How to Get to Jozankei from Sapporo and New Chitose Airport

Jozankei is a hot-spring district in Sapporo’s southern Minami Ward, not a train stop. Every public-transport route ends with a bus ride, and the bus stop you need depends on your hotel or destination. The main choice is how you want to make that last leg: go straight from Sapporo Station, board farther south at Makomanai, or take the limited airport bus to Makomanai if its timetable happens to match your flight.

At a glance

These are adult one-way fares. Winter road conditions, service notices and your final stop can change the practical journey time. Check the relevant operator timetable for the travel date, not just the headline travel estimate.

From Sapporo Station: direct Kappa Liner or a regular bus

Kappa Liner: fewer stops, but reserve a seat

Jotetsu’s Kappa Liner departs from Sapporo Station bus stop 27, with pickups at Odori West 1 and Susukino. It runs directly to stops in Jozankei and continues to Hoheikyo Onsen. The operator’s estimate is about 60 minutes to the central Jozankei stops and about 70 minutes to Hoheikyo.

The bus is reservation-based. Online payment is cheaper than the standard fare: Sapporo Station to Jozankei Shako-mae or Hoheikyo Onsen costs ¥1,460 online or ¥1,700 at the standard rate (about HK$73 / NT$298 or HK$86 / NT$347). Bookings open one month before travel and close at 5 p.m. the day before. The operator says unreserved boarding may be possible if seats remain, but do not rely on that for a popular weekend, a group or a winter trip.

The direct route makes sense if your hotel is close to one of its stops or you want to avoid transferring with luggage. It does not drop everyone at one central terminal. Compare the stop list with your lodging’s access page: Jozankei Shrine-mae, Jozankei Yu-no-machi, Daiichi Hotel-mae, Jozankei Ohashi, Jozankei Onsen Higashi 2-chome, Jozankei and Jozankei Shako-mae are distinct stops.

Regular Jotetsu buses: board at stop 26

Jotetsu also lists regular buses from Sapporo Station stop 26 to Jozankei. Routes include Rapid 7 and Rapid 8 variants, with some services continuing to Hoheikyo Onsen. The regular adult fare is ¥1,000 from Sapporo Station to Jozankei and ¥1,100 to Hoheikyo Onsen (about HK$50 / NT$204 and HK$55 / NT$225). The tourist association estimates roughly 80 minutes to Jozankei, compared with about 60 minutes on the Kappa Liner.

This is the option to compare if the Kappa Liner is full or its departure time does not work. You do not need to make a Kappa Liner reservation, but the regular bus makes more stops and still shares the same road conditions. It is not a rail connection or a guaranteed faster backup. At Sapporo Station, use the timetable and stop sign for your specific departure: stop 26 and stop 27 are separate boarding points.

The ordinary bus also continues to be an important winter option. Jotetsu’s published winter increase is specifically for the Kappa Liner; check the regular-route timetable separately for any changes on your travel date.

For the winter timetable beginning October 1, 2026, the Kappa Liner increases to 11 departures each way through March 31, 2027. The last direct departure back to Sapporo leaves Jozankei Shako-mae at 5:06 p.m. (4:56 p.m. from the Jozankei stop). These are stop-specific times; check the full winter table for your boarding point and date. The extra trips make it easier to find a suitable connection, but Jotetsu still warns that weather and traffic can delay service.

Via Makomanai: useful from the subway, or when the airport bus lines up

If you are already on Sapporo’s Namboku subway line, continue to Makomanai Station and change to Jotetsu route 12J for Jozankei. Route 12H continues to Hoheikyo Onsen, so check the destination before boarding.

Subway fare is additional if you start in central Sapporo.

This can be a clean transfer if your accommodation or starting point is already south of central Sapporo. From Sapporo Station, however, taking the subway south first and then a bus adds a transfer and usually offers little advantage over boarding a Jotetsu bus in town. Make sure your bus stop at Makomanai is the station’s Jotetsu stop, not simply the subway exit nearest your map pin.

Hokuto Kotsu also runs an airport bus between New Chitose Airport and Makomanai. Its current notice says the Makomanai and Maruyama airport lines are operating at two round trips per day for the time being. The route page still displays a more extensive timetable, so confirm the actual departure with Hokuto before building an airport connection around it.

This works only when the airport-bus departure matches your flight. It is not a frequent airport shuttle.

From New Chitose Airport: the dependable default is JR to Sapporo

There is a Hokuto route labelled New Chitose Airport–Jozankei, but its live operating notice currently says all services are suspended. The page retains an April 2026 timetable and a ¥3,000 fare; neither makes the route available while that suspension notice remains in force. Do not book an itinerary around the static schedule. Check the operator’s status again close to your trip in case service resumes.

For most visitors, take JR’s Rapid Airport train to Sapporo Station, then transfer to a Kappa Liner or regular Jotetsu bus. The fastest Special Rapid takes 33 minutes; the Rapid Airport takes 37. Between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., the airport operator lists six Airport trains an hour. Outside that window, check the timetable for your arrival time.

JR accepts major IC cards.

At Sapporo Station, allow time to leave the JR area and find the correct bus platform. Kappa Liner boards at stop 27 and the regular route bus at stop 26. If your destination is closest to a different Jotetsu stop, tell the driver or confirm the stop before boarding; “Jozankei” covers more than one drop-off point.

Airport bus to central Sapporo, then Jotetsu

Hokuto’s central-city airport bus stops at places including Sapporo Station, Odori and Susukino. The listed adult fare is ¥1,500 (about HK$75 / NT$306), and the trip can take roughly 65–80 minutes depending on the stop. It may suit you if your hotel or connection is close to one of those stops and you prefer staying on the surface rather than using the airport train.

The bus is not reserved, and the operator says passengers may need to wait for the next service if a bus is full. Hokuto has also recently warned that maintenance work can cancel some departures at short notice. The JR route is the more predictable plan when a missed bus would make you miss a Kappa Liner reservation or hotel check-in deadline. Check the latest operator notice on the day either way.

Airport bus to Makomanai, then Jotetsu route 12J

When the two-round-trip airport bus schedule matches your flight, the Makomanai connection avoids going into central Sapporo first. Hokuto’s route timetable gives about 80 minutes from the airport to Makomanai; the tourist association’s overview still gives a 100-minute estimate, so check the exact service time. From there, the Jotetsu bus takes about 47 minutes to Jozankei. Add the wait between buses and enough margin to find the stop. If the airport bus departure does not line up, take JR to Sapporo rather than assuming another Makomanai bus will be along shortly.

The stop matters as much as the route

Jozankei does not have a single bus terminal that serves every hotel entrance. The Kappa Liner and regular routes use stops such as Jozankei Shrine-mae, Yu-no-machi, Daiichi Hotel-mae, Jozankei Ohashi and Shako-mae. Hoheikyo Onsen is farther along the route. Before you travel:

1. Check your hotel or bath’s official access instructions.
2. Match its recommended stop to the operator’s timetable.
3. Confirm whether the hotel offers a guest shuttle, and whether you must book it.
4. In winter, check the walk from the stop to the entrance and allow extra time for snow or ice.

Do not assume a lodging’s pickup applies to day visitors, or that a transfer to a nearby stop is easy with large luggage. Jotetsu warns that road conditions can delay buses, while JR and Hokuto separately post service notices. Recheck the full route shortly before departure, especially if you have a late arrival or an onward flight.

The Jozankei day trip vs. overnight guide covers activities and lodging after arrival. This access guide compares the routes and transfer stops.

Sources and verification

- [Jozankei Tourist Association: access routes from New Chitose Airport, Sapporo and Makomanai](https://jozankei.jp/en/access/) - [Jotetsu Bus: Kappa Liner stops, reservation rules, fares and schedule](https://www.jotetsu.co.jp/bus/kappa_liner/) - [Jotetsu Bus: 2026 winter Kappa Liner schedule, October 1, 2026–March 31, 2027](https://www.jotetsu.co.jp/bus/news/ash96e0000003ig7.html) - [Jotetsu Bus: 2026 regular route timetable downloads](https://www.jotetsu.co.jp/bus/times/260401/download.html) - [Jotetsu Bus: 2025 fare revision, effective December 1, 2025](https://www.jotetsu.co.jp/bus/news/ash96e0000002993.html) - [Hokuto Kotsu: New Chitose Airport–Jozankei route and current all-services-suspended notice](https://www.hokto.co.jp/chitose-jyozankei/) - [Hokuto Kotsu: airport bus to Makomanai, published fares and route details](https://www.hokto.co.jp/makomanai-chitose/) - [Hokuto Kotsu: current notice limiting Makomanai and Maruyama airport lines to two daily round trips](https://www.hokto.co.jp/information/48924/) - [Hokuto Kotsu: central Sapporo–New Chitose Airport bus, stops, fares and service notices](https://www.hokto.co.jp/sapporo-chitose/) - [Hokuto Kotsu: September 2026 vehicle-maintenance service notice](https://www.hokto.co.jp/information/40781/) - [JR Hokkaido: Airport Train travel times, service frequency and boarding information](https://www.jrhokkaido.co.jp/global/english/travel/airport.html) - [JR Hokkaido: current Rapid Airport fares](https://www.jrhokkaido.co.jp/global/english/ticket/regular/index.html)

Checked: 2026-09-28.