These next few days are going to be much of a muchness really! Day 1 of skiing saw B up bright and early at our accomodation in Hanazono – Freedom Inn. We like it here because it is off the beaten track so way less drunk muppets and bogans. B was at Hanazono at 8:30am on the dot ready to ski!
I caught the free shuttle bus from Hanazono to Hirafu upper village and went for a wander. I enjoyed the onsen at Niseko Prince Hotel which is a 5 min walk from the welcome centre. In winter it is open from 7-10:30am and 3-9pm at a cost of ¥1000. The outside bath view was stunning.
I then wandered around to some local shops and did some people watching while enjoying a baileys hot chocolate before I walked back (with a lovely view of Mt Yotei!) to enjoy an afternoon of reading at Freedom Inn.
B arrived back off the slopes just before 4:30pm and we headed off to the Hotel Youtei onsen together so he could enjoy a hot soak. Dinner tonight was quite late as we had to make a reservation to get into Steak Rosso Rosso in Lower Hirafu village and this was the only time they had. They are not a cheap option but are lovely for a treat meal. We went with their seat meal option which included a starter, entree, steak of your choosing and dessert. We chose the ohmi 150g steak which is a type of wagyu beef (A4 for anyone really into their steak) and it comes served medium rare with a hot stone so you can cook it to your own preference. The beef was delicious – so tender. I also had some Japanese plum wine called ‘umeshu’ which came served with soda water and was really nice.
Steps not counted today
Japanese food eaten: terrible ramen at a snow cafe, pocky, wagyu beef, Hokkaido scallops and uneshu plum wine
Mel's Travel Blog 