Rusutsu Resort is a single-company ski resort in Rusutsu village, south-west of Sapporo between Lake Shikotsu and Lake Toya. Its slopes spread over three peaks — West Mountain, East Mountain and Mount Isola — with 4 gondolas, 14 lifts and 37 courses, and the hotels (Rusutsu Resort Hotel & Convention, The Westin Rusutsu Resort and The Vale Rusutsu) sit at the base. The resort runs its own airport and Sapporo buses. Kutchan is about 35 minutes away by car, and Niseko about 30 minutes.
Spring skiing runs from 15 to 31 March 2027; the Big Runs bus runs from the airport until 30 March and back to the airport until 31 March 2027.
Rusutsu turns into an amusement-park and golf resort; the winter bus timetables do not apply.
Quiet until the planned opening on 28 November 2026.
The resort plans to open on 28 November 2026, with the regular season from 19 December 2026 to 14 March 2027 and night skiing from mid-December. The Big Runs airport bus runs 4 times a day from 28 November and 7 times a day from 19 December.
The Westin Rusutsu Resort, Rusutsu Resort Hotel & Convention and The Vale Rusutsu are all bus stops for the airport and Sapporo services, so most guests never need a car inside the resort.
| Origin | Duration | RydAgent price (Alphard, up to 4) | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Chitose Airport | ~95 min | ¥70,000 (~$467) | See full route details |
Take the Big Runs bus if your flight lands before its cut-off and you booked a week ahead. Book a RydAgent private car when you land after 16:15 (domestic) or 15:20 (international), when a delay could cost you the bus, or when your group has more than two bags per person (the Big Runs limit).
See full route details →If your flight lands by 16:15 (domestic) or 15:20 (international) and you booked by midnight seven days ahead, the resort's Big Runs bus (¥5,000 online, about 120 minutes) is cheapest; otherwise choose between a local taxi — the resort's estimate is about ¥32,800 in a small taxi or ¥45,600 in a jumbo taxi, excluding dispatch fees — and a RydAgent private car at ¥70,000 per Toyota Alphard (up to 4 passengers) or ¥77,000 per Toyota HiAce (up to 9 passengers), about 95 minutes, with 90 minutes' free waiting from actual landing.
| Option | Operator | Time | Price | Booking and limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Runs bus | Kamori Kanko (Rusutsu Resort) | About 120 min | ¥5,000 online (¥5,500 if booked through the resort's inquiry form), adult and child the same | 28 Nov 2026 – 30 Mar 2027; 4 departures a day, 7 from 19 Dec. Book online by midnight 7 days before (booking planned to open in late October 2026); runs with no bookings by the deadline are cancelled. Connects with flights landing by 16:15 domestic / 15:20 international; allow 45 / 90 min. Up to 2 bags per person (e.g. one suitcase plus one ski or board bag). |
| Hokkaido Resort Liner | Hokkaido Access Network | About 2 h | ¥5,500 per adult (child ¥4,500) | Daily 1 Dec 2026 – 30 Mar 2027; every seat reserved; in principle only for guests staying at hotels in the areas it serves; allow 90 min after an international landing. |
| Local taxi (resort's estimate, from Rusutsu) | Local taxi companies | About 90 min (the resort's figure by car) | About ¥32,800 in a small taxi, ¥45,600 in a jumbo taxi (to the airport) | The resort's own estimate, excluding dispatch fees; varies with season and road conditions. |
| RydAgent private car | Licensed commercial vehicles (green plates) and professional drivers | About 95 min, door to door (the resort quotes about 90 min by car) | ¥70,000 per car (Alphard, up to 4 passengers) · ¥77,000 per car (HiAce, up to 9 passengers) | Fixed price per car; flight tracked, 90 minutes' free waiting from actual landing; winter tyres — write 'snow road' or 'winter tyres' in the booking notes. |
Matched by vehicle size, the resort's taxi estimates are lower than RydAgent: about ¥32,800 for a small taxi against ¥70,000 for a RydAgent Alphard, and ¥45,600 for a jumbo taxi against ¥77,000 for a RydAgent HiAce; the Big Runs bus is cheaper still — 4 people pay ¥20,000. What RydAgent adds is a fixed price agreed before you fly (the taxi estimates exclude dispatch fees), your flight tracked and 90 minutes' free waiting from actual landing.
From Sapporo the cheapest published fare is Donan Bus via Nakayama Pass (¥2,600, about 1 h 54 min, four reserved departures a day); the resort's own Rusutsu-go becomes paid from 28 November 2026, with the fare not announced as of 2 October 2026; the resort's taxi estimate is about ¥27,800 (small) or ¥38,600 (jumbo) from Rusutsu to Sapporo Station, excluding dispatch fees; and a RydAgent private car leaves any Sapporo address at the time you choose, with the price shown instantly on the booking page.
| Option | Operator | Time | Price | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rusutsu-go | Kamori Kanko (Rusutsu Resort) | About 120 min, one round trip a day (2025-26) | Paid from 28 Nov 2026 — fare not announced as of 2 Oct 2026 (free until 2025-26) | 2026-27 fare and booking method not announced as of 2 Oct 2026 (2025-26: online reservation only, boarding near Sapporo Station south exit). |
| Donan Bus Sapporo–Toyako line (via Nakayama Pass) | Donan Bus | About 1 h 54 min (Sapporo Station 7:40 → Rusutsu 9:34) | ¥2,600 per adult | Fully reserved; four departures a day; does not serve the airport. |
| Local taxi (resort's estimate, from Rusutsu) | Local taxi companies | About 90 min (the resort's figure by car) | About ¥27,800 in a small taxi, ¥38,600 in a jumbo taxi (to Sapporo Station) | The resort's own estimate, excluding dispatch fees; varies with season and road conditions. |
| RydAgent private car | Licensed commercial vehicles (green plates) and professional drivers | Door to door from any Sapporo address | Price shown instantly on the booking page for your Sapporo address | Fixed price per car once booked, at the time you choose; winter tyres — write 'snow road' or 'winter tyres' in the booking notes. |
Take the Big Runs bus (¥5,000 online, about 120 minutes) if your flight lands by 16:15 domestic or 15:20 international and you can book by midnight seven days ahead. Otherwise compare a taxi — the resort's estimate is about ¥32,800 in a small taxi or ¥45,600 in a jumbo taxi from Rusutsu to the airport, excluding dispatch fees — with a RydAgent private car at ¥70,000 per Toyota Alphard (up to 4 passengers) or ¥77,000 per Toyota HiAce (up to 9 passengers): the taxi estimate is lower, while RydAgent fixes the price before you fly, tracks your flight and waits 90 minutes from actual landing.
By bus, taxi or car — Rusutsu has no railway. The cheapest is the resort's Big Runs bus, about 120 minutes for ¥5,000 booked online by midnight seven days before; the Hokkaido Resort Liner is ¥5,500 and also reservation-only. A RydAgent private car is a fixed ¥70,000 for up to 4 passengers or ¥77,000 for up to 9, about 95 minutes door to door.
The resort says the bus connects with domestic flights landing by 16:15 and international flights landing by 15:20, and advises later arrivals to use another company. A RydAgent driver tracks your flight and waits 90 minutes from your actual landing at any hour.
The resort's own estimate is about ¥32,800 in a small taxi and ¥45,600 in a jumbo taxi, excluding dispatch fees and depending on season and road conditions; to Sapporo Station it is about ¥27,800 and ¥38,600.
Up to two pieces per person in the trunk — for example one suitcase plus one ski, snowboard or golf bag. Ask the resort in advance for anything more. With RydAgent, ski and board bags count as large luggage: an Alphard takes up to 4 passengers and 4 large suitcases and a HiAce up to 9 and 9, so with a suitcase and a ski bag each, an Alphard takes two skiers at most and three or more need the HiAce, one HiAce takes up to six of them, and seven or more need a second car or to send bags ahead — tell us how many bags and how long they are when you book.
Yes — RydAgent can send a car on studless winter tyres: write 'snow road' or 'winter tyres' in the booking notes and dispatch assigns one. The note is what tells dispatch, so don't leave it out.
RydAgent from ¥70,000 (~$467) per car · 1 origin