New Chitose Airport (新千歳空港, Shin-Chitose Kūkō, CTS) is the main airport of Sapporo, located about 50 kilometers south-east of the city center. It is one of the busiest airports in Japan and serves the world's most traveled air route between Tokyo and Sapporo in addition to many other domestic routes and a few international and chartered flights. Sapporo has another airport, Okadama Airport, in a more central location, but it serves only a small number of flights to locations within Hokkaido.
How to travel between New Chitose Airport and Sapporo
Airport buses operate every 15 minutes between the airport and various places in downtown Sapporo, including Susukino, Odori Park and Sapporo Station. Some of the buses also serve selected major hotels in the city. The one way trip takes about 70-90 minutes and costs 1030 yen.
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How to travel between New Chitose Airport and Otaru
How to travel between New Chitose Airport and Noboribetsu
By train
Take a JR train from New Chitose Airport to Minami-Chitose Station (3 minutes) and transfer to a JR limited express train bound for Hakodate. Get off at Noboribetsu Station about 40 minutes later. The one way trip costs around 3000 yen. If you take local trains instead, travel time increases by about half an hour, but the one way fare is only 1590 yen. The trip is fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass and Hokkaido Rail Pass.
From Noboribetsu Station, Noboribetsu Onsen is reached in a 15 minute bus ride (340 yen, one or two buses per hour). The buses are operated by Donan Bus and are not covered by the Japan Rail Pass. Alternatively, a taxi ride costs about 2500 yen.
By bus
Donan Bus operates two round trips per day between New Chitose Airport and Noboribetsu Onsen. The one way trip takes about one hour and costs 1370 yen.
Alternatively, you can take a more frequently departing highway bus bound for Muroran and get off at Noboribetsu bus stop along the expressway, from where a shuttle bus brings you to the onsen town center. The one way fare is also 1370 yen.
By car
It takes about one hour and costs 1750 yen in tolls to reach Noboribetsu from Shin-Chitose Airport along the Doo Expressway. Get off at Noboribetsu-Higashi Interchange. By toll free roads, the journey is likely to take about 30 minutes longer.
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How to travel between New Chitose Airport and Lake Toya
By train
Take a JR train from New Chitose Airport to Minami-Chitose Station (3 minutes) and transfer to a limited express train bound for Hakodate. Get off at Toya Station about 70 minutes later. The one way trip costs around 4500 yen. The trip is fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass and Hokkaido Rail Pass.
From Toya Station, Lake Toya (Toyako Onsen bus terminal) is reached in a 15 minute bus ride (330 yen, about one bus per hour). The buses are operated by Donan Bus and are not covered by the Japan Rail Pass.
By car
It takes about 100 minutes and costs 2970 yen in tolls to reach Lake Toya from New Chitose Airport along the Doo Expressway. Get off at Abuta-Toyako Interchange. By toll free roads, the journey is likely to take about an hour longer.
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How to travel between New Chitose Airport and Lake Shikotsu
How to travel between New Chitose Airport and Niseko and Rusutsu
By bus
From December to March, multiple bus companies, including Hokkaido Chuo Bus, Niseko Bus, Hokkaido Access Network and Good Sports run buses between New Chitose Airport and the various ski resorts of Niseko. Many of the buses stop at Rusutsu along the way.
The ride from the airport to Niseko takes about three hours. Fares vary greatly between companies: while Hokkaido Chuo Bus and Niseko Bus charge 2600 yen for the one way ride, Sports Whiteliner and Hokkaido Access Network charge 4000 yen. Discounted round trip tickets and packages which combine the bus ride with lift tickets are also available.
From mid July to mid September, Hokkaido Chuo Bus and Niseko Bus run a small number of buses between New Chitose Airport, Rusutsu and Niseko, but during the rest of the year there are no direct scheduled bus services between the airport and the two resort towns.
By train
There are infrequent train connections between New Chitose Airport and Niseko (Kutchan Station), which require a transfer of trains at Otaru and take approximately three hours. The one way fare is 2630 yen and fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass and Hokkaido Rail Pass.
Kutchan Station rather than Niseko Station is the region's public transportation hub. From Kutchan Station, there is a bus every 1-2 hours to Hirafu (15 minutes), with some buses continuing on to Niseko Village (30 minutes) and Annupuri (45 minutes, winter only).
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How to travel between New Chitose Airport and Sapporo
Airport buses operate every 15 minutes between the airport and various places in downtown Sapporo, including Susukino, Odori Park and Sapporo Station. Some of the buses also serve selected major hotels in the city. The one way trip takes about 70-90 minutes and costs 1030 yen.
Above fees and schedules are subject to change. For the current Yen exchange rate, click here.
Observation deck at New Chitose Airport
What to see at the airport
The airport was recently renovated and expanded. Its newly added complex offers many attractive shopping, dining and entertainment facilities, making it one of the most pleasant airports in Japan.
One unique feature is the New Chitose Airport Onsen, a hot spring bathhouse situated in the terminal building itself, albeit without views of the airplanes. Instead, the planes can be observed from a free observation deck. A hotel inside the airport, the Air Terminal Hotel, offers convenient accommodation for those with early departures or late arrivals.
The Doraemon Wakuwaku Skypark features a kids' playground, an amusement corner with game machines, a cafe and a souvenir shop, all under the theme of the world renowned animation character Doraemon. At Royce' Chocolate World, visitors are able to observe the mechanized making of chocolates from the popular confectioner and shop from its wide selection of products. Steiff Nature World showcases a pleasant collection of over 2000 Steiff-made plush toys and collectibles.
Royce Chocolate World
Airport visitors also have a wide range of dining choices. In addition to a food court there are two themed food zones: the Hokkaido Ramen Dojo where diners can select ramen dishes from multiple shops across Hokkaido, and the Streetcar Dining District, which is nostalgically themed after the Sapporo of past decades and features various Hokkaido specialties. Multiple souvenir shops provide ample opportunities for some last-minute shopping.
And even more shopping is found just outside of the airport complex at the Rera Chitose Outlet Mall with hundreds of international and local brands on sale. The outlet mall can be reached in a ten minute ride by free shuttle bus or in a short walk from Minami-Chitose Station.
