Where is Sapporo Teine?
The
Sapporo Teine ski resort, made up of Sapporo Teine Highland and Sapporo Teine Olympia, is located 20km northwest of
Sapporo in Hokkaido Japan. Sapporo Teine is situated about 100km northeast of
Niseko and a 37km drive southeast from the seaside town of
Otaru.
Driving to Sapporo Teine
Having a rental car is very advantageous, regardless of whether you’re staying in Sapporo or Otaru or somewhere else nearby. It gives you flexibility to sample various ski areas in the area, and if you want to be there before the lifts open on a powder day, you’ll want to drive.
Thanks to GPS technology, it’s reasonably easy to drive to Sapporo Teine but as you get close, there is a small chance that the GPS may try to take you up a little road that’s closed in winter. The telephone number for GPS navigation is 011-682-6000.
The drive from Sapporo to Teine takes about 40 to 45 minutes.
Sapporo Teine has lots of parking options at different stages up the hill.
Train and Bus Combination to Sapporo Teine
From the JR Sapporo train station, catch a train to Teine. The trip takes 9 to 15 minutes and there are frequent departures and you can check the train timetables on Navitime or google maps. Or if you're staying in
Otaru there are also regular trains to Teine that take about 25 minutes.
From Teine train station south exit there are resort buses to Sapporo Teine. The bus takes about 25 minutes to get to the Highland part of the ski area (ie the top part). On weekdays the bus will not get you there for first lifts and on weekends you might just make it. Sometimes the demand for buses is high and you might have to wait for the next one.
Bus from Sapporo to Sapporo Teine Ski Resort
There are Big Runs bus packages that include a lift pass as well as a bus ticket between various Sapporo hotels, Sapporo JR Station, and Sapporo Teine Ski Resort. The bus packages are very affordable but have to be booked 10 days in advance, or something equally ridiculous. It’s sort of convenient to get picked up at your hotel, but the bus takes forever and you won’t get there for fresh tracks. Hotels on the route include:
Taxi
A fast and convenient way to get there is to catch a taxi. From Sapporo train station it costs approximately ¥5,500.
Other Ski Resorts Nearby
Nearby ski resorts include:
- Sapporo Kokusai is another of the local Sapporo ski resorts and is close as the crow flies but 44km to the west by road.
- Kiroro is 50km away to the west, a drive that takes about 1:20 hours.
- Asarigawa Onsen is 30km NW
- Otaru Tenguyama is 34km to the NW
- Niseko is 98km by road to the southwest of Sapporo Teine, about a 2 hour drive. If the crowds have tracked out Niseko, Sapporo Teine is a potential alternative for a day trip. You could rent a car in Niseko and drive yourself, or there are guided ski and snowboard tours of Sapporo Teine that include transportation from Niseko.
Guided Day Trips
Another option of getting to Teine is to stay in Niseko and jump on one of the many guided day-trips to Teine. Most companies only offer this service to
private groups (in other words you can't join a group as a solo/couple) so you will need to get a group of 4 - 6 together to make it financially viable.
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