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Hi Everyone

Have searched through the forum and internet and having trouble finding info about staying in sapporo and skiing the local resorts. Looking to stay near JR Sapporo and do some day trips.

I imagine that the hotels in general probably cater for this being surrounded by local resorts, but have an image in my mind of a shoebox room draped in wet ski gear and disapproving looks in the lobby carrying skis around! I have seen a few indications of ski storage, but wasn't sure if this just meant they could hold your ski bag during your stay while doing things in town before moving on to accommodation in the resorts themselves.

Any tips or recommendations would be appreciated.

Probably looking at Teine and Sapporo Kokusai day trips.

Thanks

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Hi Tim

 

I rode with a guy who did the same thing and every day he went somewhere new.

I was in Rusutsu so he was there for the day, had been to Annapuri & Furano by bus everday.

As long as you get up early enough and like buses you would be fine.

Could be expensive though.

 

Seemore

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Thanks.

You don't recall the name of the hotel he stayed at?

The cost is actually not bad. JR have packages that include transport and lift ticket and sometimes lunch. They have one for niseko that is 4900 yen that includes bus there and back plus a 8 hour lift ticket. I think a full day ticket in niseko is about 5900.

I think the one for teine might be about 4000 yen for the day.

We're just going to do trips for 2 or 3 days before heading up to niseko for the rest of the trip.

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In mid January I stayed at the Chisun Grand hotel in Sapporo, it was 7.5k for a triple room with a massive by any countries standard bathroom that had a spa bath!

 

Cant recommend it highly enough. We didn't have any reservations, we just rocked up.

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I just did a two day trip to Teine and overnighted in Sapporo. I had a car so my board was always in the car. I've seen boardracks at hotels in Asahikawa but didn't see any in Sapporo. Maybe give the hotel you are thinking of staying at an email explaining what you want to do and see what they come up with? The staff where we stayed were super helpful and didn't seem to be run off their feet, I'm sure they would have come up with something.

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It's only for two days and there are only two of us so probably stick to public transport. And the whole fear of driving in japan thing (irrational, but still worries me). That hotel you suggested looks pretty good. I think if we wipe our gear down before taking it inside it should be ok. I imagine more snow goes in on people in a day in Sapporo than on a pair of skis.

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Sapporo Kokusai, Teine, and Kiroro are all good day trips. You can catch the bus for Kiroro and Sapporo Kokusai from the bus terminal attached to the JR Sapporo station. I think you have to get to JR Teine or the Miyanosawa subway station to get the bus to Teine though.

 

There's also the Asari ski area above Otaru, but you'll have to train over to JR Otaru and catch the bus from there. If there's a major storm blowing in off the Japan sea, Asari and Kiroro are the places to be.

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Thanks all.

Planning on a day at Teine and a day at Sapporo Kokusai.

You're right it seems JR has package deals that go to kokusai by bus return from JR sapporo eki. It looks like Teine you do catch the train first then the bus.

We're then heading up to Niseko for 10 days and going to do a trip to Rusutsu from there and a day maybe at Moiwa. I've been to Niseko a few times before but my friend hasn't so we're trying to do the common thing with a few common and a few slightly less common day trips thrown in.

 

Kiroro and Asari sound good too, so many places so little time!

 

These seem to be some JR flyers about their round trip details

http://www2.jrhokkaido.co.jp/global/pdf/e/ml201101.pdf

http://www2.jrhokkaido.co.jp/global/pdf/e/ml201002.pdf

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  • 1 month later...

Hi. Just thought I'd add to my question with the answer to what we actually did for anyone searching this in the future.

Stayed at the Sapporo Aspen Hotel, just north of Sapporo JR. Great location, about 100m walk to the station. Price was pretty reasonable, I think about $450 sustralian dollars for 4 nights accommodation (9000Y per night)in a twin room. Room was clean and did the job fine.

Reception staff didn't speak much english, but stored our skis at the end of each day in the lobby and gave us a token to get them back in the morning (which I would proceed to lose within 5 minutes of getting it). They were very nice/friendly and attempted to help with anything we needed. Didn't eat there, just got food at the patisserie in the station (little mermaid - recommended).

My frind was there a day earlier and went to Kiroro. The next day we did day trip to Sapporo Kokusai and the following day to Teine.

Went by bus to Kiroro and Sapporo kokusai - package deal was like 5000Y for return bus and 8 hour lift ticket. Both were about 1.5 to 2 hour trip. The buses leabe from the bus terminal on the south side of the JR station undercover. Relatively easy to organise as there are lots of Japanese people with snowboards etc you can follow.

Teine we went to on a JR package by train to teine station then bus. It was about 4500 I think for transport and travel.

All in all pretty easy and good fun. Plus get to do stuff at night in Sapporo.

Kokusai was pretty fun. Seemed to be a look the other way policy from ski patrol. Skied past the skull and crossbones signs into the trees and had some great powder runs. Teine is one of those resorts you don't want to say was good because then other people will go there! It was great fun, pretty much deserted on a monday. Knee deep snow. Great easy backcountry access that is pretty awesome. Inbounds (but out of bounds if you know what I mean) trees were also good + a few legitimate tree skiing "nature zones" that were OK.

Anyone thinking of staying in sapporo to do some day trips I would say if you have some Japan experience or are pretty easy going then it is easy to organise. Hotels seem pretty happy to store your gear overnight. Hotel Sapporo aspen recommended, particularly because of its great proximity to the JR eki.

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Teine tip: At Teine Highland, most of the lockers on the first floor near the changing rooms are large and cost 400-yen. If you don't really need a big locker, there are some smaller 200-yen ones on the third floor opposite the info desk, sort of toward the balcony that overlooks the entry atrium.

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