New Chitose Airport and Sapporo to Niseko | Winter Ski Bus (Reservation Required) and JR Fares, Travel Times and Timetables, Plus Boarding Points and How to Book

Overview

There are two main ways to get from New Chitose Airport to Niseko.

1. Ski bus: This is Hokkaido Chuo Bus's "Niseko Ski Bus". It takes you from New Chitose Airport to bus stops near the ski resorts and hotels in Niseko without changing. It runs from December 12, 2026 to March 22, 2027, and you need a reservation to ride it.
2. JR: From New Chitose Airport Station, take JR Hokkaido's Rapid Airport, change at Otaru Station to a JR Hakodate Main Line train bound for Kutchan, and ride to Kutchan Station. From Kutchan Station, go to the ski resorts and hotels by bus or taxi.

From Sapporo, you can also take the ski bus that leaves from Sapporo Station North Exit, or take JR.

Your options

The prices in the table are regular one-way adult fares without discounts. The JR price is the basic fare only. If you sit in a reserved seat on the Rapid Airport, you pay a reserved seat fee in addition to the fare.

Ski bus timetable and stops

The ski bus leaving from Bus Stop No. 12 at New Chitose Airport runs 4 times a day. The first bus leaves at 10:00 and the last bus leaves at 15:30.

After leaving the airport, the bus stops at Chitose Station and takes a toilet break on the way at Mushroom Kingdom Otaki Store. After that, it stops at the following bus stops in Niseko, in this order.

1. Niseko View Plaza
2. Hondori
3. Ikoi no Yuyado Iroha
4. Niseko Northern Resort Annupuri
5. Niseko Annupuri
6. The Green Leaf Niseko Village
7. Hilton Niseko Village
8. Niseko Higashiyama Pension Village
9. Niseko Hirafu Welcome Center

According to the timetable, travel times from New Chitose Airport are 2 h 56 min to Niseko Annupuri, 3 h 16 min to Hilton Niseko Village, and 3 h 33 min to Niseko Hirafu Welcome Center. Hokkaido Chuo Bus notes that buses may be delayed by traffic or bad weather.

From Niseko to New Chitose Airport

The ski bus that leaves Niseko Hirafu Welcome Center for New Chitose Airport runs 4 times a day. The first bus leaves at 8:00 and the last bus leaves at 15:30. According to the timetable, the last bus arrives at New Chitose Airport at 18:58. On the return buses, the order of the stops in Niseko and the times are different from the outbound buses, so check the timetable.

Ski bus from Sapporo

Besides the buses that leave from New Chitose Airport, Hokkaido Chuo Bus's Niseko Ski Bus also has buses that leave from Sapporo Station North Exit and go to Niseko. Buses from Sapporo Station North Exit run 2 times a day, leaving at 7:50 and 9:20. Buses from Niseko to Sapporo also run 2 times a day. These buses end at the airport bus stop at Sapporo Station South Exit, which is a different place from Sapporo Station North Exit, where you board. The fare is the same as when you board at New Chitose Airport.

JR travel times and changing trains

• From New Chitose Airport Station, take the Rapid Airport bound for Otaru, and at Otaru Station change to a JR Hakodate Main Line train bound for Kutchan. JR Hokkaido says that people heading toward Yoichi, Kutchan and Niseko change trains at Otaru Station.
• In the example timetable for Monday, December 14, 2026, if you take a train leaving New Chitose Airport Station at 9:18, 10:50, 12:20 or 13:50, you reach Kutchan Station with one change at Otaru Station. The journey takes 2 h 47 min to 3 h.
• In the example for the same day, the last train that reaches Kutchan Station on the same day leaves New Chitose Airport Station at 20:47. You change at Sapporo Station and Otaru Station and arrive at Kutchan Station at 23:45.
• In the example for the same day, the first train from Kutchan Station to New Chitose Airport Station leaves Kutchan Station at 5:19 and arrives at New Chitose Airport Station at 8:14.
• From Sapporo Station to Kutchan Station, with a change at Otaru Station, the journey takes 2 h 7 min to 2 h 16 min (example for the same day).
• If you go to Niseko Station by JR, you change trains once more at Kutchan Station.

Train times may change depending on the day. Check the times for your travel day with the route, fare and timetable search on JR Hokkaido's official website.

Fares for children

The ski bus and JR use different rules for child fares.

• Ski bus: The fare for elementary school children (grades 1 to 6 at a Japanese elementary school) is ¥3,000 (tax included) one-way and ¥5,000 (tax included) round trip. Junior high school students pay the adult fare. For children who have not yet started elementary school, the official information says only: "Free for children under 6 who do not use a seat. Up to 1 children per adult ride free." It does not give the fare for children under 6 who use a seat, or for 6-year-olds who have not yet started elementary school, so check when you book.
• JR: Children aged 6 to 11 pay half the adult fare. Children aged 1 to 5 ride free, up to 2 for each adult or child who pays a fare.

Step by step

Booking the ski bus

• You need a reservation to ride the ski bus. Make your reservation by the day before you travel. Seats are not assigned, so passengers with a reservation can sit in any free seat.
• To book, go from the ski bus page (Japanese, English and Chinese) on Hokkaido Chuo Bus's official sightseeing bus website to the booking site Hassha Orai Net (Japan Bus Online). You can also book by phone.
• When we checked on October 23, 2026, the ski buses were not yet listed on the booking site. The official website does not say when bookings will open.
• The official website's Japanese page and its English and Chinese pages give different information about the booking deadline and about how to pay when you book online. The Japanese page says the deadline is 18:00 on the day before, and that even if you book online, you do not pay the fare online; instead, you buy a ticket at a ticket counter on the day you travel, or pay in cash on the bus. The English and Chinese pages say the deadline for online bookings is 12:00 on the day before, and that bookings not paid for by 16:00 on the day before are canceled. When you book, follow the deadline and payment method shown on the booking site's screen.
• If you cancel your reservation up to 2 hours before departure, the cancellation fee is ¥100. If you cancel after that, you are charged the full fare.

Where to buy ski bus tickets

You can buy ski bus tickets at the following places.

• New Chitose Airport: At the Hokkaido Chuo Bus counter. The counter is on the ground floor (1F) of the Domestic Terminal Building, opposite Arrival Gate 4. It is open from 7:40 to 18:00, and credit cards are accepted.
• Sapporo: At the sightseeing bus ticket counter at Sapporo Station North Exit, and at Hokkaido Chuo Bus's Sapporo Terminal.
• Niseko: You can buy one-way and round-trip tickets at the hotel Niseko Northern Resort Annupuri and at Niseko Annupuri Ski Resort. Niseko Hirafu Welcome Center does not sell tickets.
• On the bus: You can buy every type of ticket. Credit cards are not accepted.

Ski bus boarding point at New Chitose Airport

• The boarding point is Bus Stop No. 12 on the ground floor (1F) of the Domestic Terminal Building. According to New Chitose Airport's information table, there is no ski bus boarding point at the International Terminal Building.
• If you arrive at the International Terminal Building, walk over to the Domestic Terminal Building. From the arrivals lobby on the second floor (2F) of the International Terminal Building, go through the second floor (2F) of the connecting facility that links the two terminal buildings, enter the Domestic Terminal Building, and go down to the ground floor (1F). The third floor (3F) of the connecting facility is closed for construction until the end of June 2027 (planned).

JR tickets

• Transit IC cards such as Suica cannot be used beyond Otaru Station. JR Hokkaido says that people heading toward Kutchan and Niseko should buy a ticket to their destination station in advance at the station where they start. For how far transit IC cards can be used in Hokkaido, see Where in Japan can you use Suica and ICOCA? | IC card areas and what to know when riding between areas.
• At New Chitose Airport Station, you can buy tickets only with cash at the ticket machines (credit cards are not accepted). At the reserved seat ticket machines and the Midori-no-madoguchi (ticket office), you can buy tickets with cash or a credit card.
• Car 4 of the Rapid Airport is the "u-seat" reserved seat car. To sit in a u-seat, you pay a reserved seat fee of ¥1,000 in addition to the fare.

Riding with skis and snowboards

• You cannot board the ski bus while wearing ski or snowboard boots.
• Carry skis and snowboards in a proper case. Instead of putting a snowboard in a case, you may carry it with a sole cover attached.
• Some ski buses have a toilet and some do not.

Costs

An adult one-way trip costs ¥6,000 (tax included) by ski bus and ¥3,100 by JR to Kutchan Station. If you go by JR, you pay separately for the bus or taxi from Kutchan Station to the ski resorts and hotels.

• Round trip by ski bus: A round-trip ticket costs ¥10,000 (tax included) for adults and ¥5,000 (tax included) for elementary school children, which is cheaper than paying the one-way fare twice. You can use a round-trip ticket even if your outbound and return buses are on different routes. For example, you can take a bus from Sapporo Station North Exit to Niseko on the way there, and a bus from Niseko to New Chitose Airport on the way back.
• JR with a reserved seat on the Rapid Airport: From New Chitose Airport Station to Kutchan Station, the fare and the reserved seat fee together come to ¥4,100 for adults.
• Going to Niseko Station by JR: The fare from New Chitose Airport Station is ¥3,540 for adults.
• Going from Sapporo Station to Kutchan Station by JR: The fare is ¥2,240 for adults.

Ski bus and lift ticket packages

Hokkaido Chuo Bus sells packages that combine a round-trip ski bus ticket with a 1-day lift ticket (either a ticket for one ski resort or a shared ticket valid at 4 ski resorts).

• The 4 ski resorts are Niseko Annupuri Ski Resort, Niseko Village Ski Resort, Niseko Grand Hirafu Ski Resort and Niseko HANAZONO Resort.
• The child price for the packages applies to elementary school children and to children aged 4 or older who have not yet started elementary school.
• You can choose the day you use the lift ticket and the day you take the return bus yourself, within the period when the ski bus runs. For example, you can take the outbound bus on December 14, use the lift ticket on December 15, and take the return bus on December 16.
• The packages cannot be bought on the booking site. They are sold at 3 ticket counters (the Hokkaido Chuo Bus counter at New Chitose Airport, the sightseeing bus ticket counter at Sapporo Station North Exit and Hokkaido Chuo Bus's Sapporo Terminal) and on the bus. The 2 ticket counters in Niseko (at the hotel Niseko Northern Resort Annupuri and at Niseko Annupuri Ski Resort) do not sell the packages.
• According to the official Japanese page, to use a package, you first book the bus by phone or on the booking site. Whichever way you book, you ask for the package when you buy your ticket at one of the 3 ticket counters above or on the bus. It does not say whether you can switch to a package if you have already paid the fare on the booking site.

Good to know

• In winter, snow can delay buses, and trains can be delayed or suspended. Hokkaido Chuo Bus advises allowing plenty of time when connecting to other transport. On the day of your flight, leave Niseko early.
• This article does not cover the times and fares of buses and taxis from Kutchan Station or Niseko Station to the ski resorts and hotels. When we checked on October 23, 2026, the official website of Niseko Bus, which runs local bus routes in Kutchan and Niseko, only showed timetables up to November 30, 2026.
• JR Hokkaido's Hokkaido Rail Pass can be used on all JR Hokkaido lines except the Hokkaido Shinkansen, so you can also use it on trains from New Chitose Airport Station to Kutchan Station. The Sapporo-Noboribetsu Area Pass and the Sapporo-Furano Area Pass can each be used only within a set area. Check whether Kutchan Station is within the area on the area map in JR Hokkaido's pass information. If you travel beyond the area, you pay the fare for the part of the journey outside it. For the JAPAN RAIL PASS, see JAPAN RAIL PASS (JR Pass): Prices and How to Use It | Prices on the Official Website and from Agents Outside Japan, How to Buy, and How to Ride Nozomi and Mizuho.
• For how to get from New Chitose Airport to Sapporo, see New Chitose Airport to Sapporo | JR Rapid Airport and Airport Bus Fares, Travel Times and Boarding Points, Plus How to Use the u-seat Reserved Seat and Transit IC Cards. For winter temperatures and snow in Sapporo, see Japan Winter Weather and Temperatures | December, January and February Normals by Location (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Sapporo, Kawaguchiko, Naha in Okinawa), Days with Snow or Sleet and Sunset Times.
• Travel times are approximate. Fares and timetables may change. This article is based on official information checked on October 23, 2026, so check the latest timetables and fares on each company's official website before you travel.