sam
19-03-2011, 02:33 PM
In case anyone's interested
[e-mail to AAC members and friends]
As friends of Japan, our immediate thoughts are with those affected by the terrible Sendai earthquake and tsunami which struck the Tohoku region of Honshu. The deepest sympathies and heartfelt goodwill of Australians are with the people of Japan at this time. These tragic events understandably feature heavily in this e-mail.
Niseko shaken
Hokkaido is generally more geologically stable than the main Japanese island of Honshu, but we have had a few enquiries about the impact of the earthquake on Niseko last week. Chris Holmes, our lodge manager, reports that Niseko shook for about 15 minutes on 11 March, during an earthquake 500 km distant which registered 9 on the Richter Scale (apparently about 8,000 times greater than the earthquake which struck Christchurch in February). As with the rest of Japan, strict building codes have meant that no major structures appear to have collapsed as a result of the earthquake and there was no physical damage recorded in Niseko. There was some flooding as a result of the tsunami in the southern Hokkaido coastal town of Hakodate, but we understand that key infrastructure such as the 53km Seikan Tunnel under the Tsugaru Strait between Honshu and Hokkaido was undamaged.
Niseko activities scaled back
Activities in Niseko have been scaled back out of respect for the thousands of victims of the tsunami and their bereaved families (more details here). International and particularly domestic tourism to Niseko has also dramatically fallen since the earthquake.
Donations
The Niseko community is collecting donations, both warm clothing and financial assistance for the tsunami victims. Several local fundraising events have already been organised. People wishing to make donations can also do so through the Australian Red Cross Japan & Pacific Disaster Appeal 2011, the Salvation Army or the Japanese Red Cross Society. Please consider making a donation to these important and urgent humanitarian appeals. Note also that donations to the Australian-based charities are tax-deductible for Australian residents.
Resilience
While there is clearly a major effort still underway to fix the problems at the Fukushima power station, the Japanese have demonstrated considerable resilience in dealing with a major national emergency through their high levels of disaster preparedness and strong social solidarity. There are currently some disruptions such as power shortages as a result of the earthquake, but it should be expected that these will be addressed as a matter of some urgency. In the medium and longer term there will clearly be a major reconstruction and recovery task ahead in the Tohoku region.
Australian tourism
Niseko remains a safe destination and after the situation on Honshu stabilises there is every reason to expect that Australian interest in Niseko will return strongly for the next White Season. There may also be some discounting to complement the recovery process in the Japanese tourism sector.
Niseko growth prospects
Demonstrating strong confidence in Niseko, the Hong Kong-based property developer Pacific Century Premium Developments Ltd recently announced that it will invest more than 100 billion Yen to construct two hotels, a hot-spring facility and 3,000 condominium units in the vicinity of the Hanazono Ski Resort. A Japanese subsidiary will spearhead the project and plans to begin by constructing four condominium buildings and a roughly 200-room hotel that will open in 2014. Currency converted, this represents an investment of A$1.25 billion, probably one of the biggest alpine resort investments anywhere.
Save the date
AAC Niseko AGM will be held at 7:30pm on Tuesday 17 May 2011 at the Royal Brighton Yacht Club. The AGM will be followed by a social event with members of the Anton (Hotham), Dinner Plain and Falls Creek Australian Alpine Club projects.
Membership
AAC Niseko is keen to boost its membership and is now offering some additional membership options.
Similar to other AAC projects, this includes junior membership (up to 18 years of age) and intermediate membership for young adults (18 to 24). These memberships are priced at one-third and two-thirds of the adult membership. There is also be an option to join AAC Niseko on an instalment basis for junior, intermediate and adult membership categories. These membership arrangements are detailed on the AAC Niseko website. If you know of people who might be interested, please forward this e-mail to them (you can use the Forward to a Friend link at the end of this e-mail).
Australian lodge bookings
A reminder to AAC Niseko members that bookings for Australian AAC lodge prUpdate your profileojects for the 2011 winter season are open for them as reciprocal members from 1 March. Refer to the AAC booking information sheet for details (available on-line here).
Update your contact details here Update your profile.
[e-mail to AAC members and friends]
As friends of Japan, our immediate thoughts are with those affected by the terrible Sendai earthquake and tsunami which struck the Tohoku region of Honshu. The deepest sympathies and heartfelt goodwill of Australians are with the people of Japan at this time. These tragic events understandably feature heavily in this e-mail.
Niseko shaken
Hokkaido is generally more geologically stable than the main Japanese island of Honshu, but we have had a few enquiries about the impact of the earthquake on Niseko last week. Chris Holmes, our lodge manager, reports that Niseko shook for about 15 minutes on 11 March, during an earthquake 500 km distant which registered 9 on the Richter Scale (apparently about 8,000 times greater than the earthquake which struck Christchurch in February). As with the rest of Japan, strict building codes have meant that no major structures appear to have collapsed as a result of the earthquake and there was no physical damage recorded in Niseko. There was some flooding as a result of the tsunami in the southern Hokkaido coastal town of Hakodate, but we understand that key infrastructure such as the 53km Seikan Tunnel under the Tsugaru Strait between Honshu and Hokkaido was undamaged.
Niseko activities scaled back
Activities in Niseko have been scaled back out of respect for the thousands of victims of the tsunami and their bereaved families (more details here). International and particularly domestic tourism to Niseko has also dramatically fallen since the earthquake.
Donations
The Niseko community is collecting donations, both warm clothing and financial assistance for the tsunami victims. Several local fundraising events have already been organised. People wishing to make donations can also do so through the Australian Red Cross Japan & Pacific Disaster Appeal 2011, the Salvation Army or the Japanese Red Cross Society. Please consider making a donation to these important and urgent humanitarian appeals. Note also that donations to the Australian-based charities are tax-deductible for Australian residents.
Resilience
While there is clearly a major effort still underway to fix the problems at the Fukushima power station, the Japanese have demonstrated considerable resilience in dealing with a major national emergency through their high levels of disaster preparedness and strong social solidarity. There are currently some disruptions such as power shortages as a result of the earthquake, but it should be expected that these will be addressed as a matter of some urgency. In the medium and longer term there will clearly be a major reconstruction and recovery task ahead in the Tohoku region.
Australian tourism
Niseko remains a safe destination and after the situation on Honshu stabilises there is every reason to expect that Australian interest in Niseko will return strongly for the next White Season. There may also be some discounting to complement the recovery process in the Japanese tourism sector.
Niseko growth prospects
Demonstrating strong confidence in Niseko, the Hong Kong-based property developer Pacific Century Premium Developments Ltd recently announced that it will invest more than 100 billion Yen to construct two hotels, a hot-spring facility and 3,000 condominium units in the vicinity of the Hanazono Ski Resort. A Japanese subsidiary will spearhead the project and plans to begin by constructing four condominium buildings and a roughly 200-room hotel that will open in 2014. Currency converted, this represents an investment of A$1.25 billion, probably one of the biggest alpine resort investments anywhere.
Save the date
AAC Niseko AGM will be held at 7:30pm on Tuesday 17 May 2011 at the Royal Brighton Yacht Club. The AGM will be followed by a social event with members of the Anton (Hotham), Dinner Plain and Falls Creek Australian Alpine Club projects.
Membership
AAC Niseko is keen to boost its membership and is now offering some additional membership options.
Similar to other AAC projects, this includes junior membership (up to 18 years of age) and intermediate membership for young adults (18 to 24). These memberships are priced at one-third and two-thirds of the adult membership. There is also be an option to join AAC Niseko on an instalment basis for junior, intermediate and adult membership categories. These membership arrangements are detailed on the AAC Niseko website. If you know of people who might be interested, please forward this e-mail to them (you can use the Forward to a Friend link at the end of this e-mail).
Australian lodge bookings
A reminder to AAC Niseko members that bookings for Australian AAC lodge prUpdate your profileojects for the 2011 winter season are open for them as reciprocal members from 1 March. Refer to the AAC booking information sheet for details (available on-line here).
Update your contact details here Update your profile.