Where Does the Name Niseko Come From? Why It's in Katakana, Its Old Name, and How to Read Kutchan

What does "Niseko" actually mean?

It's a Japanese town, yet its name is written in katakana. And next door, "倶知安" is a name almost nobody can read the first time they see it.

Using information from the towns and the tourist association, this article looks at where the names Niseko and Kutchan come from, and why Niseko Town ended up with a katakana name.

• In the Ainu language, Niseko means "a steep cliff (with a river flowing beneath it)"
• Niseko Town used to be called Kaributo Town. It took its current name in 1964
• It's written in katakana because kanji never stuck
• 倶知安 is read "Kutchan," from the Ainu word "Kussyani"

Once you know, familiar views around town may look a little different.

Where does the name Niseko come from? The Ainu for "steep cliff"

The name Niseko comes from the Ainu language.

According to the Niseko Resort Tourist Association, "Niseko" means "a steep cliff (with a river flowing beneath it)." Niseko Annupuri, home to the ski areas, means "a mountain with a steep cliff (and a river below it)" (Niseko Resort Tourist Association).

Many place names in Hokkaido come from Ainu. Lots of them describe the shape of mountains and rivers, passing down the character of the land just as it is.

Niseko Town's old name was Kaributo

Until 1964, today's Niseko Town was called Kaributo Town.

It started when the area around Niseko Annupuri was designated a quasi-national park in 1963. A movement grew to rename Kaributo Station, the gateway to Niseko, as "Niseko Station," and it eventually went as far as renaming the town itself (Niseko Resort Tourist Association).

In October 1964, Kaributo Town became Niseko Town (Kotobank / Nihon Rekishi Chimei Taikei).

Why is Niseko written in katakana?

Many Ainu place names in Hokkaido, such as Sapporo and Otaru, were given kanji characters. So why is Niseko written in katakana?

According to the tourist association, as settlers from the Meiji era onwards wrote down Ainu place names, kanji never stuck for "Niseko," and katakana became the established form.

Katakana town names are rare anywhere in Japan. That also makes it a name people remember after hearing it just once.

How to read 倶知安, and where the name comes from

倶知安 is read "Kutchan."

According to Kutchan Town, the name comes from the Ainu word "Kussyani." Read as "kut-san-i," it means "a place that flows out through a pipe-like channel." Kussyani was the old name of the Kutosan River, which runs through the town (Kutchan Town).

The kanji "倶知安" are said to have been chosen by Takeshi Shirani, then a councillor at the Hokkaido Government Office.

Some dictionaries give a different explanation, too. It isn't unusual for place names to have more than one theory about their origins.

Hirafu is actually in Kutchan

When you hear "Niseko," you might picture a single town. In fact, that's not quite right.

The areas famous for skiing, Grand Hirafu and HANAZONO, are in Kutchan Town, not Niseko Town. Meanwhile, most of Niseko Village and Annupuri are on the Niseko Town side.

When people say "Niseko" as a destination, they usually mean the whole area, including Kutchan, Niseko Town and Rankoshi.

Knowing the names makes Niseko even more interesting

A mountain of steep cliffs, a river like a pipe. Place names preserve exactly how people long ago saw this land.

Next time you look up at Niseko Annupuri, take a moment to remember what its name means. The familiar view may look a little different.

If you'd like to know more about Niseko's mountains and snow, this article may interest you.

— Niseko Hub Editorial Team