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§33. Encounter with Hirafu and Australia. (1)

Encounter of two people is the first encounter with Japan of Australia.
NAC Co., Ltd.
Representative director ROSS FINDLAY, YOKO FINDLAY

ロス・フィンドレー夫妻_MG_9545.jpg Ross: It was in Boyoso which there was in slope of Hirafu in February, 1991 that I met Yoko for the first time.

Yoko: I was crazy about moguls competition as player in those days
while freeloading at Lodge Rondo of Hirafu. One day I encountered Ross.
He ate pickle and rice then. I thought to be “foreigner” who seemed to
be what poor. And I talked to him unintentionally.

Ross: Rice was 200 yen, and pickle was free. I think that smile of
Yoko at that time let me live in Hokkaido after all. Then there are us
together all the time.

Yoko: Ross did work of instructor of ski at that time. I lived in
the summer in Sapporo, and I fought in one place after another in
meeting of moguls in winter based in Hirafu. We make money in summer
and ski in winter. Therefore let’s cooperate, and to opinion agreed on
two and came to live together before long.

Ross: In Australia, a lot of Japanese foreign students worked using
working holiday. Japanese had friendly feeling to see their spirited,
serious personality and wanted to come to Japan once because Japanese
economy was brisk at all.


 I was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1964 and was brought up in
Sydney. I learn sports studies and business administration in Canberra
University and graduate in 1986. I thought that I did centering on
sports from school days and would assemble my life.

 It is 1989 that I came to Japan for the first time. Using working
holiday visa, I did instructor at “Miura Yuichiro Snow Dolphin ski
school” in the Teine mountains of Sapporo for approximately two years.
Then I knew Hirafu and was absorbed in this mountain and snow. From
1991 the end of the year, I have begun to live in Hirafu. I worked at
branch of Graubünden of Watanabe Junko in the winter season and
worked by Kitazawa construction in the summer.


Yoko: It is the Kitazawa Teruyoshi president of Kitazawa construction of Kutchan to have become benefactor.

Ross: His company built log house in Kabayama(Kutchan). Because most
of material of log house were import goods, manual was English. I was
asked to translate the English manual. In that way I have begun to work
in construction site. And I was able to learn technique of carpenter.
My Japanese improved very much at the same time, too.

Yoko: At the beginning, he did not understand simple Japanese at all.

Ross: In autumn of 1994, we held wedding ceremony in Yamada Shrine. I called my parents, brothers then from Australia.

Yoko: Then we intended to launch summer business in Hirafu and
established NAC(Niseko Adventure Center) in spring of 1995. Main
business is rafting in Shiribetsu river. However, nobody knew what
rafting was at that time in Japan.


 Because winter splendor of Niseko is celebrity, many people come
from the inside and outside of country. But nobody came in summer.
Therefore I wanted to convey charm of summer Niseko well, and I had my
eyes on Shiribetsu river. Quantity of water is always abundant and is
clear stream to be able to enjoy nature of Niseko. Because there was
not money, there was only one boat. paddles was my own work. There was
big hole at bottom of boat soon. I repaired boat somehow and continued
doing business.

 I decided to have visitors wear dry suit. This may be beginning in
the world in rafting. Thanks to dry suit, visitor did not get wet with
water of river. And rafting became suddenly popular. Reputation
gradually spread out on word of mouth and the Internet, and visitors
increased. From the second year, management got on track.


Ross: Because schools which adopted rafting experience for school
excursion from Honshu increased, sales increased smoothly. I was
concerned with the establishment of association of Japanese river guide
in 1997. And we bought material of gymnasium of school abolished in
spring of this year. I planned to build big company building with these
materials. I decided to make reception desk Counter of rafting and
trekking tour, shop of outdoor goods and cafe in the building.

Yoko: I think that it was good that we were able to offer work to
young people who wanted to live by the construction and later business
in Hirafu.

Ross: There were a lot of people without money like us before a
little. In the people, there are a lot of people doing hirafudeironna
business including rafting and guide


 In 2003, I was chosen as foreigner to “sightseeing Charisma Skills
100 selections” of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for
the first time. It was evaluated that we had many people know charm of
summer Niseko newly only in winter. I want many people to know charm of
Nature of Niseko except ski and snowboarding from child to adult more.
I always thought so while bringing up four children with Yoko in Niseko.