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Niseko Annupuri Mountain
Niseko is the most famous ski resort in Japan, known for tons of light powder snow, its spectacular back country, and a large amount of foreigners, especially Australians who are responsible for popularizing the resort with foreign travelers in recent years.
The Niseko resorts have plenty of long, wide runs in addition to backcountry skiing. The backcountry can be accessed from special gates at the resorts, through resort tours and helicopter tours. There is also backcountry on Yotei Mountain, a nearly perfect volcanic cone, which can be seen from Niseko.
Mount Yotei, seen from the slopes of Hirafu
Niseko's resorts are all located on Niseko-Annupuri Mountain. The three major resorts are Grand Hirafu, Niseko Village (formerly known as Higashiyama) and Annupuri. They are connected with each other at the top of the mountain, while shuttle buses connect them at the base. The Niseko All Mountain Pass gives access to all three resorts for 4900 yen per day.
Grand Hirafu is the largest of the resorts and the only one with a sizable town at its base. Hirafu Town has many hotels, holiday homes and an interesting range of restaurants and bars with an active nightlife. An evening stroll about town will take you past many places packed with foreigners.
Hirafu by night
Hirafu Town is very foreigner friendly, and it is almost like visiting a foreign country within Japan. You will find that many restaurants offer English menus by default and local convenience stores offer a wider range of imported foods than elsewhere in Japan.
Niseko Village and Annupuri resorts, while lacking towns, have hotels and homes at their bases. The actual town center of Niseko is located further from the resorts and is not a convenient base for skiing.
Passes:
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Niseko All Mountain Pass
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Resorts
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The Niseko All Mountain Pass includes access to all areas of the Niseko Grand Hirafu, Niseko Village and Annupuri resorts.
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Tickets
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full day
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8 hour pass
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4900 yen
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half day
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N/A
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N/A
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Resorts:
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Niseko Grand Hirafu
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Description
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Grand Hirafu is the largest of the three resorts, and as such it has the most variety of runs. Its second base, Hanazono, is located to the west of Kutchan Town.
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Season
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Mid November to mid May
(2011 Season from Nov 26, 2011 to May 6, 2012)
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Lifts
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17 Lifts
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Tickets
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full day
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8 hour pass
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4400 yen
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Rentals
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ski
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4000 yen
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half day
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5 hour pass
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3800 yen
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board
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4000 yen
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nighter
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16:30 to 20:30
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2700 yen
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clothes
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3000 yen
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Access
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bus/train
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15 minutes by bus from Kutchan Station
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car
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10 kilometers from Kutchan Town Center
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Niseko Village
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Description
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Niseko Village (formerly known as Niseko Higashiyama) is located in between Grand Hirafu and Annupuri resorts, and has the Hilton Niseko Village hotel located at its base.
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Season
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Early December to early May
(2011 Season from Dec 1, 2011 to May 6, 2012)
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Lifts
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7 Lifts
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Tickets
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full day
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8 hour pass
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4000 yen
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Rentals
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ski
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4800 yen
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half day
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5 hour pass
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3500 yen
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board
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4800 yen
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nighter
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16:30 to 21:00
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1500 yen
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clothes
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3000 yen
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Access
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bus/train
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30 minutes by bus from Kutchan Station
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car
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6 kilometers from Niseko Town Center
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Niseko Annupuri
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Description
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Annupuri is the west most of the resorts and is not quite as steep as the other two.
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Season
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Late November to early May
(2011 Season from Nov 26, 2011 to May 6, 2012)
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Lifts
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6 Lifts
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Tickets
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full day
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8 hour pass
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4400 yen
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Rentals
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ski
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5000 yen
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half day
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5 hour pass
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3800 yen
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board
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6000 yen
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nighter
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16:30 to 21:00
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1900 yen
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clothes
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3000 yen
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Access
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bus/train
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45 minutes by bus from Kutchan Station
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car
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8 kilometers from Niseko Town Center
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Any Questions? Ask them in our question forum.
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How to get there
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Niseko is most easily accessed from Sapporo. Read on how to get to Sapporo.
Access by bus is more convenient than access by train, because buses directly stop at the ski resorts, while the train stations are located several kilometers away from the ski resorts.
By bus
Multiple companies operate buses between Sapporo's city center and Niseko and between Sapporo's Shin-Chitose Airport and Niseko. The one way trip along either route takes about 2.5 to 3 hours and costs 2300 yen. In the Niseko area, the buses stop at the three major ski resorts of Hirafu, Niseko Village and Annupuri.
The bus companies include Chuo Hokkaido Bus, Donan Bus, Good Sports Whiteliner and Hokkaido Access Network. They offer various ski discount packages, which combine the bus round trip with lift tickets at competitive prices.
By train
From mid December to late February, there are two "Niseko Ski Express" limited express trains between Sapporo, Kutchan and Niseko Stations. The one way trip takes about two hours and costs around 4500 yen.
Around the year, there are also infrequent local and rapid train connections between Sapporo and Kutchan Stations, most of which require a transfer of trains at Otaru. With a direct "Niseko Liner" rapid train or a favorable transfer at Otaru, the one way trip takes only slightly longer than by limited express, but costs only 1790 yen.
All the trains between Sapporo, Kutchan and Niseko are fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass, Hokkaido Rail Pass and Hokkaido Free Pass.
Kutchan Station rather than Niseko Station is the region's public transportation hub. From Kutchan Station, there is roughly one bus per hour to Hirafu (15 minutes), with some buses continuing to Niseko Village (30 minutes) and Annupuri (45 minutes).
By car
By car, you can reach Niseko from Sapporo or Sapporo's New Chitose Airport in about two hours. Rental cars are available at the airport and in the city center. Roads in Hokkaido can be covered by snow during winter.
Public transportation within the Niseko area
There are hourly shuttle buses between Hirafu and Annupuri resorts via Niseko Village resort, which can be used for free by holders of the Niseko All Mountain Pass. Furthermore, there are buses between Kutchan Station and Hirafu (15 minutes, 380 yen), with some buses continuing to Niseko Village (30 minutes, 570 yen) and Annupuri (45 minutes, 690 yen).
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Travel Community
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Ratings for Niseko:
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japan-guide.com Rating:
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outstanding
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User Rating (by 77 users):
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85/100
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recommended
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Popularity of Niseko:
Users who have been to Niseko: 173
75th most visited of the 140 destinations in our sightseeing guide.
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