Niseko (, , ) is a town located in Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. To Japanese people, Niseko principally refers to a mountain range and a municipal area. However, overseas the name has come to refer to a wider area of ski resorts encompassing Hokkaido's Mount Yōtei, often referred to as the "Mt. Fuji of Hokkaido", and Annupuri ranges. The name Niseko derives from the Ainu language, and it means "a cliff jutting over a riverbank deep in the mountains". The Niseko town's main industries are agriculture and tourism. The resort itself, Niseko United, is part of the Mountain Collective. Moreover, the town is renowned for its quality powder snow and world-class facilities, including traditional onsen and restaurants. Town The town had an estimated population of 4,938 as of 30 September 2017, and a density of . The total number of visitors during the 2009 winter season was 201,000. The total area is . Resort Niseko is composed of six ski areas, in order of size: Niseko Hirafu Niseko Village (formerly known as Niseko Higashiyama) Niseko Annupuri Niseko Hanazono Niseko Moiwa Niseko Weiss Park Hyatt Niseko Mt. Resort Grand Hirafu, refers to the combined areas of Hirafu and Hanazono. Both of these and Weiss are within the municipality of nearby Kutchan. The other three resorts are within the adjacent municipality of Niseko. Of these six ski areas, the main four (Annupuri, Higashiyama, Hirafu, and Hanazono) are sequentially interconnected and may be skied on one ski pass. The lift systems are owned respectively by the Chuo Bus company, YTL Resorts (which purchased Niseko Village from Citigroup in 2010), Tokyu Corporation and Pacific Century Premium Developments. Together they form skiable of what is known as the Niseko United. The lift system comprises 38 gondolas and lifts connecting 61 ski runs and 12 terrain parks. Kutchan's sister city is St. Moritz in a relationship established in 1964. Niseko Moiwa, adjacent to Annupuri, can be skied to from Annupuri but is not currently connected by the lift system. Niseko Weiss has not operated its lifts for decades, but people can still ski in this area, being taken uphill by snow cats. Niseko also has backcountry ski-courses that are unofficially on the maps. To the furthest right of Annupuri lies Sannozaka, an area prone to avalanche but with high quality snow. To the far right of Hirafu lies Higashi One, also prone to avalanche but with