One of the great things about the dining and nightlife at Rusutsu is its laid-back atmosphere. For those who may have only stayed at Niseko, Rusutsu offers an opportunity to get greater exposure to a variety of Japanese cultural experiences. The people are very friendly and are always keen to try and communicate, even if the only word you have in common is "kanpai" – cheers!

Rusutsu Restaurants

There are a variety of restaurants at the Rusutsu hotels. If you’re staying in resort accommodation, dinner can be included in the accommodation package or you can pay as you go (which is recommended).

One of the main restaurants at the Rusutsu Resort Hotel is the German Oktoberfest that features amazing western and Japanese buffet feasts for breakfast or dinner. The name “Oktoberfest” conjures up ideas of drunken lads chugging steins of beer, but it’s very family friendly, comes complete with dancing bears, and you’d be lucky to find beer.

At the Rusutsu Resort Hotel other restaurant options include Italian, French and Chinese restaurants, an izakaya and a few other Japanese restaurants.

The Westin Rusutsu Resort Hotel also has a couple of dining options including the Kazahana Japanese Restaurant and casual dining at the Atrium.

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A few minutes walk from the Rusutsu Resort Hotel is a small “village” with several dining options. The dining options in “izakaya strip” are small, inexpensive and popular, so it could be worthwhile booking ahead. Rodeo Drive in the “strip” is a bar and restaurant with only a few tables. It’s very cosy and full of character, and there are usually a few Japanese folk to mingle with. Fare includes tapas, pizza, pasta, sausage and a few Japanese items.

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Informal Dining

Rusutsu has various options for informal dining. Daniel Street in the Rusutsu Resort Hotel has several food places including a pizzeria, a hamburger joint, ice-creamery and bakery.

The backpacker and school kids wing of the Rusutsu Resort Hotel has a large food court downstairs that is open from 10:30am to 7:30pm, providing lots of cheap eats for lunch or dinner.

Or if you want something really simple and cheap, head across the road from the resort to the 7-Eleven or Seicomart.

Rusutsu Nightlife & Bars

In complete contrast to Niseko nightlife, Rusutsu is not a big party place. You might need to create your own night time fun in your hotel room and rely on your duty free alcohol. Or thankfully alcohol from the convenience store is really cheap – go the Chu-His!

The “strip” has a few izakayas (the Japanese version of a bar that sells appetizers) that can become festive, Japanese style. Rodeo Drive opens at 4pm with happy hour and cheap drinks for 2 hours. It stays open until 2am and many of the hotel workers turn up late in the evening for a quiet drink.

Or nearby Youtei is good for a drink and possibly some karaoke.

The Rusutsu Resort Hotel has an upscale bar, the Orbist, where you can perch for a sophisticated cocktail after 7pm. Unfortunately you have to pay a cover charge to get in. For the tariff you’d expect to get a special hostess or something, but alas there are no hostesses!

Cricket Bar is the main drinking hole at the Rusutsu Resort Hotel. Foreigners tends to congregate in this little quiet sports bar to watch ski and snowboard movies. It opens up for lunch and then it daftly closes between 3pm and 6pm, so you can’t go there for après ski drinks. Sometimes they have live music such as jazz, although this might just scare you away!