Detour #89: Sapporo to Niseko, Japan
A drive through Japan’s frozen north is a journey that’s alternately zen-like in its tranquil beauty and treacherously terrifying.
The roads and pavements of Sapporo may well be heated, but queuing outside the tiny ramen bar is a chilling experience. Finally, after what seems like hours, I’m squeezed in next to a capacity crowd who are noisily slurping their noodles (it enhances the flavour, apparently) and sipping cold beer.
My order arrives quickly, and is the most delicious I’ve ever tasted. The rich kotteri broth is unique to the island of Hokkaido and both noodles and accompanying Sapporo beer go down with ease. With a full stomach I’m ready to brave the sub-zero temperatures again and explore Hokkaido’s biggest city.
The two-million-strong population are all dressed for the conditions and the streets are busy with late night shoppers and bar hoppers. If it wasn’t for the ski jump at Okurayama it would seem like any other Japanese city, full of neon lights at night and the odd salaryman weaving homewards having overdone the after-work drinks.
Where you might expect the condition to favour all-wheel-drive SUVs, it’s the Toyota Crown taxis and tiny kei cars that dominate the roads, so I feel better about my choice of car for this trip to the ski resort town of Niseko — a Mazda MX-5 RF.
Early the next morning, I climb aboard, switch on the heated driver’s seat, turn the blower on full, and lower the roof. It’s a crisp minus five degrees, but stays pretty toasty inside.
Out of Sapporo I pass through farmland that is completely covered in snow. Hokkaido is the garden of Japan, famous for its potatoes, dairy products and, oddly, ostriches. But under the thick blanket of winter none are to be seen. Fruits and vegetables are hidden inside greenhouses, while the bovines are birds are staying warm in their sheds.
It’s serenely calm. Flowing gently through this monochrome landscape on roads with low speed limits and even lower levels of grip. With its winter tyres the little Mazda does just fine though and I’ve always enjoyed being roofless in the winter, breathing in crisp air, even if it does momentarily freeze the hairs in my nose.
As Route 230 takes turns into the Nakayama Pass the weather also takes a turn. Climbing higher and higher the visibility drops to almost zero. The snow falls and I raise the roof on the Mazda.
This hairpin-strewn road should present stunning views of Mount Yotei but I can’t see a thing. Driving blind between high snowbanks the only way to gauge where the road is going is to look up at the suspended markers. I’m not sure if it’s better or worse not being able to witness the massive drops off the edge of the pass. Intense concentration is required, even though I’m barely travelling above a walking pace.
Eventually I slither through the worst and descend towards Niseko, finally getting a glimpse of Yotei, a volcanic cone almost as perfect in its symmetry as the thunder-stealing Mount Fuji.
Niseko itself is a delightful, booming, ski town. The Hilton hotel has a ski lift that actually enters the building, while stylish minimalist chalets are everywhere. It’s not cheap to ski here, but the deep powder is like nothing I’ve experienced in Europe or North America.
And the same is true of the drive to get here.
Words Nik Berg Twitter | Instagram
Photography Shutterstock & Nik Berg
A version of this chilly drive first appeared in Mazda Zoom-Zoom magazine
