Getting Here & Around β Train Guide
ARRIVAL & DEPARTURE BY TRAIN
Train Guide
Get off at Kutchan Station, not Hirafu Station.
They sound alike and only one is right. Hirafu Station is a tiny unstaffed stop a long way from the village, and guests who get off there are stranded.
This page gets you from New Chitose Airport to the lodge door by train, and back again for an early flight.
Tell us when you will arrive
Trains are not booked through us, so the only way we know you are coming is if you tell us. Lodge your arrival time and we will have everything ready.
Why the bus is easier
The bus is easier to arrange and drops you at the Hirafu Welcome Centre, where we collect you. Three things make the train harder:
- Ski gear is hard work on trains. No luggage hold, narrow aisles, and you carry it at every change.
- We do not pick up from Kutchan Station. You finish the trip by taxi or local bus at your own cost.
- You change trains, usually at Otaru, with a wait of anything from 5 minutes to an hour, bags and all.
Take the train when no bus fits your flight, or when you are already travelling Japan by rail. Comparing options? See all four side by side β
The trip in short
About 3 hours
New Chitose to Kutchan, including one or two changes.
Β₯3,100 one way
Per person, New Chitose to Kutchan. A reserved seat on the airport train is optional, Β₯1,000 extra.
No booking needed
Buy your ticket on the day at a vending machine or the JR ticket office.
Catching the train at New Chitose
Check your route and the next train
Most trips change at Otaru. Some change at Sapporo as well, and some take the Niseko Liner from Sapporo straight to Kutchan.
The planner shows the track at each change. JR journey planner β
Find the JR station
It is one floor below the domestic terminal, on B1. Follow the JR signs down.
Landed at the international terminal? Walk to the domestic terminal first, about 10 to 15 minutes, or take the free shuttle.
Buy a paper ticket to Kutchan
Suica and other IC cards do not work past Otaru, so buy a ticket all the way to Kutchan. Standard machines take cash only. The orange machines and the JR ticket office take cards.
Some airport trains have a reserved car, Β₯1,000 extra. The train from Otaru to Kutchan is unreserved.
β¬οΈ Ticket machine guide (PDF)
Get on, and check the board at each change
The next train can leave from a different track, so check the departure board when you get off. At Otaru the wait is anything from 5 minutes to an hour.
Arriving at Kutchan Station
We do not run lodge transfers from Kutchan Station. Taxis and buses leave from out the front.
π Taxi Recommended
About Β₯2,500 to the lodge. The taxi stand is right outside the station. If nothing is waiting, order one on the GO Taxi app.
Cash, Visa or Mastercard. Show the driver your lodge:
Ramat Lodge
20-10 Niseko Hirafu 5-jo 3-chome, Kutchan-cho
Snowgum Lodge
20-23 Niseko Hirafu 5-jo 3-chome, Kutchan-cho
Street View Β© Google
π Or take the bus
Cheaper, but you finish with a short walk or a call to us.
Local bus, daytime
7am to 5pm, Β₯300 cash. Enter by the rear door and take a numbered ticket, pay and exit at the front.
Get off at Midtown Niseko. It is a short walk to both lodges, or call 0136-215-088 and we will come and get you.
Times are from the 2025/26 season. We’ll update them when the 2026/27 timetable is out.
Downtown Line, evenings
5pm to 10:30pm, free, every 45 minutes. A red bus with a purple DOWNTOWN LINE sign.
Get off at Midtown Niseko. It is a short walk to both lodges, or call 0136-215-088 and we will come and get you.
Times are from the 2025/26 season. We’ll update them when the 2026/27 timetable is out.
Imagery Β© Google
Or search “Ramat Niseko” or “Snowgum Lodge” in your map app.
Full addresses:
Ramat Lodge, 3-chΕme-20-10 Nisekohirafu 5 JΕ, Kutchan, Abuta District, Hokkaido 044-0086
Snowgum Lodge, 3-chΕme-20-23 Nisekohirafu 5 JΕ, Kutchan, Abuta District, Hokkaido 044-0086
Arriving late
Any time is fine, as long as we know you are coming.
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Lodge your arrival time in the Transfer Information form, even a rough one.
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We email you instructions, leave a note out, and the door will be unlocked.
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From Kutchan Station, a taxi is the simplest option late at night.
Going home on an early flight
The first bus of the day reaches the airport at 10:40am, so it does not work for an early departure. Two ways home before the first bus.
π First train from Kutchan
The budget answer. Order a taxi to Kutchan Station on the GO Taxi app that morning, about Β₯2,500. We do not run transfers to the station.
No need to book. Buy your ticket at Kutchan Station on the day.
Check the first train time and your changes in the JR journey planner β, and allow plenty of time.
π Private transfer Easiest
Door to door at any hour, booked in advance. Β₯50,000 to Β₯70,000 per vehicle, which splits well across a group.
Worried about the timing? Talk to our staff once you are here and we will help you plan it.
If it goes wrong
My train is delayed or cancelled by snow.
Check JR Hokkaido’s train status page β
If trains are stopped, a taxi is an option. Either way, email info@ramatniseko.com with your new arrival time.
I missed my connection at Otaru.
Check the boards for the next train and take it if there is one.
If the last one has gone, a taxi from Otaru to Niseko is the fallback, or a hotel for the night and the first train in the morning. Email us either way so we know when to expect you.
The last train from New Chitose has gone.
A taxi from the airport is expensive. The other option is a hotel near the airport and the first train in the morning.
Email info@ramatniseko.com and we will hold everything for you.
I got off at Hirafu Station by mistake.
Order a taxi on the GO Taxi app. If that fails, call us on 0136-215-088.
There are no taxis at Kutchan Station.
Order a taxi on the GO Taxi app. If that fails, call us on 0136-215-088.
Common questions
Can I pay with Suica or another IC card?
Not all the way. IC cards do not work past Otaru, and they cannot be used to pay the fare at Kutchan. Buy a paper ticket to Kutchan before you board.
Can I use my Japan Rail Pass or Hokkaido Rail Pass?
Yes. Both cover the JR trains from New Chitose to Kutchan. The Hokkaido Rail Pass includes free seat reservations.
Before you travel
Lodge your arrival time so we know when to expect you. It is the one thing this page asks of you.
Taking the bus one way and the train the other? Bus Guide β
Questions? info@ramatniseko.com Β· WhatsApp +61 493 077 917