Rusutsu Activities

Rusutsu is a modern resort with plenty of activities to keep everyone entertained. Sure you can't play golf or go on the roller coaster during winter, but there are lots of other things to do. Many of the activities are organised through the resort, and some don't come cheaply.

Rusutsu Backcountry Ski Activities

You can do a private backcountry ski or snowboard tour at Shiribetsu which is adjacent to West Mountain with Black Diamond Tours or Whiteroom Tours.

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Heli Skiing Rusutsu

Rusutsu heli skiing is fabulous because it offers the perfect combination of the best powder in the world and the ultimate lift, a helicopter! Unlike a couple of other Japan heli skiing outfits that offer very lame helicopter accessed skiing, Hokkaido Backcountry Club offers “proper” heli skiing that includes qualified backcountry guides and some fabulously steep terrain and long runs. The heli skiing is on Shiribetsu-dake adjacent to Rusutsu Resort and transport from your Rusutsu accommodation is included in the packages. Check out the 6 run Big Mountain Tours.

Family Activities Rusutsu

Rusutsu is a great destination for families, particularly in the Rusutsu Resort Hotel area. Inside the hotel, just wandering around looking at the weird kitsch décor is an activity in itself. Watch Daniel and the Dixie Diggers (large cartoon characters) sing, laugh at the bizarre singing and dancing tree, or go for a free ride on the merry-go-round. This artistic piece is beautiful. The only disappointment is that the horses and other animals don’t move up and down.

Other activities inside the hotel include a wave pool with a water slide and two games arcades.

Just outside the Rusutsu Resort Hotel is the snow park which is activity central for young children. The area has playground equipment and a magic carpet for tubing, sledding (aka sledging!) and snow biking. There are also reindeer sleigh rides, and further afield is snowmobile powered snow rafting which is a lot of fun for the kids or the young at heart.

There is also a vast array of indoor activities to enjoy including handicrafts such as cord or candle craft.

Other Rusutsu Winter Activities

The resort offers snowshoe nature tours around the forest area or you can go horse riding at Lake Toya. Another Rusutsu activity is ice hole fishing, which costs a lot to go and freeze your butt off.

Rusutsu has snowmobiling if you feel the need for a hoon amongst the powder, although unfortunately the trips look very gentle rather than for hoons! Snowmobile trips are only 30 minutes in duration.

They also have dog sledding tours that in classical Japanese style they call dog sledging (!! Hey you ugly dog, you’ve got dog’s breath)! They just provide a taste of dog-sledding on a very short course and the trip only goes for 15 to 20 minutes.

Rusutsu Onsen

The Kotobuki Onsen at Rusutsu is a modern onsen complex located at the junction of the Vale Rusutsu and the Rusutsu Resort Hotel. The rejuvenating waters apparently cure all ailments and make you gorgeous! Either way, a soak in the onsen is a great way to finish a hard day on the slopes. Kotobuki Onsen has indoor baths and outdoor baths including whirlpool baths and reclined areas to optimise relaxation. Depending on the height of the snow banks, the outdoor bath may provide views across to the East Mountain slopes. The onsen facilities also include saunas (mist sauna for women, dry sauna for men). Entry is included for resort guests or others can pay a fee for access.

The Westin also has an onsen with indoor and outdoor baths.

The Rusutsu Resort Hotel has a public bath in the South Wing, which looks like an onsen but doesn’t have official onsen water as it’s chlorinated.

Massages

For further relaxation, you can partake in a body treatment at the Westin, or the Relaxation Room near the Kotobuki Onsen offers massages.

Sightseeing

If the temps warm up and you want a day off the slopes, you could drive to Noboribetsu for an onsen and to check out some of the other activities around this onsen town.