So, half your group lives for powder, and the other half would honestly rather not strap a plank to each foot and fall down a mountain? Yes, we all know that Niseko equals skiing and snowboarding, but the good news is that the list of things to do in Niseko besides skiing is a lot longer than most people expect. From snow rafting and onsen-hopping to local culture, food, and art experiences, you don’t need to spend the day on the slopes to enjoy Niseko.
When people say Niseko, they usually mean the whole resort area at the foot of Mt. Niseko Annupuri, which actually spans three towns: Kutchan, Niseko Town, and Rankoshi. Most of the spots below are a short drive or shuttle ride from the main villages, and a couple are worth the extra effort to reach.
Planning a few ski days as well? Our guide to the best ski resorts in Japan covers where to ride, and our winter in Japan guide has everything else you need for a cold-weather trip.
Snow activities that don’t require skis or a snowboard
You don’t have to ski to enjoy Japan’s famous “Japow”; here are some things to do in Niseko besides skiing or snowboarding if you still want to spend the day in the snow.
Snow tubing at Hanazono Tube Park
Ride tubes down the hill and get carried back up by a magic carpet. Night tubing is especially beautiful when the slopes are illuminated with coloured lights and music.
- Hanazono Tube Park on Google Maps
Official Site: hanazononiseko.com/en
Snowmobile tour at Hanazono or Niseko Village
Guided snowmobile tours at Hanazono and Niseko Village cover forest trails, snowy pastures, and wide views of the Niseko range. Hanazono also has smaller machines for kids aged six to 12, plus evening tours after dark.
- Hanazono Snowmobile Tours on Google Maps
Official site: hanazononiseko.com - Niseko Village on Google Maps
Official site: niseko-village.com - Hokkaido Lion Adventure on Google Maps
Official site: hokkaido-lion.com - White Isle Niseko on Google Maps
Official site: whiteisle.co.jp
Snow rafting at Hanazono or Niseko Village
Swap a jet ski for a snowmobile, and it’s pretty much the same concept: a raft, towed by a snowmobile, slides along a winding course through deep snow. It’s definitely a bit hit with kids.
- Hanazono Snow Rafting on Google Maps
Official site: hanazononiseko.com/en - Niseko Village Snow Rafting on Google Maps
Official site: niseko-village.com
Snowshoeing the foothills of Mt. Yotei
Niseko Adventure Centre (NAC) in Hirafu leads guided snowshoe tours to quiet spots like Lake Hangetsu (Half Moon Lake) at the foot of Mt. Yotei, with snowshoes and boots included.
- NAC (Niseko Adventure Centre) on Google Maps
Official site: nacadventures.jp/winter/tours/snowshoe-tours
Horse riding and sleigh rides around Niseko Village
Hanazono’s winter horse riding tour begins with a short introduction at the ranch, then sets off on a guided trek beneath Mt. Yotei. You don’t need any riding experience, and we’ve heard winter rides tend to be calmer than summer ones. Niseko Village also offers horse-drawn sleigh rides.
- Hanazono Winter Horse Riding (at Niseko Country Farm) on Google Maps
Official site: niseko-countryfarm.com - Niseko Village Horse-Drawn Sleigh on Google Maps
Official site: niseko-village.com
Onsen hopping
Niseko sits on a volcanic mountain range, so there’s hot spring water everywhere, and an afternoon of onsen hopping is one of the easiest things to do in Niseko besides skiing. If it’s your first time visiting an onsen, have a quick read of our Onsen 101 guide for tips and bathing etiquette.
Goshiki Onsen
At 750m, Goshiki is the highest hot spring in the Niseko area, located between Mt. Niseko Annupuri and Mt. Iwaonupuri. Its name means “five colours”, after the way the water reflects the sunlight, and the baths are built from local larch wood.
- Goshiki Onsen on Google Maps
Official site: goshikionsen.com
Yukichichibu Onsen
Famous for mud baths, this bathhouse also has two kinds of onsen water: a sulphur spring and an iron spring. It sounds weird, but the local tip is to scoop the mud and apply it to your face for a hydrating DIY facial.
- Yukichichibu Onsen on Google Maps
Official site: town.rankoshi.hokkaido.jp
Niseko Grand Hotel
The highlight is that couples and families can actually soak together here in a huge garden rotenburo (outdoor bath). It’s one of the only mixed gender baths in the area. Men and women are given wraps to wear in the mixed areas, but there are also separate men’s and women’s areas as well.
- Niseko Grand Hotel on Google Maps
Official site: niseko-grand.com
Yugokorotei
This small onsen hotel near the Annupuri gondola is 100% free-flowing with no chlorine added. There’s even an onsen tap you can drink from. Plus, the forest views from the rotenburo are spectacular.
- Yugokorotei on Google Maps
Official site: niseko-annupurionsen.com
Kira no Yu
Kira no Yu is probably the easiest to reach of all the options as it sits right next to Niseko Station. The men’s and women’s sides swap every day, and there are private family baths available to rent.
- Kira no Yu on Google Maps
Official site: kiranoyu.com
Food and drink experiences in Niseko
Niseko Distillery
Hakkaisan, a well-known sake brewer from Niigata, opened a gin and whisky distillery in 2021 at the base of Niseko Annupuri. Tastings cover the flagship Ohoro Gin (named after an Ainu word meaning “continuity”) along with a rice-based whisky. It’s pretty popular, so we definitely recommend booking a tasting online before heading there.
- Niseko Distillery on Google Maps
Official site: niseko-distillery.com
Milk Kobo at Niseko Takahashi Farm
All sweets and products are made fresh from the farm’s own dairy cows. The custard-packed cream puff is the bestseller, though the cheesecake and soft-serve are amazing too. Aside from sweets, the farm also has a proper restaurant called Prativo with meals made with local ingredients.
Art and local history in Niseko
When the weather closes in, Niseko’s small museums are a cosy way to spend a few hours, and both of these come with a view of Mt Yotei.
Shu Ogawara Museum of Art
This museum is home to around 700 oil paintings by Hokkaido-born painter Shu Ogawara (1911 to 2002). The large lobby windows frame Mt. Yotei, and one ticket also covers the Kutchan Natural History Museum across the car park.
Arishima Takeo Memorial Museum
Novelist Takeo Arishima once owned farmland in Niseko Town, then famously gave it away for free to the tenant farmers who worked it. The museum is built on the land and tells his story and is also home to other art from other local artists.
Go on a day trip from Niseko to Otaru
Otaru was once Hokkaido’s big trading hub, and its canal is still lined with stone and brick warehouses from those days. The nearby Sakaimachi Street is packed with glass workshops, music box shops, and places to eat. From November to mid-February, the Otaru Snow Story event takes over the canal and the town. It’s about an hour and a half from Niseko via train on the JR Hakodate Main Line, so it works for a day trip. Read our Otaru area guide for more on what to do and where to eat.
If you’re keen on checking out Sapporo during your trip to Niseko, we highly recommend timing it with Sapporo’s world-famous snow festival. Check out our first-timers guide to visiting the Sapporo Snow Festival.
Getting around Niseko
During the snow season, a free shuttle runs between Hirafu’s upper village and Hanazono, and the Niseko United Shuttle loops around the mountain between the main resort areas. For more distant onsen like Goshiki and Yukichichibu, you’ll want a car or a taxi. Yugokorotei also offers free pickups from Niseko Station and nearby bus stops if you book ahead.
Plan Your Niseko Trip with Flip
Planning a trip to Niseko, Japan? Our travel planners can put together an itinerary that mixes powder days with all the best things to do in Niseko besides skiing, so everyone gets the holiday they actually want.
Niseko Without Skiing: FAQs
Is Niseko worth visiting if you don’t ski?
Absolutely. Between snow tubing, snowmobile tours, horse riding, onsen, the Niseko Distillery, and a day trip to Otaru, non-skiers can easily fill a week.
Can you visit Niseko’s onsen without a car?
Yes, for some of them. Kira no Yu is right next to JR Niseko Station, and Yugokorotei offers free pickups from Niseko Station if you book ahead. Goshiki and Yukichichibu are farther out, so you’ll need a car or taxi.
What can kids do in Niseko besides skiing?
Hanazono’s Tube Park and snow rafting are big hits with families, and Hanazono also has snowmobiles for kids aged 6 to 12.
Can you take the bullet train from Tokyo to Niseko?
Not all the way…yet. The Hokkaido Shinkansen runs from Tokyo to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto in a little over four hours, then you change to the Limited Express Hokuto to Oshamambe and a local JR Hakodate Line train to Niseko or Kutchan, about seven hours in total. The Shinkansen extension through Kutchan to Sapporo isn’t expected to open until the end of fiscal 2038, so most visitors fly into New Chitose Airport instead.
Do they speak English in Niseko?
Yes, especially in the resort villages. In Hirafu, most restaurants have English-speaking staff and most signs and menus are in English. Outside the resorts, it’s less common, so a translation app is handy.
How cold is it in Niseko?
It is very cold in Niseko. In January, the coldest month, Kutchan (the town at the base of Niseko) averages a high of -2°C (28°F) and a low of -9.6°C (15°F). February is almost as cold, so pack proper thermals and waterproof boots.
