Sapporo, Japan: Getting to the slopes

Sapporo, the capital of Japan’s northernmost island Hokkaido, is the gateway to the best skiing and snowboarding in Japan.

Sapporo’s airport is called New Chitose Airport and from here you can find transportation to the surrounding alpine resorts. When flying internationally to Tokyo, you will usually need to have a one-night stopover to get a flight to Sapporo. When flying from Sapporo to Tokyo, you will be able to directly transfer to your international flight.

Check out our Tokyo stopover guide here.

Getting to Niseko

To get to Niseko Hirafu, families can catch two trains or get the more reliable scheduled bus service. The Niseko Ski Bus White Liner takes 2.5 hours with a toilet- and snack-stop halfway through. The bus is 6,000 yen for adults and 3,000 for children, with plenty of under bus room for ski and snowboard bags. The bus departs almost every hour and requires pre-booking during high season. The first stop, the Grand HIRAFU Welcome Center is the most central stop; check with your hotel for the best drop-off location and some will send a driver to collect you from the centre.

Read more about Niseko here.

Getting to Rusutsu

To access Rusutsu’s three mountains from Sapporo, use the Hokkaido Access Network. The journey takes just under two hours and costs around 4,000 yen for adults and 3,500 for children.

Once you’re there have a go at the 3,500-metre run, a real leg–burner. Rusutsu is renowned for its long and challenging runs combined with panoramic scenery. Plenty of other activities can be enjoyed such as dogsledding, snowmobiling, snowrafting and tubing.

Transfer buses also operate between Niseko and Rusutsu Resorts.

Read more about Rusutsu here.

Onsen

If you need to rest your weary muscles after a long day on the slopes, soak in the many onsen, or natural hot springs, where you can relax outside in the warm water and watch the snow flakes fall around you. Exhilarating! Be mindful that onsens are very traditional and you must bathe naked and usually gender-separate; many Japanese believe wearing swimmers brings in bad spirits. Private bookings are available at some onsens.

February in Sapporo features the internationally renowned Snow Festival, in which huge replicas of world-famous architecture, beautiful snow statues and delicately crafted ice sculptures can be seen.

Sapporo is also an excellent place for shopping, and you can spend your Yen at traditional markets, curiously stocked specialist shops, spacious shopping malls, modern boutiques and department stores. It’s also a great place to buy your ski equipment, though rentals are available from all resorts.

Since Sapporo is only two hours ahead of Sydney, you won’t have to worry about jetlag when you hit the slopes.

Main image © SkiJapan.com