Throughout most of the 2010s, the meteoric rise in popularity of Hokkaido's ski resorts among foreign visitors was widely documented in both the domestic and overseas media. In particular, the quiet town of Niseko in southwestern Hokkaido, 100 km west of Sapporo, quickly and somewhat inexplicably rose in prominence among Western expats and tourists despite the numerous other international-grade ski resorts already dotting the Hokkaido landscape.

The region resonated especially strongly with Australians, who began visiting and settling down in increasing numbers year on year, leaving many observers unfamiliar with the charms of the town wondering what all the fuss was about.

The short answer is that the powder snow in the Niseko area is considered by skiing enthusiasts to be some of the best in the world, a far cry from the watery, heavy snow more commonly found in other regions both in Japan and abroad.