I was just looking at some of the accommodation listings on the site for Niseko.

I remember talk of nice new places being built all the time etc, but there really are some very nice looking places appearing of late.

I won't be going this season, but just out of curiosity, is there much traditional Japanese-style accommodation left up there - or is lots of it new or being converted to new?

There's still plenty of pensions in the village and most of the hotels are still running. Still if you were a pension owner who'd been struggling to make much of a buck during the last 15 years or so then now is definitely time to sell up and enjoy retirement.

Are there getting less of those each year now I suppose?

Are pensions "traditional Japanese-style"?

Then again, I bet most Irish pubs in Asia sell themselves as "traditional".

Guess it's what's meant by traditional. They seem pretty common in Japanese ski areas and are not unlike a ryokan in that you get a room with breakfast included. Maybe they're the modern traditional ski accomm

You're probably right GN in that that is what is meant, but if you ask the tourist office at any Japanese ski resort for "traditional Japanese-style accomodation", they wouldn't put you in a pension. For pension in Japanese, Japanese wikipedia says "western style minshuku (family run accommodation), usually serving western food".

I wouldn't call a pension traditional Japanese style.

Niseko seems quite unique in all those lovely looking apartments going up etc.

Must say, I really like a quality modern Japanese style ryokan.

Yeah pensions are definitely more like B&B's though many here do have Japanese or western style rooms (or combination). Hirafu is not exactly an old town steeped in Japanese history so it's little wonder there's no real traditional Japanese accomm. Let's face it Hokkaido as whole has a very limited history (Japanese) compared to the rest of Japan.