NISEKO

Hokkaido powder, onsen towns and a quieter side of Japan’s north. We book this one in January, well before the crowds arrive. Two hours away in Sapporo, Moerenuma Park is Isamu Noguchi’s last great work: a former landfill shaped into a single sculpture you can walk across. At Upopoy in Shiraoi, the national museum of the Ainu shows the carving and textile traditions of Hokkaido’s indigenous people. In summer the valley turns green and almost empty, with hiking, cycling and farm produce.