Niseko Hanazono Resort, Kutchan-cho

Hanazono is popular again after Park Hyatt Hotel opening in 2022

(visited as a ski resort in February) Like the rest of Niseko, Hanazono benefits from amazing snow conditions, and seems to mostly piste their runs well. The lifts are by far the most modern (and expensive looking) but seem poorly planned. The 8 man gondola goes honestly nowhere and the 6 man chair lift has awful heated seats (I would assume everyone is dressed properly and getting cooked on the way up the lift is just uncomfortable if you already had properly insulated clothing for skiing). The "park" is a joke with 4 medium jumps that are often closed and a couple rails/boxes at the bottom. The jumps are not marked off properly and you will frequently see people standing around in the landing asking to get killed by anyone trying to use the features. The food is excellent with a lovely cafeteria at the base of Hanazono.