Its raining in the village today. It’s quite warm at zero degrees celsius  This is the first time in six years we have experienced rain. Usually its a snow storm or “brizzard” that puts the lifts on hold and gives us the opportunity to do something other than ski.

No worries. Time to reacquaint ourselves with the village. Discover the new. Revisit old haunts. The Japanese certainly have a quirky sense of humour. Walking around the village this sign caught my eye. We are definitely eating here. For many years we religiously ate spicy ramen for lunch at a barely off piste restaurant called Hirafu Fleur. Big steaming bowls of ramen served with a chilli rating of 0 for the timid to a searing 7 for the firebrands. A rating of 3 was more than enough for most patrons.

Last year with all the redevelopment in the village our lunch time haunt disappeared. We are hoping that Niseko Ramen turns out to be our old friends from Hirafu Fleur.