It’s getting to about that time where you pack away the skis and snowboards for the season and dust the cobwebs off your skateboard and bike. Summer is finally here, and while for some that simply means relaxing in the sun and firing up the charcoal BBQ’s, for many others it’s the busiest season of the year, with a tonne of different summer activities and events popping up in Niseko each and every week.
If you are visiting Niseko during the summer months, there’s no shortage of choices on offer, regardless of when you come. From world-class golf tournaments, to high-octane mountain biking trails, to the annual Kutchan Potato Festival, you’ll undoubtedly find Niseko’s green season equally as exciting as the winter months.
Summer Activities
Golf
Summertime breeze, luscious greens and Mt Yotei in the distance – name a better place to play golf than Niseko?
It’s every golf lovers dream, with over 170 golf courses located on the island of Hokkaido, and two of the nations more revered courses based in Hanazono and Niseko Village.
Camping
If you aren’t keen on camping around Hokkaido, it’s because you haven’t looked into how good camping in Hokkaido actually is. From the serene landscape of Lake Toya, to getting pitted in the surf breaks of Shiraoi, Hokkaido offers a range of different camping destinations each with their own unique attractions on offer.
Mountain Biking
Outside of hosting the best powder in the world in the winter season, Niseko also offers world-class mountain biking trails suitable for riders of all skillsets. Giving riders the option to explore the region in exciting new ways, regardless of if they want to fang downhill trails or go for scenic cruises with 360-degree views.
Rafting
Niseko is surrounded by a range of rivers, including the Shiribetsu, which offers over 7 km of thrilling, high-octane white-water rapids, as well as beginner friendly areas suitable for a leisurely kyak.
Hiking
If you’ve ever been to Niseko during the winter, you know how insane the views are from the top of the ski resorts – now imagine hiking around that same area in the warm summer heat. Head out with some friends, picnic in some of the best views in the world, and explore the world-class terrain of Niseko.
Fly-Fishing
You may not know this, but Niseko is actually the host of some of the best fly-fishing destinations worldwide. If you can name a fish, you can catch it in Niseko – making a pair of waders a pretty essential purchase for the summer months.
Skating
If you’re craving a shred during the summer months but can’t get out on the snowboard, why not swap your board out for one with four wheels? And no, for those worrying, that doesn’t mean you need to hill-bomb Hirafu – you can also shred the pop-up skatepark, pump track and mini-ramp at Rhythm Hirafu’s Activity Hub.
Rhythm Activity Hub
It’s not just pop-up skateparks that Rhythm’s Activity Hub hosts, with the Hub offering up a range of activities for visitors, including indoor bouldering complete with kilter board, outdoor trampolines, slacklines, communal workspaces and more.
Sapporo Classic’s
If you’re like us, warm summertime weather more or less always equates to wanting an ice-cold beer. So if you’re craving a chilled Sapporo Classic to finish up a day of activity in the sun, drop by our Rhythm & Beans cafe for a fresh tap-beer on our outdoor deck. If beers aren’t your flavour, we also offer up a range of cocktails.
Summer Events
Hanazono Summer Gondola Opens
Enjoy the best parts of mountain hiking (walking downhill), with the Hanazono Summer Gondolas. Get access to the best views of the region, exclusive mountain bike and hiking trails, and surreal picnic spots with the ease of Hanazono’s gondola systems.
Date TBC – Likely Late April – Early May
Niseko Gravel Spring Ride
Perfect for spectators and those looking to advance their mountain biking skills in a competitive environment, the Niseko Gravel Spring Ride sees riders take on trails through remote forests, mellow farmlands and up winding mountainous trails.
Date TBC – Likely Mid-May
Yosakoi Soran Festival
Watch thousands of traditional Japanese dancers transform Odori park into a celebration of arts, performance and culture, at the Yosakoi Soran Festival.
Date TBC – Likely Early June
Rides and Shine
Run by a handful of Rhythm’s local legends, Rides and Shine offers an all-inclusive social bike ride around Hirafu and Kutchan in the early morning, helping you to start your day with a healthy dose of social exercise.
If you want to join but don’t have a bike, you can rent one from Rhythm Hirafu for ¥1,000 per event.
Date TBC – Usually Every Tuesday.
Niseko Classic
As one of 26 event locations worldwide to take part in the World UCI Gran Fondo event, the Niseko Classic sees competitive cyclists compete in a high level competition around 150 km of Niseko’s roadways.
Date TBC – Likely Mid-June
Furubira Fire Festival
The Furubira Fire Festival is one of the most memorable events on Hokkaido’s 2024 calendar. This tengu (a supernatural demon) themed festival features local performers dressing up in tengu outfits and taking part in a series of firewalking rituals in hopes of securing safety at sea and big catches of seafood.
Date TBC – Likely Early July
NAC Trail Run
One of the only events that takes place rain, hail or shine, the NAC Trail Run sees competitors take part in either a 5, 10, or 30km trail run up the slopes of Mt Annupuri.
Date TBC– Likely Early September
Kyogoku Cold Water Festival
If there’s one thing the doctor always says, it’s to drink more water, so why not head to the Kyogoku Cold Water Festival and celebrate the abundance of natural spring water in Hokkaido, at a unique rural Japanese festival?
Date TBC – Likely July
Kutchan Potato Festival
As with a lot of the events on this list, the Kutchan Potato Festival is truly a unique experience that you’d be stretched to find anywhere else in the world. Celebrating Kutchan’s famous potatoes, the Kutchan Potato Festival offers visitors a variety of food options, plenty of festival games and an ‘all you can take’ potato event, in which visitors are allowed to collect as many potatoes as they can humanely carry from a massive stack of locally sourced spuds.
The celebration also features live performances each day, giant paper lantern parades, and daily firework displays.
Date TBC– Likely Mid-July – Mid-August
Niko Niko Festival
Celebrating the sights, sounds and scents of traditional Japan, the Niko Niko Summer Festival is a two day event that sees vivid decorations and various food stalls kitchen cars line the streets of Niseko village as a celebration of traditional Japanese culture amongst the scenery of old school Japanese minka’s (houses).
Date TBC– Likely Mid-July – Mid-August
Niseko Marathon Festival
While the name may be slightly deceiving due to the overall distance, the annual Niseko Marathon Festival is a fun-run event in and around the hills of Niseko that anyone can join up to.
Date TBC– Likely Mid-September
Konpira Temple Autumn Festival
One of the last festivals of the green-season, the Annual Konpira Temple Festival sees Kutchan celebrate the end of autumn and the start of winter in a three day festival.
Date TBC– Likely Mid-October
Sapporo Summer Festival
A 1 km long beer garden and a bunch of food trucks? Say less, we’re in. Visit Odori Park this summer for the world famous Sapporo Summer Festival for an epic celebration of food, beer and dancing.
Date TBC– Likely Mid-July – Mid-August
Jolly Fox International
How confident are you that you can get a hole in one? ¥5m confident? If so, the Jolly Fox Niseko is the event for you. Join in the famous golf competition for three rounds of golf, a ¥5m hole-in-one comp, and a ¥1m putting competition.
Date TBC– Likely Early August
Hanazono Hill Climb
Come along and watch as cyclists sprint race from the local CBD Watch or join this cycling sprint from the local CBD in Kutchan to the mountain-top Goshiki onsen.
Date TBC– Likely Early August
