If you’re looking to keep your kids active, happy and healthy on your next family holiday, then look no further that Niseko, Japan—one Asia’s top outdoor travel destinations. Niseko turns into a giant playground during its warmer months, when you can try activities like mountain biking, kayaking or whitewater rafting.
To help you get the most out of your holiday, we’ve put together a list of our 7 favourite family-friendly summer activities in Niseko.
To arrange any of the activities below or find out more about Niseko in summer, contact the Ki Niseko Concierge.
Cycling
Look around Niseko during the summertime, and you’re almost certain to see someone riding a bike. Why? Because the quiet roads, mild temperatures, wide footpaths and accessible mountain bike parks make it the perfect place to get around on two wheels, whether you’re a seasoned rider or just learning to balance without training wheels.
For the ultimate family adventure, we recommend Niseko Hanazono’s Mountain Bike Park, which is open to children of all ages and only ¥700 for entry for kids aged 5-12. It’s the ideal place to learn the basics of the sport and have a blast while doing so.
For a great preview of cycling in Niseko, watch “Let’s Cycle Niseko 2015” (below).
Adventure Parks
The adventure park at PURE at Niseko Village is every kid’s dream. Climb along the treetops through the tree trekking course made of ropes, hanging bridges and nets, or test your nerves on the 1.4km zip line tour, the longest in Japan (there are some milder family-friendly zip line courses available too!).
Pure Activity Center’s newest attraction “PURE Adventure” is the best off all. It’s a park filled with inflatable slides, obstacles, a giant maze, and even an enormous “Water Ball” —a floating sphere which you can climb into and roll around in.
You can spend days getting through all the activities at the park, which is more than we can list right here!
The inflatable slides at PURE at Niseko Village. Image: Niseko Village
Fruit Picking
Hokkaido is well known for its fresh produce, and what better to get your kids enjoying healthy living and the great outdoors than by visiting one of the nearby farms and picking fruit! Best of all, as a reward for all your hard work you can gorge yourself on fresh, juicy, fruity goodness!
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Fun Kayaking
Fun Kayaking is just as it sounds. An exciting introductory kayaking experience for children and adults of all ages (parental supervision required for 2-5 year olds). Niseko Hanazono’s experienced guides will show you and your family the basic paddling strokes on the flat water Hanazono Lake, which is a great place to get started, not to mention stunningly beautiful.
Fun kayaking on Lake Hanazono. As fun as it sounds! Image: Hanazono
Night Trekking
Head out under the moonlight and discover a whole new world of sights, sounds and smells, while searching for the elusive Niseko stag beetle. Kids Night Trekking adventures are organized by the Niseko Adventure Center (NAC) and run from July 9 to August 23.
The nighttime trek is suitable for children of all ages, however kids under 6 years old must be accompanies by an adult.
Search for the elusive Niseko stag beetle! Image: NAC
Ice Cream Making
There’s nothing better than a cold, refreshing ice cream on a hot summer day, especially when it’s made using freshly squeezed milk and top quality Hokkaido ingredients. Keep the kids smiling and sign up for an ice cream making workshop in Niseko with Saison Club, where you’ll be rewarded sweetly for all the hard work you put in.
Image: Saison Club
To see more Niseko summer activities like ice cream making, check out our 5 Niseko Summer Activities You Probably Didn’t Know About.
