In Japan’s ski hub, deep snow can’t hide gripes, inflation and polarisation

2026.03.20 06:50 Foreign tourists skiing and snowboarding at the Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu ski resort in Kutchan, Japan’s Hokkaido prefecture. Photo: AFP Beneath the powder snow at internationally popular Japanese ski resort Niseko, anxiety is mounting among residents over soaring prices and a massive influx of overseas workers. At a time when Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is talking tough on immigration, upscale Niseko has never been more popular with seasonal workers, investors and skiers from across the globe. The snow “is the best in the world”, said Gideon Masters, a 29-year-old Australian tourist. “It’s just soft, powder fluff. You can pick it up with your bare hands, it doesn’t even feel cold … It’s just a shame that it’s become so populated,” he said at the foot of the slopes, snowboard in hand. Built in the 1960s on the northern island of Hokkaido, the resort began attracting foreigners, mainly Australians, in the 1990s and became a popular destination after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001 for those wanting to avoid the United States. They gradually opened more shops and acquired property, and were later joined by Asian investors from Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, among others, pushing land prices ever higher. In Hirafu, one of the four resorts that make up Niseko, land prices jumped 70 per cent between 2020 and 2025. Foreign tourists enjoy food and drinks in front of a food truck in Kutchan. Photo: AFP “If ski resorts in Japan had stayed the way they used to be, they would never have gained such worldwide renown,” said Hiroshi Hasegawa, director of a local real estate agency. “It’s thanks to the taste and sensibilities of Australians and New Zealanders that this town has grown.” They are no longer alone, with “funds based in tax havens and all kinds of investors [who] have started pouring money in. Hollywood stars and artists come here, and owners of multinationals are buying second homes”, he added. “All of this is driving prices up even further”,

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