand Hirafu and Hanazono! The upper lifts have been closed for days due to no-visibility and high avalanche danger from the three day super storm. The steeps and trees in the lower to mid-mountain have kept everyone happy with this 2 meters of fresh powder! hint… (Niseko Gondola to Superstition and Mori-No chair to Misoshiru)

Niseko Village goods!

It will be powder heaven when the weather chills and Niseko United starts running the top lifts and opening the gates! Holiday Niseko

Niseko’s open! With Niseko Ace Quad and Pair lifts open for the second day and one course to shred -skiers and snowboarders are stoked! It’s time to unleash that pent up waiting for snow/weather frustration! With a slow start putting us a little behind on the snow for the season and a bummer forcast for friday rain- All will turn into a happy saturday with snow and colder temps through the weekend and following week. Do your snow dance!! Check out our Christmas Deals on accommodation start planning your powder-fest in Niseko! The Hokkaido snow is coming! Holiday Niseko avi-stoppers

AFTER an estimated 15-20m of snowfall this winter, the lifts has finally been turned off for the season, five and a half months after they started on  ...

NISADE Chairman Jonathan Martin presents an update from Niseko’s finest ski-in ski-out residential complex, The Vale Niseko.

The Vale Niseko hosts Niseko’s best après ski experience. Every Sunday at 3:30pm the Taiko drummers will be out on the après terrace complete with a BBQ by the Vale Bar & Grill, outdoor fires and selection of Japanese beers. Come get your Niseko post powder kick on!

Five sales in two days.

Just recently relaunched, the ski in ski out properties in The Vale Niseko are selling quickly. We are seeing interest from both overseas and in-house guests who have stayed and bought on the spot. Nisade views this buyer splurge as confirmation of the rarity of quality, luxury, ski in ski out properties in Asia. Buyers are purchasing not only because of location but also due to amenity. The Vale’s outdoor heated pool (only one in Niseko), private onsens, international restaurant, chic lobby and apres ski terrace have been a driver in reason to purchase over a other typical Niseko apartments and houses.

Niseko properties have been blanketed by over 80cm of dry Niseko powder the past three days. All Niseko hotels, apartments and chalets will be in peak season this week from which this welcome dump has put a smile on many a guest face. The next three days appear to be the same - too much of a good thing is just unheard of around here. Photos from today…

DETAILS of Niseko’s first master-planned four-seasons resort at Hanazono have been released and a development application will be submitted to g ...

Niseko’s new premium ski-in ski-out property The Vale Niseko is less than 2 weeks from its grand opening. NISADE Chairman Jonathan Martin presents our final project progress update and takes you inside the designer lobby and bar area to show you present the final update on the construction of our flagship Niseko development.

The super efficient Niseko powder provided a fantastic open day for this years season kick off. Niseko properties have been blanketed the past week with around two feet of powder - topped off with sunshine and Yen2000 lifts tickets, many a local were grinning ear to ear. Niseko accommodation in peak season is looking very close to full in many parts of the village. This season looks set to be a blinder with at least three new bars opening in the top village, two new apartment complexes and a host of new guest services.

The Vale Niseko nears completion at the base of Niseko’s ski hills. Positioned on the snow at the base of Niseko Grand Hirafu’s “Family Ski Run” The Vale also enjoys uninterrupted views to the epic Mt Yotei.

Clear glass handrails on the balconies compliment the stunning alpine views.

The designer facade features elements of wood to help blend with the Japanese national park forestry which borders The Vale Niseko.

Ski-in Ski-out, The Vale Niseko lies just a few metres away from the ace family chairlift at the base of the Family Ski Run in Hirafu.

Just weeks before construction completion, workmen work on the glass balconies looking up the ski run.

The family ski run as seen during Autumn from the “01 Series” properties in The Vale Niseko.

The Vale Niseko, the largest residential development in the Hirafu VIllage has become a new landmark development in Niseko.

Exterior style compliments interior luxury.

Mount Yotei as seen from the 05 Series and 06 Series properties in The Vale Niseko.

The 05, 04, 03 and 02 Series properties were designed to maximise views to the stunning Mt Yotei.

Niseko’s new premium ski-in ski-out property The Vale Niseko is less than 8 weeks from its grand opening. NISADE Chairman Jonathan Martin presents our 5th project video update and takes you inside the property to show you some of the finishes and features of The Vale Niseko.

With the snowline creeping further south on Mt Yotei, and snow already spotted atop Mt Annupuri, the NISADE team are getting psyched up for another bumper winter of Niseko’s world famous champagne powder snow. We look forward to welcoming many of you to Niseko so you can enjoy some of the Niseko’s powder yourself!

The Niseko Tourism Board (NPB) have been running a promotion called Niseko for Free whereby people who book accommodation in Niseko can enter a competition to win prizes that include free Niseko accommodation, 100,000yen cashback and a variety of other prizes.

NISADE would like to offer our congratulations to our guests who won prizes during the months Septmeber and October. Prizes which NISADE guests have won include 100,000 cashback, a king crab dinner at Pension Fullnote, Dinner voucher for two at the Niseko Northern Resort, Dinner and onsen voucher for two at Nook Annupuri Restaurant / Ikoi-no-mura, Grand Hirafu T-Shirts, Smith Ski Goggles from Fusion Hirafu and a 5000yen voucher from Good Sports. Well done to everyone and to those of you who have yet to book your accommodation, please be sure to enquire about the Niseko for free campaign at the time of your booking.

Q Is the title of the apartment freehold or leasehold?

The title is strata freehold. Foreigners can purchase property in Japan without restrictions. Q Is a solicitor required for the purchase? What are the costs?

NISADE strongly advises using a solicitor. There are several English speaking professional solicitors familiar with the Niseko market we can recommend. Depending on the level of advice sought, the price starts from approximately ¥150,000. This generally includes search of title, registration and common advice. Q What taxes and other costs are involved in purchasing an apartment in Japan?

Contracts in Japan attract stamp duties and real estate transactions also incur property acquisition tax, which is usually up to 1% of market value and calculated by the local government after completion of the project. There are also other smaller local government and registration taxes. Japan has a 5% consumption tax. The sale price of a NISADE apartment includes this consumption tax. Q What are the agent’s fees?

Real Estate Agent fees in Japan are 3%, paid by both purchaser and developer and a complying fee of ¥60,000 paid by the purchaser. Being the developer, NISADE does not charge agent fees on sales. Q What about finance? Is finance available for my apartment?

Borrowing in yen obviously hedges against volatility in the currency markets however it is very difficult for non-residents to gain financing from Japanese banks. The National Australian Bank (NAB) and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) offered a Niseko specific yen loan packages. The NAB withdrew late last year and earlier this year the CBA suspended their Niseko finance product subject to regular review. Q Are there any tax implications to stop double taxation and generally assist in international tax management?

Buying real estate in Japan follows typical requirements with stamp duties and government purchase taxes applicable. For the Singaporean and Australian purchasers, the Japan Tax Treaty applies to prevent double taxation. You will be required to submit a tax return in both your home country and Japan. Tax treaties also apply to mainland China however Hong Kong is not included in the listed countries. Further information can be obtained from Japan’s Ministry of Finance: http://www.mof.go.jp/english/index.htm or contact us and we will refer experienced Japanese solicitors or accountants. Q I understand that there is capital gains tax in Japan, who much is it?

Non-residents rate is between 39% on resale profits within the first 5 years of ownership. After the initial 5 years this drops to 19%. Q What other taxes are there in Japan?

Fixed asset tax is charged at 1.4% of the local council evaluation. This evaluation of land and building price usually working usually lags true market values by a factor of three or four hence fixed asset tax usually totals approx 0.3% - 0.5% per annum. Foreigners are charged a 10% tax on rental income profits. However, expenses such as holidaying annually to inspect your investment (flights, meals, local transport etc) can be written off against this tax burden. Also, in the first few years it is possible to dramatically depreciate your property (incl. furniture and fittings) and therefore operate at a tax loss. Q Can you negative gear income, claim losses or depreciate the apartment?

If your country has a tax treaty with Japan you may be able to claim against the rental income of the apartment. Q What are the rental returns?

Owners earn 45% -50% of gross rental income, as is fairly standardised in the Niseko property market. Agent letting fees comprise 25%, management fees 10%, and all out outgoing costs including housekeeping, linen, maintenance, electricity, heating, water rates, snow clearing costs, etc add up to between 15 - 20% of gross revenue. Q How do you market my apartment to ensure that I get maximum returns on my investment?

NISADE uses established relationships with several domestic and international wholesale travel agents. We also promote our properties pro-actively online and receive many direct bookings through our website http://www.nisekoalpineaccommodation.com. NISADE employs a full time domestic marketing managing to generate occupancy from the Japanese market, especially through the summer season. Q I can’t speak Japanese. Will it be difficult to buy and the actually own / manage my property?

No. We will introduce you to various English-speaking, Japanese professionals such as lawyers and tax accountants to help you through the purchasing process. As an owner of NISADE property, you will receive English-language assistance from NISADE’s experienced property management team to help them with any issues regarding your investment. A body corporate will assist in guidance of the property management company should individual issues arise. The above article is an excerpt from our Niseko Alpine Review newsletter. To sign up for the latest copy subscribe here.

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Snowfall on Niseko!! The first snowfall of the fast approaching 09/10 winter season has arrived. This year’s snow is early; over two weeks earlier than last year when Mt Yotei recieved its first snow on October 21st.  Surely this very early snow is a telling sign of an epic snow season to come. We cant wait for those fresh powder ski runs!!

Niseko’s ski lifts are expected to officially begin running on Saturday November 21st, however with a bit of luck this could be even earlier. Last year the resort opened on Saturday November 22nd.