Winter tourism booms at Niseko, Hokkaido, bringing economic development

Known for the world's best powder snow, the ski resorts in Niseko have received more tourists from both home and abroad this year, and are expected to reach historic highs.

Located in the western part of Hokkaido, Niseko covers an area of 197.13 square kilometers (19,713 hectares), with a resident population of less than 5,100. With four major ski resorts, it attracts 700,000 ski enthusiasts from in and outside Japan each winter.

With its rich snow resources, especially its powder snow, Niseko is again witnessing the coming of its high tourist season this year.

"The snow here is much softer than Europe, it's amazing," said a British tourist.

"Skiing feels very smooth here; I was just sliding down while listening to music, and it's great," said a tourist from China.

According to the staff members at the ski resort, visitors to Niseko typically stay for about five days to a week, while professional skiers may even stay for a whole month, which also boost local hotel and homestay business.

There are over 30 homestays, youth hostels, and international chain hotels surrounding the four major ski resorts in Niseko.

Most hotels have direct access to the ski slopes, also known as ski-in/ski-out accommodations, ensuring a seamless connection between the pistes and the hotels.

"The number of tourists that the ski resort has received so far this year is noticeably higher than last year. If snowfall remains steady, this year's numbers of visits are expected to reach a historic high," said a person in charge of a ski resort.

The development of the snow economy has brought business opportunities to the area.

Many food carts from other areas have come all the way to this region during the snow season as they are hoping to achieve their annual sales targets in these approximately four months.

"We came from Otaru, Hokkaido. Our food cart business is open from December to mid-March and we have around 200 guests per day during the busiest time. We expect to maintain this level throughout the entire snow season this year," said a food cart owner.

Winter tourism booms at Niseko, Hokkaido, bringing economic development

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that the situation in Iran is "under total control" following violence linked to protests that spiked over the weekend.

Addressing foreign diplomats in Tehran, the foreign minister noted that armed terrorist groups had infiltrated the protests, attempting to divert them from their legitimate course. He claimed that evidence has been gathered showing Iranian security forces being shot at, with the aim of causing further casualties. He accused the United States and Israel of exploiting the unrest to interfere in Iran's internal affairs.

Araghchi further stated that the government is closely monitoring developments on the streets, emphasizing that "the situation has come under control." He also affirmed that internet services, curtailed during the unrest, would be restored after coordination with security agencies.

The government has engaged in dialogue with merchants and protest representatives and initiated reforms to address grievances related to price hikes and currency depreciation. Iran has taken a series of actions and measures to respond to the demands of peaceful demonstrators, the foreign minister said.

Earlier on Sunday, Araghchi said that clear evidence links recent riots and vandalism of public facilities in Iran to the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. This came after former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mentioned Mossad agents operating on Iran's streets in a social media post. The Iranian foreign minister asserted that police are being attacked by "terrorists" acting under the direction of Israeli operatives, whom Pompeo publicly acknowledged.

The protests initially erupted over a sharp depreciation of the rial and sweeping subsidy reforms. Iranian authorities have blamed the unrest on foreign-linked agents and U.S. sanctions.

Iranian foreign minister says situation "fully under control," accuses Israeli intelligence of stoking unrest