BIGRUNS is the direct bus to Rusutsu Resort for guests staying at the official hotels, but it also requires advanced reservations. If you are planning to stay at the official hotel, it’s a good idea to make a reservation at the same time.

For New Chitose Airport, instead of heading to the bus stop, head to the meeting place in the Domestic Terminal Building or the International Terminal Building for the reception. It takes about 10 minutes on foot to reach the domestic terminal from the international terminal, but you don’t have to exit the building, and you can continue to use luggage carts.

Make sure to be at the domestic and international flight meeting place 20 minutes before the departure. After you are done with reception, follow the guide's instructions, then head to the bus.

Here is the access information to reach the reception area in order from domestic flights to international flights.

The BIGRUNS reception is at the BIGRUNS Counter on the first floor of the Domestic Terminal Building. The domestic flights arrival gate is also on the same floor, but you may have to walk a little since there are five arrival gates.

The BIGRUNS Counter is easy to find, located in front of Arrival Gate 5. and next to an information counter. If you exit from Arrival Gate 4, turn left and go straight for about 100m. It will be on your right-hand side. However, be aware that there are various other travel company counters along the way, so be careful.



From arrival gates 1, 2, and 3, it will talk a bit longer to reach. After exiting from arrival gates 1, 2, and 3, head left towards the rental car counter, and head outside to the bus and taxi lane . Once there, follow the yellow floor guide marked "To the Southside Arrival Lobby.”

After walking for a bit, you’ll find a door near Arrival Gate 4. Then proceed as explained above. Considering that you will be walking with large luggage in an unfamiliar place, you might want to look at a 10 to 15 minute travel time.

Again, the reception closes 20 minutes before the bus departure time. The arrival gate will depend on your flight; make sure to give yourself enough time just to be safe.

The BIGRUNS reception is on the first floor of the International Terminal Building. The international arrival gate is on the second floor; after getting past customs, take the elevator on the right to the first floor.

There are counters for bus companies and travel companies on the second floor, so be careful.

After retrieving your checked luggage, head out of the restricted area to the arrival gate, then head right. Once you pass the convenience store Lawson (on your right), there is an elevator to the far backside; take it to the first floor.



Once on the first floor, head towards the information center located in the center of the building. The meeting place is next to the smoking section. Since there isn’t a counter, it may be hard to find at first, but look for the pink sign written in English. Make sure to arrive 15 minutes before the bus’s departure. You can get here in about 5 minutes from the arrival gate.

Another direct bus from New Chitose Airport to Rusutsu Resort is the Resort Liner.

Before we explain how to access the bus, we will go over the routes.

This bus will head to Niseko, and it will stop by Rusutsu Resort on the way. It requires a reservation, and non-hotel customers can use it.

However, for day-trip customers, you can only board and get-off at Rusutsu Resort Hotel & Convention and not The Westin Rusutsu Resort.


The boarding method at New Chitose Airport is the same as BIGRUNS, but instead of heading to the bus stop, head to the meeting place in the Domestic Terminal Building or the International Terminal Building for the reception and follow the staff to board the bus.

Make sure to be at the domestic and international flight meeting place 15 minutes before the departure.

The meeting place is different from BIGRUNS, so refer to the following.

The reception for the Resort Liner is on the first floor of the Domestic Terminal Building. There are numerous travel company counters; look for the orange Hokkaido Resort Liner sign.

After exiting Arrival Gate 4, take a left and walk for about two minutes. From Arrival Gate 5, take a right and walk for about a minute. For Arrival Gates 1 through 3, you will take the same course as the BIGRUNS, since you will walk for a bit, make sure you plan ahead of the time.

The reception for the Resort Liner is on the second floor of the International Terminal Building. After exiting the arrival gate past the restricted area, head left, and the reception is located near the tour counters.

Above the reception counter, there is an orange sign with Hokkaido Resort Liner written in English. It is in a convenient location that you can reach in one to two minutes from the arrival gate.

Additionally, there are cases where the meeting place will change, so make sure to check with the management company’s official website.

You can reach Rusutsu Resort from Sapporo with the Rusutsu Go free shuttle bus in about 120 minutes. There is also the paid bus, Resort Liner, which goes directly from major hotels in Sapporo City to Rusutsu Resort for a fee, and local buses that depart from Sapporo-Ekimae Bus Terminal heading towards Toyako Onsen that stops by Rusutsu Resort. 


Here we will cover the free shuttle bus Rusutsu Go.

Rusutsu Go requires advanced online reservations to board, available to Rusutsu Resort guests and people going for day-trip skiing and other activities.



The boarding place is in front of Kamori Building 3, near JR Sapporo and subway station. It is about a two-minute walk from the station. 



Exit JR Sapporo Station on the South Side, and turn right. Walk straight, and you will find the Daimaru Department store on your right, and a police box on your left. Head towards the road on the left, where you will find a silver building with a Yomiuri Shimbun sign, and another silver building with an ASTY45 sign.

Cross the Kita 5 Nishi 4 intersection to the Yomiuri Shimbun building side, and head straight with the building to your left. Soon you will come across the convenience store Lawson on the left-hand side. The building with Lawson is the Kamori Building 3. The bus will arrive in front of this building.

Look for the convenience store Lawson.

Reservations are required to board; those who don’t make a reservation by 3 PM the day before will not be able to board.

There are a couple of options to Rusutsu Resort from the world-famous winter resort area of Niseko.

The first option is the direct shuttle bus operating between Hirafu Welcome Center and Rusutsu Resort, which takes about 45 minutes total. This bus operates every day of the week during the operation period twice daily and costs 3,800 yen per person. Online reservations are required, and tickets are sent digitally for easy ticketless boarding.

The second option is great for those who just want to take a quick day trip to Rusutsu, as it offers a round-trip service to and from Niseko. This is the Rusutsu Powder Day Trip Shuttle Bus, and it departs from the same Hirafu Welcome Center to Rusutsu Resort in the morning, and brings you right back later that evening (9,000 yen; lift tickets not included).

It's pretty easy and convenient to take the local bus from JR Kutchan Station to access Rusutsu Resort. We recommend this route if you plan on taking the public transportation system while sightseeing in Otaru and Yoichi. However, note that thisbusonly stops by the Rusutsu Resort Hotel & Convention, and not Westin Rusutsu Resort.

Look for the Rusutsu Kutchan Line (留寿都倶知安線) at JR Kutchan Station. The bus takes about 55 minutes. Reservations are not required for local buses, and the route is in operation all year round.

Text & Photos: Kawashima Nobuhiro