Where is Moiwa Ski Resort?
Moiwa Niseko is a 2 hour drive southwest of
Sapporo Hokkaido and 2 hours west of the New-Chitose International Airport.
Moiwa is just a 3 minute drive from the
Annupuri ski area which is part of Niseko United, and a 10 minute drive from
Hirafu (11km), the main heartbeat of
Niseko. Moiwa Ski Resort is 8km northwest of the town of Niseko (which is not to be confused with the Niseko Ski Resort aka Niseko United).
The Konbu Onsen area is just down the road from the Moiwa slopes, and various hotels make the most of the hot springs.
Flights to Sapporo
The Sapporo New Chitose International Airport is the main gateway for Niseko and Moiwa. See our
travel to Hokkaido page for information on flying into Sapporo.
Shuttle Bus to Moiwa from Sapporo
There are shuttle bus services from the New Chitose Airport to Moiwa Niseko (bookable from October onwards) with
Hokkaido Resort Liner. If you’re staying in the Moiwa village, choose the Hotel Kanro-no-mori in Konbu Onsen as your drop off point.
Hokkaido Resort Liner also offers shuttle bus transport from the city of Sapporo (the Odori bus centre as well as various
Sapporo hotels). Once again, Moiwa overnighters should pick the Kanronomori drop-off point.
If you’re not staying at
Hotel Kanronomori which is about 700 metres from the slopes, check that your Moiwa accommodation provider can pick you up from the bus stop.
Airport Transfers to Moiwa
Alternatively you can get a door-to-door private transfer from either Sapporo City or the New Chitose Airport:
Getting to Moiwa from Sapporo by Train
Niseko station is the closest train station to Moiwa (as opposed to Kutchan station which is the closest to Hirafu). The train from Sapporo (JR) to Niseko goes via Otaru and takes anywhere from 1.5 hours to almost 3 hours depending on connections and whether it’s an express train. See
Hyperdia for train schedules and fares.
You can also catch the train from the New Chitose Airport to Sapporo JR Station and then onto Niseko.
There is a bus service from the Niseko train station, you can catch a taxi (5-10 minute ride) straight to the door of your Moiwa accommodation, or some of the hotels and lodges provide arrival and departure transfers to/from the Niseko train station.
If you do land at the Kutchan train station, there is only one bus to Moiwa per day.
Getting Between Hirafu and Moiwa
If you don’t have your own wheels or don’t want to catch a taxi, you can get a free shuttle bus between Hirafu (next to the Seicomart) and the Moiwa ski resort. There are a couple of shuttles in both directions between Hirafu and Moiwa in the morning and then another couple in the afternoon.
If you’re staying at
Hotel Kanronomori, the hotel offers a regular shuttle service to/from Annupuri and Hirafu.
It’s also possible to ski between Moiwa and Niseko. From the top of the quad chair at Moiwa walk up about 100 metres and head through the backcountry gate #6. From there you can drop into the Annupuri ski area. Getting from Moiwa to Niseko United is really only for experienced riders who are kitted out with avo gear, and it’s probably not wise to try this for the first time on a white-out day. Be aware that gate #6 may close mid-afternoon and on days when there is considerable avalanche risk.
Other Ski Resorts Nearby
Rusutsu is fantastic for powder hounds and another good opportunity to get away from the crowds of Niseko. Rusutsu is 29km southeast of Moiwa which equates to a 25 minute drive.
Kiroro is 61km northeast of Moiwa (an hour drive).
The former ski resort of Chisenupuri is the next ski area over from Moiwa to the northwest, which is 8.5km away by road. It is now used for cat skiing with
Chisenupuri Snowcats.
Iwanai Resort is located 50km northwest of Moiwa and is now primarily used for snowcat skiing with
Iwanai Cat Skiing.
Guided Day Trips
Another option of getting to Moiwa is to stay in/near Niseko and jump on one of the many guided day-trips to Moiwa. Most companies only offer this service for
private groups (in other words you can't join a group as a solo/couple) so you may want to get a group of 4 - 6 together to make it financially viable.
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