Where is Kiroro Resort?
Kiroro Ski Resort is located in Akaigawa 43km west of Sapporo Hokkaido, 28km south of the town of
Otaru and 43km northeast of the town of
Kutchan. The road distance from
Niseko to Kiroro is about 50km, a drive that takes about an hour.
Getting to Kiroro from New Chitose Airport
The New Chitose Airport (Sapporo) is the gateway airport for Kiroro. See the travel to
Hokkaido travel page for information on flights to Hokkaido.
You can catch a Kiroro bus organised by Club Med for transfers between Kiroro and the airport. The Kiroro bus takes about 2 hours. If you want to take the bus and don't want to stay overnight in one of the
Chitose Airport hotels, ensure arrival times into New Chitose Airport (CTS) are not later than 7pm and departure times are not before 1pm.
Or you can
book a private airport transfer to Kiroro.
Bus from Sapporo to Kiroro
Kiroro Resort provides buses from the city of Sapporo to Kiroro.
Driving to Kiroro
Driving to Kiroro is relatively easy, especially considering the recent advances in GPS navigation technology, and driving provides the distinct advantage of flexibility to visit other ski resorts in the
Otaru and Niseko areas. The Kiroro telephone number for GPS navigation is 0135-34-7111.
Car rentals are available at the New Chitose Airport and in Sapporo. The drive from Sapporo to Kiroro takes only about 1 hour whilst from the New Chitose Airport the trip time is about 1.5 hours. There is free parking at Kiroro Resort.
Trains to Otaru
An alternative way of getting to Kiroro is to catch one of the frequent trains from Sapporo (or New Chitose Airport) to Otaru or Otaru Chikko station. The trip from Sapporo to Otaru takes about 40-50 minutes.
Travel from Otaru to Kiroro
There are buses between the city of Otaru and Kiroro. During low season this is once daily, whilst during high season these are a couple of times a day. The trip time is painfully long and can be more than an hour, depending on where you alight. The bus stops at the Otaru train station (so the
Dormy Inn Hotel is close by) and hotels such as
OMO5 Otaru.
The Otaru to Kiroro buses arrive just a fraction too late to score first tracks on a powder day, so if you’re serious about chasing powder you’ll want to be on a guided tour or have your own wheels.
Otherwise catch a taxi from Otaru to Kiroro. The trip takes about 30-40 minutes.
There is also an afternoon bus from Otaru Chikko train station to Kiroro.
Otaru hotels on the bus route to Kiroro Ski Resort include:
*return buses don’t stop at this hotel
Travel from Niseko to Kiroro
Kiroro is only a 1 hour drive from Niseko ski resort, so Kiroro is a perfect day trip to get away from the Niseko crowds.
One option, albeit time consuming and a bit messy, is to catch a train from Kutchan (or Niseko) to Otaru which takes about 80 minutes. From Otaru you can catch a bus or taxi (as outlined above).
Alternatively, if you want a guide to show you the good spots, you can take a
guided day tour at Kiroro which includes transport from Niseko.
Or Hokkaido Resort Liner provides a morning bus from Niseko to Kiroro, but it gets to Kiroro just a fraction too late for freshies on a powder day. Or if you have a group or for multi-day stays, you might want a
private transfer between Niseko and Kiroro and then you can choose your departure and arrival times.
Getting Around Kiroro
The Kiroro “villages” are spread across two primary areas: the main base of the ski resort; and the Kiroro Grand zone.
The main base of the ski resort has the Club Med Kiroro Peak and the interconnected Resort Center which houses various facilities.
About 10-15 minutes walk down the hill is the Club Med Kiroro Grand, and Yu Kiroro. The kids’ Snow Park is located in this area.
It’s easy enough to walk around either of the areas, but to get between the zones you can catch the complimentary Kiroro shuttle bus. The ride only takes 3 minutes and the shuttles run on a continuous loop, although later in the evening the schedules are less regular. Or the gondola is an easy way to get between the two areas.
Other Ski Resorts Nearby
Road distances from Kiroro:
Furano is 170km northeast of Kiroro and too far away for a day trip, but if you wanted to combine a stay at Kiroro with time at Furano, you can get a
private transfer between Kiroro and Furano.
Guided Day Trips
Another option of getting to Kiroro if you're staying in Niseko is to jump on one of the many guided day-trips to Kiroro. Most companies only offer this service to
private groups (in other words you can't join a group as a solo/couple) so you may need to get a group of 4 - 6 together to make it financially viable.
[AdListings collection="Japan" category="Kiroro" subcategory="Activities Ski Tours"]
[AdListings collection="Japan" category="Kiroro" subcategory="Photography"]