What is the NAMBA Artist Series?
We’ve teamed up with local artists to create unique merchandise that celebrates the spirit of riding in
Niseko.
Each piece is a limited-edition design, and every purchase supports trail building and maintenance.
Aikawa Mitsugu Painter & Illustrator
Other work
About
Aikawa Mitsugu channels the primal energy of line and form, using shapes as building blocks to create allegorical worlds.
His works weave together striking geometric patterns, natural forms, and contrasting motifs, unfolding like visual stories. Through timeless imagery that connects past and future, he explores the deep relationship between humanity and nature.
Balancing strong, structured backdrops with soft, flowing motifs, Aikawa creates a captivating harmony. His distinctive depictions of forests - through layered compositions, intricate detail, and nuanced color - draw viewers into worlds of depth and resonance.
Born in 1976 and based in Sapporo, Aikawa graduated from the Hokkaido College of Art and Design and began his career in 2008. He serves as visual director for the Tobiu Art Festival in Shiraoi Town and is active across a range of creative fields, including solo and group exhibitions, live painting at outdoor festivals, murals, commissions, and book illustrations.
Collaboration design: Kumataka
Frances Treveil Paintings & Clothing Repairs
Other work
About
Frances Treveil is an artist, mountaineer, and snowboarder whose work is inspired by her journeys through mountains around the world. She seeks to capture the raw feeling of being in the mountains and translate that energy onto canvas.
Originally from the UK and now living in the French Alps, Frances spent a year in Niseko exploring Japan’s deep powder, striking landscapes, and rich culture. Seeing the growth of alpine-style bike parks and the work NAMBA and others are doing to build a vibrant mountain biking community in Japan has made her optimistic about the sport’s future.
Through her art, Frances aims to evoke the sense of wonder and awe she feels while climbing, snowboarding, or biking - allowing viewers to take a little piece of Japan’s mountain spirit home with them.
Collaboration design: Annupuri
Joe Scott Designer & Illustrator
Links
Other work
About
Joe Scott was born and raised in Birmingham, England, but found his artistic home in Sapporo.
A passionate sketcher since childhood, Joe rediscovered his creative side in his twenties through vector art. Influenced by vintage travel posters and national park illustrations, his work explores the idea of art as a form of discovery - creating imagined worlds or celebrating those just beyond reach.
After moving to Hokkaido straight out of university, Joe found endless inspiration in the landscapes outside his window. Now based permanently in Sapporo, he collaborates with local businesses on branding and design while creating National Park–style artwork celebrating Hokkaido’s mountains and landmarks.
Collaboration design: Twin Peaks badge
Luke Sandalls Designer & Illustrator
Other work
About
Luke Sandalls is an Australian designer and artist who has called Niseko home since 2013. He now lives on the Iwanai mountainside with his wife, Tomomi, the creative behind Layer Niseko.
Through his studio, Sandls Design, Luke works on branding, design, and business development, while his looser personal pieces are often shown under the name MtnSea, inspired by two of the region's greatest muses.
His work is part sketchbook, part visual diary, drawing, painting, and writing as ways to explore flow, play, and meditation. Themes of identity, spirit, solitude, connection, and the balance between life and death thread through his eclectic practice, which continues to evolve as an exploration of being.
Collaboration design: Spirit of the Trail
Peter Martin Making Art & Stuff in Hokkaido
Links
Other work
About
Peter Martin, aka The Rainbow Captain, is a Hokkaido-based artist originally from New York.
After moving to Japan in the mid-1990s, Peter spent over a decade working in Tokyo’s fashion industry and as an art director and production designer, crafting sets, props, and visual environments for international commercials and short films.
In recent years, he has traded city life for rural Hokkaido, dedicating himself to a more personal, exploratory art practice. His work reflects the nuanced perspective of a Westerner deeply immersed in Japanese culture, combining elements of vintage Japanese illustration, mid-century design, and Showa-era aesthetics to explore pattern, repetition, and cultural iconography.
He also creates a line of handmade omiyage - wearable objects and collectible trinkets made in limited runs using analog techniques, blending humor, craftsmanship, and nostalgia. New projects and collaborations are always on the horizon.
Collaboration design: I Want to Ride my Bicycle
Scott Wentworth Traditional Tattooist
Other work
About
Scott Wentworth is a multidisciplinary artist whose creative path has spanned glassblowing, painting, illustration, digital design, and tattooing.
Drawn to the bold imagery of American traditional tattooing, Scott completed a traditional apprenticeship in Jacksonville, Florida, between 2007 and 2008. Since then, tattooing has been his primary artistic focus.
Originally from Colorado, Scott moved to Niseko in 2019 to start a family with his wife, who is from Kutchan. He now runs 59 Niseko, his tattoo studio located in the heart of downtown Kutchan, where he continues to refine his craft and contribute to the region’s creative community.
Collaboration design: Shred and Enjoy
Want to Be Part of the Artist Series?
We're always looking to collaborate with creative minds who are inspired by the outdoors, community, and mountain biking culture. Whether you're a painter, illustrator, designer, or visual storyteller, we'd love to hear from you. The NAMBA Artist Series is your chance to showcase your work, support local trails, and be part of something meaningful. Reach out to join our growing community of trail-building creatives!
