Just a ride away by train or bus! How to access ski resorts from downtown Sapporo

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Ski & Snowboard

Just a ride away by train or bus! How to access ski resorts from downtown Sapporo

Publication Date：2018/11/08

Sapporo

Hokkaido

This article has been published more than a year ago and may differ from the actual information

There are loads of ski resorts around Sapporo where you can enjoy powder snow and snowplay, and many are easily accessible by train and bus. But you might find it hard to find bus stops to get to the ski resorts because there is little signposting in town. So we’ll give you all the details on how to easily get to some nearby ski resorts from downtown Sapporo by train or bus. If you follow these instructions you won’t need a car.

Sapporo Kokusai Ski Resort

Sapporo Kokusai Ski Resort operates longer hours than other ski resorts around Sapporo, and offers powder snow on a vast piste. It has seven courses for beginners to advanced skiers including a snow park for sledging.
A snow escalator was installed this season at the foot of the piste, perfect for first-time skiers and sledge riders. Snowboarders can enjoy themselves in a board park with ramps, and mogul skiers can enjoy downhill courses to their hearts’ content.

How to get to Sapporo Kokusai Ski Resort

Sapporo Kokusai Ski Resort is easy to reach thanks to a direct bus service from JR Sapporo Station or Sapporo Municipal Subway Nanboku Line Makomanai Station. If you’re coming from JR Sapporo Station, the bus stop is number 17 at the Sapporo Station bus terminal outside the south exit of the station. The bus terminal is located on the first floor of the ESTA shopping center, which houses Big Camera and Uniqlo.

It's best to reach the bus terminal from the basement because the entrance is hard to see from the street level.

Enter the basement area from somewhere in front of the station and walk toward ESTA. At the basement entrance of ESTA, you'll find a staircase that takes you directly to the various zones of the bus terminal. There are several staircases for all the zones, so take the stairs for zones 13-18, and you'll be right there at bus stop No.17.

Sometimes this bus stops at some hotels in downtown Sapporo, so you may be able to board the bus from your hotel. Be careful because if the bus is already full at departure from Sapporo Station you won't be allowed aboard. Reserved passengers are allowed aboard first so it's best to reserve your seat in advance.

Hours
Every day during the business season of the ski areas
How long does it take?
About 1 hour 30 minutes from Sapporo Station, and about 1 hour from Makomanai Station
Reservations
Reserved passengers first (when the bus is full you won' be allowed aboard)
*Hours are subject to change. Check the latest operating period, hours and fares on the official website.

See more about how to get to Sapporo Kokusai Ski Resort

Sapporo Moiwayama Ski Area

Moiwayama Ski Area is exclusively for skiers. That means no snowboarding. It’s perfect for some skiing in the morning when all the tourists leave, because the ski area is close to downtown. Moiwayama hosts 10 courses for beginners through to advanced skiers, and the ski area is open at night, offering you the opportunity to ski with a magnificent night view of Sapporo! It only takes about 30 minutes by taxi to downtown Sapporo, so why not indulge in some skiing without worrying about the bus timetable?

How to get to Sapporo Moiwayama Ski Area

To get to Moiwayama Ski Area, catch a local bus called the Jotetsu Bus from Makomanai, the last station on Sapporo Municipal Subway Nanboku Line. It will be a 15-minute bus ride. Makomanai is about 18 minutes from Sapporo Station and about 15 minutes from Susukino Station by Nanboku Line subway. If you’ve never visited Makomanai you might find it a bit difficult to find the right bus stop because there are several bus terminals at Makomanai Station. The bus to the ski area only runs during the ski season, and there are few directions inside the station.

If you don't want to get lost, the best way to get to the bus stop is to go through the north exit of the subway.

Once you're out of the north exit, go outside through the door in front of you. There will be a few signs about bus terminals around the exit but they are for other routes. There is no sign for the bus to Moiwayama Ski Area, so ignore these signs and go outside anyway.

Once outdoors, cross the zebra crossing in front of you and walk straight in the direction of the clock tower.

You'll reach the bus stop within one to two minutes after crossing the zebra crossing.

There are several bus stops here. Go to No.17, which is your bus stop for Moiwayama Ski Area.

Timetable
Every day from around late December through to the end of February, and on weekends in early and mid-March
How long does it take?
About 15 minutes from Makomanai Station
Reservations
No reservations required
*The timetable is subject to change. For the latest timetable, hours and fares, go to the official site.

See more about how to get to Sapporo Moiwayama Ski Area

Sapporo Bankei Ski Area

Sapporo Bankei Ski Area is open until 10pm and is easily accessible from downtown Sapporo if you’re staying downtown. Just pop over without any gear because the rental section offers a full range of products. The piste includes 17 courses, including gentle runs for beginners and families, and more challenging terrain for intermediate skiers. Advanced skiers can tackle the black runs used for staging international competitions. Kids will love the snow park where they can enjoy sledding and snow-tubing, perfect for families and tourists who are experiencing snowy mountains for the first time.

How to get to Sapporo Bankei Ski Area

The most convenient way to get to Sapporo Bankei Ski Area is to board the Bankei Bus that departs from Maruyama Koen Station, Tozai Line subway in downtown Sapporo. It takes 13 minutes from the station to the ski area. To get to Maruyama Koen Station, get on the subway at Odori Station near Odori Park or Sapporo TV Tower in downtown Sapporo and you’ll be there in about six minutes. If you’re boarding the subway at Sapporo or Susukino Station, it’s one stop on the subway Nanboku Line to Odori Station, where you change to the Tozai Line. Odori Station is walking distance from the nightlife town of Susukino, so depending on where you’re staying it may be possible to walk to Odori Station.

After getting off the train at Maruyama Koen Station, walk along the underground passage, following the sign for the bus terminal. After walking one to two minutes from the subway gate, go up the staircase or the escalator and you'll reach the waiting room for the bus.

There are many local buses departing from this terminal so you'll see many signs, but go to platform 4 for the Sapporo Bankei Ski Area. You'll see the bus stop sign as shown in the photo.

Buses to other destinations also depart from platform 4 so be careful. Be sure not to blindly follow people with ski-jump gear, as they get on the bus to a ski-jump venue that's in a different place. Your Bankei Bus is green and "ban.K" is written across the bus in large letters.

Hours
Operates all year
How long does it take?
About 13 minutes from Maruyama Koen Station
Reservations
No reservations required
*The timetable is subject to change. For the latest timetable, hours and fares, go to the official site.

See more about how to get to Sapporo Bankei Ski Area

Sapporo Teine

Sapporo Teine was the venue for the 1972 Sapporo Olympics. The Olympics flame platform was installed in the Olympia zone, which was used for the bobsled and luge, while the Highland Zone was used for skiing and Alpine skiing. Each course has many zones for beginners through to advanced skiers, and the pistes are connected with a gondola so you can easily take advantage of both zones with their different feels.

How to get to Sapporo Teine

To go to Sapporo Teine, board the JR Hokkaido Bus to Teine Highland from JR Teine Station. It takes about 16 minutes. It's about nine minutes from JR Sapporo Station to JR Teine Station by the rapid train, and about 45-50 minutes from JR New Chitose Airport Station by the direct rapid train. So if you manage to board the bus without delay, you can get to Teine in no time.

JR Teine Station's ticket gate is on the second floor. After passing through the gate, walk by the side of the station's waiting room and straight to the door in the concourse. Once you're out the door there are ways to the south and north exit, so walk right to the south exit.

At the south exit there are a few staircases to the street level. To get to the bus stop for Teine Highland, go to the staircase on the right for south exit 3.

When you go down the stairs you will see bus stop 3, which is where to board the bus for Teine Highland. There are bus stops 1 to 3 at the south exit so make sure you go to No.3.
Sapporo Teine has three JR Hokkaido bus stops. In order of closeness to JR Teine Station, the bus stops are: Seikadai Sukijo Mae, Teine Olympia Mae, and the last bus stop Teine Highland.

Seikadai Sukijo bus stop
If you want to stop at the dinosaur kids' park for families, this is the bus stop for you. Note that there are no rental gear stores near this bus stop, apart from the rental items at the kids' park (items like sleds). If you need to rent skis and skiwear, go to the next bus stop.

Teine Olympia Mae bus stop
The new Olympia Ski Center opened in the 2018-19 season, with filled with rental shops and restaurants. If you're heading to the Olympia zone, or if you’re are a beginner or want to catch some night skiing, this is the bus stop for you.

Teine Highland bus stop
This bus stop is located in front of Highland Ski Center, which houses many rental shops and restaurants. If you’re going to spend most of your time in the Highland Zone, or if you want to get a lot of skiing done, this is your stop. The zone is not open at night.

Hours
Daily from early December through to late March
How long does it take?
About 13 minutes from the south exit of Teine Station to the Seikadai Ski Area, 16 minutes to Teine Olympia, and 28 minutes to Teine Highland
Reservations
No reservations required
*The timetable is subject to change. For the latest timetable, hours and fares, go to the official site.

See more about how to get to Sapporo Teine

SNOW CRUISE ONZE

SNOW CRUISE ONZE is a ski area with a magnificent view of the ocean. It features gentle courses for beginners to steep, advanced courses with moguls. At night you can absorb the nocturnal cityscape that stretches along the ocean! The ski area is easily accessible from Sapporo or Otaru, so why not squeeze in a visit while you're in either city?

How to get to SNOW CRUISE ONZE

To get to SNOW CRUISE ONZE, take the free shuttle bus from Miyanosawa Station, the last stop on the Sapporo Municipal Subway Tozai Line. This bus also stops at JR Teine Station en route, so if you're coming by JR from Sapporo, Otaru or New Chitose Airport it will be very convenient.

If you're staying in downtown Sapporo, either go to Miyanosawa Station from Odori Station by subway and board the bus, or take JR from Sapporo Station to Teine Station and board the bus.
The bus stop at Teine Station is close to the Mr. Donut store at the south exit, near the bus stop for Sapporo Teine mentioned earlier.

Here is a more detailed explanation of the bus stop at Miyanosawa Station. Miyanosawa Station is about 15 minutes from Odori Station, close to Odori Park and the Sapporo TV Tower in downtown Sapporo.

At Miyanosawa Station, you'll need to find exit 5. Go left out of the ticket gate, then turn right a short distance later and go up the escalator. Continue walking through the long underground passage, and you'll see exit 5 to your right. From there, go up to the street level. Be careful: There is a local bus terminal beyond exit 5, and the signs around the station exits and underground passages show ways to bus stops that are not at exit 5. The free shuttle bus to SNOW CRUISE ONZE departs from and arrives at a spot that is away from the bus terminal, and there are no signs or directions to it in the underground passages. IGNORE the signs for the bus terminal and just head straight to exit 5.

Once you reach the street level at exit 5, turn around to face in the opposite direction and walk straight. In the photo above, you see the exit, and once you emerge from the exit, walk straight toward the blue bus. Continue in that direction for two or three minutes, walk past the Seiyu supermarket on your right, and you'll arrive at the bus stop in front of the Sorachi Shinkin Bank signboard.

There is no physical bus stop, and the only sign indicating the bus stop is that of the Sorachi Shinkin bank. If you are not familiar with the area or cannot read Japanese characters, it can be quite puzzling so use these photos for your reference.

Departing from Miyanosawa Station, the bus stops at JR Teine Station, Hoshioki Station and Zenibako Station before arriving at the ski area. If you're using JR, Teine Station will be a convenient starting point because all trains, including rapid trains, stop at this station. If you're coming from Otaru, Zenibako Station is closer, though not all trains stop at this station.

Hours
Daily from late November through to late March (while the ski area is open)
How long does it take?
About 45 minutes from Miyanosawa Station, 30 minutes from Teine Station, 19 minutes from Hoshioki Station and 10 minutes from Zenibako Station
Reservations
No reservations required (if the bus is full you need to board the next bus or use another form of public transport)
*Hours are subject to change. Check the latest operating period, hours and fares on the official website.

See more about how to get to SNOW CRUISE ONZE

Dynasty Ski Resort

Dynasty Ski Resort has family pistes for beginners to intermediate skiers. The wide piste is easy and feels very open. There's also a zone where kids can play in the snow, great for families. For those chasing a thrill, don't miss snow cruising in a raft drawn by a snow mobile.

How to get to Dynasty Ski Resort

To get to Dynasty Ski Resort, use the free shuttle bus from the Mitsui Outlet Park Sapporo Kitahiroshima mall. It takes about 10 minutes. To get to Mitsui Outlet Park Sapporo Kitahiroshima, board a local bus from JR Sapporo Station or JR Kitahiroshima Station, Fukuzumi Station on the Sapporo Municipal Subway Toho Line, or Oyachi Station on the subway Tozai Line. Some of the airport buses to and from New Chitose Airport also stop there. It takes about 30 minutes from the airport. The bus comes approximately every 15 minutes during the day, making it a convenient choice en route to and from the airport.

If you’re at Sapporo Station, board the bus from the bus stop at the south entrance of the Tokyu Department Store, which you’ll find at the station’s south exit. It takes about 50 minutes or more, depending on the traffic. There are many buses running from Fukuzumi Station or Oyachi Station, each taking about 25 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, the bus from Kitahiroshima Station does not run very often, but is easily accessible and well connected to the free shuttle bus to Dynasty Ski Resort.

Kitahiroshima Station is located between Sapporo Station and New Chitose Airport Station. Rapid trains also stop there. Once you leave the train and the exit, go downstairs to west exit 1, where you'll see the Chuo Bus bus stop. The bus takes about 20 minutes to Mitsui Outlet Park Sapporo Kitahiroshima.

After getting off the bus at Mitsui Outlet Park Sapporo Kitahiroshima, go left toward the taxi stand. Beyond the taxi area you'll find the bus stop for Dynasty Ski Resort.

The bus is a minibus. Make sure to take the right one because many other tourist buses stop there as well.

Hours
Daily from late December through to early March
How long does it take?
About 10 minutes from Mitsui Outlet Park Sapporo Kitahiroshima
Reservations
No reservations required
*Hours are subject to change. Check the latest operating period, hours and fares on the official website.

See more about how to get to Dynasty Ski Resort

photo & text: Nobuhiro Kawashima

Facility Information