Experience sustainability through travel: A solo trip to Niseko, Hokkaido

The setting is Niseko Town, Hokkaido, which was chosen as one of the world's top 100 "sustainable tourist destinations." This trip will encourage you to think about the natural environment of your destination and the problem of overtourism, and you will get to experience sustainability in a way that makes it your own.

What is sustainable travel style?

Imagine what SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) you can work towards at your destination. For example, choose a method of transportation that emits less carbon dioxide, choose a restaurant that is working to reduce food waste, or decline cleaning if you are staying for multiple nights. Simple actions can be an approach to sustainable travel.

Another thing I would like to suggest is solo travel. Solo travel is a very flexible style of travel, allowing you to plan your own schedule and itinerary without being influenced by the schedules of your companions. It is also a good way to create time to carefully face each challenge and experience what each person can do.

With the recent trend of overtourism and the need to travel in a more crowd-free environment, it's the perfect time to take a solo trip. Why not take this opportunity to try something new and take on the challenge of sustainable solo travel?

Niseko Town, a sustainable tourist destination recognized worldwide

If you want to practice sustainable tourism, we recommend Niseko Town, which was chosen for the second consecutive year as one of the top 100 sustainable tourism destinations in the world by Green Destinations, an international certification organization for sustainable tourism destinations. Niseko Town is one of Hokkaido's leading resort areas, visited by many tourists throughout the year, and is located west of Mount Yotei, known as "Ezo Fuji" for its beautiful shape.

Niseko is an area that attracts many tourists from all over the world, and as such, it is also active in sustainable tourism. Many people enjoy spending time alone here, perhaps because the area's approach to overtourism and efforts to protect the environment and coexist with nature make it a comfortable place to spend time alone.

Niseko Town has also rediscovered bicycles as a convenient means of transportation in everyday life. Aiming to replace cars with bicycles as much as possible, the "Niseko Town Ordinance to Promote Appropriate Use of Bicycles" was enacted in 2021. Depending on the snow conditions, electric-assist bicycles can be rented from late April to the end of October at the tourist information center at Niseko Station. Even if you are usually active and get around by rental car, when you travel to Niseko, you can abandon your time-pressured schedule and enjoy a "relaxed trip" by renting a bicycle.

Niseko Green Bike Plus Bicycle Rental

From here, we will introduce some sustainable spots that we recommend during your stay in Niseko. There are many different approaches to sustainable travel. Why not use this article as a reference to think about "sustainable choices" that you can make while traveling?

Coexistence with Ezo red foxes at "Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu"

In Hokkaido, you can encounter Ezo red foxes and Hokkaido deer not only in the forests, but also along the roads. Although it varies slightly depending on the location, Ezo red foxes are raising their young in Hokkaido from around May to August, so if you visit Niseko around this time, you may be able to meet a cute little fox.

But have you ever heard that even if you come across an Ezo red fox, you shouldn't touch it carelessly? This is partly for the sake of wildlife protection, but also because Ezo red foxes carrying a parasite called "Echinococcus" can act as vectors and cause a disease called "Echinococcosis" (liver dysfunction, etc.). Even if you don't touch them directly, you can become infected by eating wild plants or spring water contaminated with Ezo red fox feces.

The WAO Niseko Yotei Rediscovery Association is tackling this issue. Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu, a popular ski resort in winter and a highland resort in the green season, is cooperating with the WAO Niseko Yotei Rediscovery Association's echinococcus eradication activities, feeding echinococcus repellent-containing bait to red foxes around the Summer Gondola, Hotel Niseko Alpen, and Rest House Ace Hill to eradicate the echinococcus that parasitizes their bodies. Through this activity, they aim to coexist with red foxes, which are the main source of echinococcosis infection.

Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu offers a wide range of activities throughout the year, from skiing and other winter sports in the winter to relaxing naps at observation spots in the summer. By choosing spots that promote coexistence with animals for your travel experiences, you can say that you are supporting their values and participating in sustainable activities.

Niseko Tokyu Grand Hirafu

Zaborin: Eco-friendly accommodation that respects the environment and culture

Zaborin is a modern inn built with a new sensibility to blend in with the magnificent scenery of the area. The comfortable space, based on the traditional Japanese traditions and aesthetic sense that have been cultivated since ancient times, welcomes travelers who come in search of healing, nature, and a quiet environment. The 15 suite-style rooms, each with a different atmosphere, are the ultimate private space, equipped with an indoor bath and an open-air bath with free-flowing hot spring water from the source on the premises.

There are many hot springs around Niseko that are rich in metasilicic acid, which promotes skin metabolism, and the source of the "Zabourin" spring also contains this metasilicic acid, which is great for expecting skin-beautifying effects. Enjoy the luxury of time and your skin to your heart's content in your own hot spring while gazing at the majestic nature beyond the virgin birch forest.

The exterior walls of the Zaborin building are made of environmentally friendly materials. In addition, the hot spring water that wells up on the premises is reused for underfloor heating. In summer, the spring water is circulated through the floors and wine cellar, reducing electricity consumption and keeping the building comfortable.

If you love nature, choosing a lodging that respects and cares for the natural environment so that it can be enjoyed forever and that future generations can enjoy its blessings is a sustainable approach to travel.

Zaborin

Garden restaurant 817 joins Hokkaido's first sustainable restaurant list and receives three stars

Dining is one of the great pleasures of traveling, so why not choose a restaurant that is committed to sustainable practices? "Garden restaurant817" is the first restaurant in Hokkaido to join the "Japan Sustainable Restaurant Association," an association of restaurants that consider sustainability, and is one of the restaurants that has received a three-star rating.

The building of "Garden restaurant817" is made of environmentally friendly building materials such as fallen trees and waste materials from Lake Shikotsu, and natural paints. In addition to vegetables from the garden, the ingredients used in the dishes are also sourced from within an 80km radius. Food waste is composted and used to nourish vegetables again. Vegetable scraps are used as food for chickens, and the chickens share the blessings of eggs with the restaurant, making it a restaurant where you can experience the cycle of nature.

A "morning plate" is available from 8am, so if you choose to stay at an accommodation near Niseko Station and then cycle out to breakfast the next morning, this is a great plan that allows you to avoid crowds and enjoy a leisurely breakfast.

Garden restaurant817

Souvenirs are from "Hikobayu", born from the forests of Niseko

When choosing souvenirs from Niseko, which strives to coexist with nature, why not choose something made from natural resources that utilize local resources? With more time spent at home, many people are enjoying aromatherapy at home. The "Hikobayu" we would like to introduce is an essential oil made from the Japanese Sakhalin fir trees of the Niseko forest, and is recommended for such people.

Todomatsu essential oil is expected to have air purification, antiviral effects, and to alleviate hay fever by coating pollen. The scent is a refreshing green note. If you are using tea tree or eucalyptus essential oils to prevent viruses and hay fever, why not try "Hikobayu" once? You will be able to relive the memories of the forest bathing you enjoyed in Niseko.

The lineup also includes candles and insect repellent sprays that use fir essential oil. Unlike conventional forestry, Hikobayu products are made using self-cutting forestry, which is profitable and environmentally friendly without destroying the forest. A portion of the sales is used to create forests and foster the future, so by purchasing products, you can feel that you are indirectly involved in these activities.

Hikobayu

It doesn't have to be complicated; small actions and choices can lead to sustainable travel, such as being considerate of the natural environment of your destination and eliminating overtourism. Even if each individual's actions are small, they can bear great fruit when many people take on the challenge and continue doing so. Why not think about the future of the Earth as your own concern through sustainable tourism, so that we can pass on the baton of a beautiful Earth to all living things that will be born on Earth in the future?