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Sep 13, 2023

Hokkaido resort Setsu Niseko’s award

NISEKO, Hokkaido – On interior designer Atsushi Uchida’s first visit to Niseko, the spellbinding sight of a full moon casting a warm glow on Mount Yotei – dubbed Hokkaido’s Mount Fuji – reminded him

NISEKO, Hokkaido – On interior designer Atsushi Uchida’s first visit to Niseko, the spellbinding sight of a full moon casting a warm glow on Mount Yotei – dubbed Hokkaido’s Mount Fuji – reminded him of the poetic Japanese expression setsu-getsu-ka.

The phrase, which literally translates to “snow, moon, flowers”, originates from a line in a Tang Dynasty poem: “I think of you, especially when the snow, moon or flowers are beautiful.”

This romanticism inspired the name and the design philosophy behind Setsu Niseko, a new resort owned by Singaporean luxury property developer SC Global.

Mr Uchida is a design director at Field Four Design Office, a Tokyo-based firm that worked on the interior design of the hotel.

Its facade was entrusted to Singaporean architect Mok Wei Wei of W Architects, who has been named in a global list of Top 100 architects.

Naming the hotel Setsu, or “snow”, might seem literal, given Niseko’s reputation as the Aspen of the East for its powder snow. The resort is flanked by Mount Yotei and the ski slopes of Mount Annupuri.

But the expression that inspired its name transcends winter, being a constant reminder to celebrate the importance of nature’s beauty in our lives and cherished moments with our loved ones, says SC Global chairman Simon Cheong.

The 66-year-old has been visiting Niseko in winter with his extended family since 2008, though he also enjoys its cool summers and array of seasonal outdoor activities, from golfing to hiking.

The ski season in Niseko’s Hirafu and Annupuri areas runs until early May. Visitors in April can have the unique experience of skiing in the morning before teeing off on the golf course in the afternoon.

Setsu Niseko was making waves even before its official opening in December 2022, sweeping five gongs at the 2021 PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards in the Greater Niseko category, and Best Hotel Condo Interior Design at the regional grand finals.

The interior design was recognised for “mindfully balancing space, light, texture and emotions to create Japanese-inspired apartments (that) bow to nature and culture”, while the architecture won for its thoughtful design.

It is quite a coup since this is Mr Cheong’s first overseas resort development, Mr Mok’s first project built overseas and Mr Uchida’s first time working with a foreign developer. And, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the construction was largely overseen remotely through weekly Zoom meetings.

This confluence of firsts, they tell The Straits Times, was key to inspiring a resort that is regarded by many as a groundbreaking development in the Niseko area.

Mr Cheong, the self-made real-estate mogul behind landmark condominium projects in Singapore such as The Marq on Paterson Hill, Sculptura Ardmore and Seven Palms Sentosa Cove, had been on his annual pilgrimage to Niseko with his family in 2012 when he twisted his ankle while skiing.

That injury, he says, meant he had a lot of free time to “wander around visiting real estate agencies”, while his children hit the slopes.

“Niseko is a very interesting place, I felt it was a little jewel that needed some polishing,” he says. “My antenna started tingling as a property man. Its fundamentals are very strong, with some of the best powder snow in the world.”

He remembers Niseko at the time as a quieter mountain resort town with small ski lodges, served by mom-and-pop restaurants that were unable to accommodate his group of 10.

“The hotels and apartments were really nothing to shout about. They were very mediocre and yet very expensive. But this presented opportunity, as it meant a shortage of supply,” he says. “There was nothing here that I liked and I thought ‘Maybe there’s an opportunity to build.’”

He bought four plots of land around Niseko, the most expensive and prime location being the one that Setsu now sits on. It was owned by a “lovely elderly lady” who inherited the land from her late husband and, given the sentimental value, quoted a price more than twice the market rate.

“When I first embarked on this project, I didn’t know what I wanted to build,” he says. “I happened on the site and bought it as I liked it, but I also felt Niseko was lacking in a full-service hotel.”

Located on the main street of Grand Hirafu and near a gondola station, Setsu Niseko’s 190 fully furnished, freehold Japanese-style apartments come in sizes ranging from studios to one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units, as well as six penthouses.

It houses Niseko’s largest wellness centre that, at 750 sq m, includes public and private onsen baths, as well as a spa. There are also six restaurants, a ski rental shop and a yoga studio.

Mr Cheong says he wanted to preserve a sense of place while maintaining the communal atmosphere of a cosy lodge.

He has found this to be lacking in Niseko. “You are in Niseko, in Japan, but many of the projects here do not make you feel like you’re in Japan. You could easily be anywhere. There’s no sense of place.”

At Setsu Niseko, there are seasonal activities to mark Japanese festivals such as Setsubun in February, celebrated with bean-throwing to scare demons away and servings of the ehomaki sushi roll, and New Year, ushered in with the traditional sake barrel ceremony, kagami-biraki.

Beyond that, this “sense of place” translates into the property’s interior and exterior aesthetics. It also celebrates Hokkaido artists and culture through artwork such as paintings, sculptures, calligraphy and photography.

Nature and sustainability are important motifs at Setsu Niseko, and this manifests in a timeless design with deep respect for its environment and surroundings.

W Architects’ Mr Mok said the facade design was in part born from local development restrictions.

A “site coverage” ratio of 50 per cent, or the ratio of building area to open space, gave rise to a central open-to-sky courtyard that has water features and terraced landscapes capturing the changing seasons.

And an absolute height limit of 22m resulted in a public ground floor and, depending on which part of the sloping ground the building sits, either four or five storeys of apartments.

“We adopted parameter planning, or to arrange the blocks of the buildings in a way that hugs the parameter of the site, which has the advantage of maximum frontages,” says Mr Mok. “This is good for planning many units with a view, and we could create a courtyard in the middle. This also meant units can be built facing inward.”

And, unlike a typical hotel with a single central lift core, there are nine separate lift cores.

“Apart from the ground floor, each corridor is really short and is designed to convey a sense of intimacy,” Mr Mok says, adding that each lift core serves at most six apartment units. “You have to walk the long corridor only once to get to your lift core to go up to your apartment.”

The facade is also dynamic, with a unique grid-like treatment of timber-framed balconies, panoramic windows and protruding elements.

This starts off stronger at the main road junction before tapering off further down the road, which Mr Mok describes as “a little bit of a playful element”.

This was also functional, as it allows for floating tatami rooms and terraces in some units. Panoramic windows are also strategically placed for stunning views of either Mount Yotei, Mount Annupuri or the exquisitely landscaped courtyard.

Mr Uchida’s team from Field Four imbued the interior with modern detailing that also embraces the understated elegance of Japanese design.

There is extensive use of timber, shoji paper screen doors and tatami rooms that extend into the living space. Built-in daybeds are inspired by the engawa corridor that mediates the interior and exterior spaces of traditional townhouses.

There are other subtle details that may go unnoticed.

The size of the windows facing Mount Yotei was intended to frame the mountain like a portrait. And in courtyard-facing units, the interior screens and blinds are designed in such a way that people can look out at the courtyard without being able to see into facing units.

Mr Uchida says the traditional Japanese spaces are also designed relative to the eye level of the person sitting on a tatami mat, a feature that was employed in the interior design.

“The DNA of the concept may be Japanese, but the expression is global,” he says, with his colleague Tomomi Takita adding that one of the biggest challenges stemmed from “bridging the gap between how we in Japan see ourselves and how Japan is seen from the outside”.

Now that Setsu is open, Mr Cheong is setting his sights on building SC Global’s portfolio of properties in Japan.

“This will not be the last. There are many places like Kyoto, Karuizawa and Myoko. This is for a bit of a selfish reason, because I like coming to Japan. If you’re passionate, everything will fall into place.”

Setsu Niseko has 190 fully furnished freehold units of varying sizes – from studio apartments to one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units, plus six penthouses. These are managed as condominium hotel residences and are available for sale and investment, and come with full professional management and leasing services.

Guests may access a 24-hour gym, and public and private onsen hot springs that tap mineral-rich spring water from 800m underground. There is also a kids’ playroom.

Public facilities include Rikka Spa, a tie-up with one of Japan’s top day spas Lapidem, and Studio En, a yoga studio with classes in a range of styles.

There are six eateries, including sister restaurants of two-Michelin star Tempura Araki and one-star French restaurant meli melo. The latter uses fresh Hokkaido ingredients in its offerings and serves coffee from Sapporo-founded Baristart Coffee.

Setsu Niseko also houses Afuri Ramen’s first Hokkaido outlet, with a menu of craft cocktails; Sushi Kato Inori, the outpost of 60-year-old Hokkaido crab specialist Kato Seafood; and an outpost of Singapore wine bar Park90. The sixth, Luke’s Oyster Bar and Chop House, will open next winter.

Setsu Niseko is not a ski-in, ski-out facility, but operates regular shuttle services in winter to the Grand Hirafu Gondola, which is fewer than 10 minutes’ walk away. On-site snow sports gear retailer Rhythm offers equipment for rent.

As part of its sustainability commitment, materials are sourced locally as far as possible. Body soap, shampoo and conditioner are made from the fragrant silver birch sap from nearby Rankoshi, while other amenities such as toothbrushes, toothpaste and razors are available only upon request.

Where: 6-9 1-jo 2-chome, Niseko Hirafu, Kutchan-cho, Abuta-gun, Hokkaido, 044-0080 JapanTel: +81 (0) 136 55 7882Reservations: +81 (0) 136 55-5131 or [email protected]. A minimum stay of three nights is mandatory during the winter peakInfo: Go to setsuniseko.com/en

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