Higashiyama Niseko Village

Japan doesn’t often spring top of mind when you think “world’s best ski resorts,” but it should. Higashiyama Niseko Village has perfected everything from ski bunny exploits to apres-ski thrills, all right on the minimalist and beautiful grounds. Here, you can opt to join their expert ski guides on the powdery slopes at Niseko United ski area—which gets 60 feet of fresh snow a year (for comparison, Aspen, Colorado averages just 153 inches). Visiting in summer? Pristine golf courses, horseback rides and guided hikes await. Of course, plenty of guests simply find an excuse to hole up in their beguiling, minimum 560 square foot rooms—with serene, modern custom furniture inspired by ancient japanese aesthetics and bathrooms that have found their muse in local onsen hot springs (i.e.: you’ll have a rainforest shower and a soaking tub so luxe you’ll never want to get out of it).

A sleek 50-room mountainside lodge with three locavore restaurants and a spa inspired by surrounding forests.

Viewless. Your room’s floor-to-ceiling windows will overlook mount Yotei, an active stratovolcano, or Niseko Annupuri International Ski Area.

The resort uses springwater that spends up to a century transforming from snow melt into pure local streams for everything from the hand-carved cocktail ice cubes to the onsen water.

Curled up by a flickering fire watching snow dust the landscape beyond floor-to-ceiling windows, you feel like you’ve reached true zen. When the waiter hands you your aged Japanese whisky, it’s official; you have.

Yukibana - focused on local ingredients offering freshly baked breads and pastries in the morning, and seasonal meats, seafood and produce in the evening Ume Lounge - the heart of the hotel, this lounge features creative cocktails, locally brewed beers and a selection of izakaya-style dishes Sushi Nagi - omakase-style sushi experience