For some it was a flash in the pan, at best an experiment destined to fail, at worst a mini-bubble hyper-inflated by greedy ¡°outsiders¡± with little interest other than the type accumulating in the bank.
For others, however, the Niseko ski resort in southwest Hokkaido is much more than just a picturesque snow globe waiting to be smashed. A criticism often leveled at Niseko¡¯s real estate boom that started around eight years ago is that it has lacked planning and long-term vision, with some developments showing little concern for building codes or the local environment.
If Italo-Australian architect, designer and master planner Riccardo Tossani has his way, all of this is about to change. ¡°We¡¯re seeing a shift in the type of force that is developing this area,¡± says Tossani at his second home in the village of Hirafu, which he terms ¡°the nexus of the area¡¯s social activities.¡±
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