Kiroro is a ski resort in Akaigawa village, in the mountains west of Sapporo and south of Otaru. Its slopes spread over two mountains, Asari and Nagamine, with 23 courses, a longest run of 4,050 m and the 3,300 m Kiroro Gondola to the top of Mt. Asari. The places to stay are YU Kiroro, a newly built ski-in, ski-out condominium, and two Club Med resorts: Club Med Kiroro Grand, aimed at families, and Club Med Kiroro Peak, for guests aged 12 and over. Otaru is about 40 minutes away by road.
Spring-season lift prices apply from 12 April to 5 May 2027 (planned). Hokkaido Access Network's spring bus from Otaru runs until 25 April, and a free shuttle from Otaru runs from 26 April to 5 May.
Outside the ski season the winter buses on this page don't run; check the resort's summer access page before you travel.
The resort plans to open on 28 November 2026, with a free shuttle from Otaru from 28 to 30 November.
High season runs from 12 December 2026 to 11 April 2027. Hokkaido Access Network's Otaru bus runs daily from 1 December and its Kiroro–Sapporo Liner from 10 December.
A newly built ski-in, ski-out condominium.
Club Med's family resort at Kiroro, with kids' facilities from age 2; children aged 4 and over in the Mini Club can join the ski programme at no extra charge.
Club Med's all-inclusive snow resort for guests aged 12 and over.
| Origin | Duration | RydAgent price (Alphard, up to 4) | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Chitose Airport | ~90 min | ¥59,000 (~$393) | See full route details |
Take JR to Otaru and the reservation-only bus if you are one or two people travelling light and have booked the bus by 18:00 the day before (17:30 from 1 April 2027). Book a RydAgent private car when you are a group with ski bags (one HiAce takes up to 6 skiers with a suitcase and a ski bag each), when your flight could land late (90 minutes' free waiting from actual landing), or when you would rather not change at Otaru with luggage.
See full route details →JR's Rapid Airport takes you from New Chitose to Otaru without a change during the day (¥2,040 per adult, 1 hour 14–23 minutes; from about 7 pm most trains need a change at Sapporo); from Otaru, take Hokkaido Access Network's reservation-only bus (¥2,200 per adult) or a taxi (from about ¥12,000 one way, about 40 minutes, by the resort's estimate). A RydAgent private car takes about 90 minutes door to door for ¥59,000 per Toyota Alphard (up to 4 passengers) or ¥62,000 per Toyota HiAce (up to 9 passengers).
| Option | Operator | Time | Price | Booking and limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JR Rapid Airport + Otaru bus | JR Hokkaido · Hokkaido Access Network | 1 h 14–23 min to Otaru on daytime through trains (evenings: mostly a change at Sapporo), then the bus (times on the operator's site) | JR ¥2,040 per adult; bus ¥2,200 per adult | Bus: reservation-only, daily 1 Dec 2026 – 14 Mar 2027 (spring service to 25 Apr); book online by 18:00 the day before, if seats remain (17:30 from 1 April 2027); it doesn't stop where no one has booked; ski gear plus one other bag per person in the hold, no ski boots on board. |
| JR Rapid Airport + taxi | JR Hokkaido · Otaru taxi companies | 1 h 14–23 min to Otaru on daytime through trains (evenings: mostly a change at Sapporo), then about 40 min by taxi (the resort's figure) | JR ¥2,040 per adult to Otaru, plus a taxi from about ¥12,000 one way (the resort's estimate) | No booking needed for the train. The taxi fare varies with night surcharges and traffic, and no taxis wait at Kiroro: book the taxi back to Otaru in advance. |
| RydAgent private car | Licensed commercial vehicles (green plates) and professional drivers | About 90 min, door to door | ¥59,000 per car (Alphard, up to 4 passengers) · ¥62,000 per car (HiAce, up to 9 passengers) | Fixed price per car, the same to YU Kiroro and both Club Med resorts; flight tracked, 90 minutes' free waiting from actual landing; studless winter tyres as standard in the snow season, nothing to request. |
To Otaru by JR, 4 adults pay ¥8,160 and 6 adults ¥12,240; even with the bus or taxi from Otaru on top, that is still less than a RydAgent private car at ¥59,000 per Alphard or ¥62,000 per HiAce. What a private car adds is one vehicle from the arrivals hall to the hotel door: no change at Otaru with skis, and a pickup that follows your actual landing. With a suitcase and a ski bag each, we recommend the HiAce for three or more skiers; one HiAce takes up to six.
The HiAce. With a suitcase and a ski bag each, an Alphard suits up to two skiers, so for three or more we recommend the Toyota HiAce (up to 9 passengers; with ski bags, up to 6 skiers). RydAgent's fixed price from New Chitose Airport to Kiroro is ¥62,000 per HiAce — ¥59,000 for an Alphard — about 90 minutes door to door, the same to YU Kiroro and both Club Med resorts. By public transport the four of you would pay ¥8,160 for JR to Otaru (¥2,040 each), then change to the reservation-only bus (¥2,200 each) or a taxi (from about ¥12,000, about 40 minutes).
For one or two people with light luggage, the train and bus: JR's Rapid Airport to Otaru is ¥2,040 per adult with no change on daytime trains (1 hour 14–23 minutes), and Hokkaido Access Network's reservation-only bus covers the last stretch (book by 18:00 the day before; 17:30 from 1 April 2027). A RydAgent private car — ¥59,000 per Toyota Alphard (up to 4 passengers), ¥62,000 per Toyota HiAce (up to 9 passengers) — is worth it for groups with ski bags, for flights that might land late, or when you'd rather not change at Otaru with luggage.
Hokkaido Access Network's Kiroro–Sapporo Liner runs daily from 10 December 2026 to 11 April 2027; every seat is reserved (online until 18:00 the day before) and it is in principle for guests of the Sapporo hotels it stops at. For a ski day from Sapporo, the Kiroro Powder Express (19 December 2026 – 28 February 2027) leaves Susukino at 6:45 and Sapporo Station North Exit at 7:00 and reaches Kiroro at 8:15, with free priority boarding on the Kiroro Gondola from 8:45, before it opens at 9:00; it heads back at 15:30. The travel agency J-TRIP sells it as a round trip, bus only or with a 6-hour lift ticket, with fares on its booking page. By train, JR runs from Sapporo to Otaru, where the Otaru bus or a taxi takes you on. A RydAgent private car from central Sapporo is a fixed ¥59,000 per Toyota Alphard (up to 4 passengers) or ¥62,000 per Toyota HiAce (up to 9 passengers), door to door.
Yes. Hokkaido Access Network runs a reservation-only bus, ¥2,200 per adult, daily from 1 December 2026 to 14 March 2027, with a spring service from 15 March to 25 April and free shuttles on 28–30 November and from 26 April to 5 May. Book online by 18:00 the day before, if seats remain (from 1 April 2027 the cutoff is 17:30); the bus doesn't stop where no one has booked, takes ski gear plus one other bag per person, and doesn't allow ski boots on board. A taxi from central Otaru is from about ¥12,000 one way and takes about 40 minutes, by the resort's estimate; no taxis wait at Kiroro, so book your taxi back to Otaru in advance.
Yes. Ski and snowboard bags count as large luggage: an Alphard takes up to 4 passengers and 4 large suitcases, and a HiAce up to 9 and 9 with every seat taken; with fewer passengers, empty seats carry luggage too (passengers plus large bags up to 8 in the Alphard, 18 in the HiAce). So with a suitcase and a ski bag each, an Alphard suits up to two skiers and for three or more we recommend the HiAce; one HiAce suits up to six, and for seven or more we recommend a second car or sending bags ahead. Tell us how many bags and how long they are when you book.
Winter tyres, yes: from November to April, the snow season, every car we arrange runs on studless winter tyres as standard, so there is nothing to request and nothing to write in the booking notes. We don't promise tyre chains; that depends on the vehicle on the day.
Rides between New Chitose Airport or Sapporo and Kiroro, in either direction, can be booked online until 20:00 Japan time the day before, subject to availability. For anything sooner, message us on WhatsApp and we'll check whether a car can be arranged.
RydAgent from ¥59,000 (~$393) per car · 1 origin