Jozankei Onsen Day Trip from Sapporo

In short: Jozankei Onsen is a hot spring town about 26 km from the center of Sapporo, and you can reach it by public transport. The Jozankei Tourist Association lists two routes from Sapporo Station: the direct Kappa Liner bus (60 minutes one way, reservations required) and a subway-plus-bus route through Makomanai Station (70 minutes one way, with buses from Makomanai every 30 minutes). Its FAQ (in Japanese) says the last bus from Jozankei leaves for Sapporo Station at 21:00 and for Makomanai Station at 21:55. By car, the association’s Access page says about 50 minutes (its About page says “just under one hour”). The day plan and winter tips in this post are my suggestion. Times and fares change, so check the official pages for current details (checked on October 9, 2026).

If you come from a warm country, a hot spring town in the mountains may be the thing you most want to do in Hokkaido. It is also a place where the weather can be quite different from the city. This post explains how to get there and how to plan the day, using the Jozankei Tourist Association’s pages and the bus operator’s page.

Please read this first: this post is general information written by a private resident of Sapporo. It is not affiliated with the Jozankei Tourist Association, any bus company, hotel, bathing facility, or tour operator, and it is not an official source. I do not write about personal experiences here. Facts below come from the pages listed at the end; translations of Japanese pages are mine. Anything marked “my suggestion” is not from an official page. I do not name or rank bathing facilities or hotels. The two foot bath spots mentioned below are named only because the association’s FAQ lists them; I did not confirm who operates them. Please check the official pages for current details.

Getting there: the routes at a glance

The Jozankei Tourist Association’s news item “Easier Access from Sapporo Station to Jozankei Onsen” (dated November 20, 2025) gives the first two routes. The About page puts Jozankei about 26 km from downtown Sapporo, “just under one hour by car,” and says it lies in Shikotsu-Toya National Park. The Access page says “50 min. by car from Sapporo.” The two pages round the time differently, so allow for traffic and weather.

The direct bus: Kappa Liner

The news item above and the bus company’s own page (in Japanese) say the following:

• Stop in Sapporo. Because the Sapporo Station Bus Terminal is temporarily closed for redevelopment, the Jozankei-bound direct bus leaves from bus stop 27 in front of Hokuren Building, which is directly reached from subway exit 23. The City of Sapporo’s bus stop guide says the terminal’s closure is planned to last until fiscal year 2028.
• Reservations. The Jozankei Tourist Association says reservations are required. The bus company’s page says all trips are reservation-based, that seats are open seating, and that if a trip has empty seats on the day you may board without a reservation. Reservations are accepted from one month ahead until 17:00 on the day before. A reservation hotline (0120-737-109, 9:00 to 17:00) and an online booking site are listed on the page.
• Fare. The bus company’s page lists 1,700 yen one way from Sapporo Station to the Jozankei bus garage stop (or to Hoheikyo Onsen), or 1,460 yen if you reserve and pay online. This is the fare shown on October 9, 2026; check the official page for current details.
• Timetable. I do not copy a timetable here because the sources differ: the Jozankei Tourist Association’s news item says 8 round trips, while the bus company’s page listed 11 departures from Sapporo Station when I checked. The bus company’s page also lists stops at Odori Nishi 1 and Susukino.

My suggestion: reserve ahead rather than count on empty seats, especially on weekends and in the autumn leaf season.

Subway and local bus via Makomanai

The Jozankei Tourist Association describes the second route as Sapporo Station, subway to Makomanai Station, then bus to Jozankei Onsen, 70 minutes in total, with buses from Makomanai every 30 minutes. My suggestion: before you set out, check the actual bus timetable for the day. If you are coming back to Sapporo at the end of the day, the FAQ gives the last bus times.

What time is the last bus back from Jozankei?

The Jozankei Tourist Association’s FAQ (in Japanese) says:

• The last bus to Sapporo Station is at 21:00.
• The last bus to Makomanai Station is at 21:55.
• A taxi from Jozankei to central Sapporo is about 7,000 yen. The FAQ page has no date, so this figure may be out of date; check the fare before you get in.
• There is no direct public transport from Jozankei to Otaru; you would need a taxi or a car, or a change in Sapporo.

That last point matters if you were thinking of combining the two trips. Going by public transport would mean returning to Sapporo first and then taking a train, as described in Otaru Day Trip from Sapporo: Route, Timing, and Winter Tips. I did not check a through timetable, so my suggestion is to look up each leg, including the last bus from Jozankei, before you decide to combine them.

Bathing: day-use facilities and foot baths

The Jozankei Tourist Association publishes a “List of day-trip hot-spring facilities” in English. It shows an estimated adult price for each entry; the first entries I read range from 1,500 yen up to about 8,900 yen, where the higher prices include meals or treatments. Prices and conditions are set by each facility, so check each facility’s page and the association’s list for current details.

This post does not cover bathing etiquette. For washing before you enter, the small towel, and tattoo policies, see Onsen Rules, Explained on Sapporo, Explained, a sister site written by the same Sapporo resident.

The FAQ also lists two foot bath spots, open year-round: Jozan Gensen Park (7:00 to 21:00) and Ashi no Fureai Taro no Yu (7:00 to 20:00). It says towels can be bought near them, from the Jozankei Bussankan shop near the park and from a vending machine at Taro no Yu.

The FAQ says there is nowhere in Jozankei to exchange foreign currency. My suggestion: bring the Japanese yen you expect to need for the bus and for bathing.

Winter and the cold: what the official pages say

• Layers. The FAQ says mornings and evenings are cold, sometimes in single-digit temperatures in the autumn leaf season, and recommends bringing something you can easily put on and take off. It also says it can be cold in March to May, and that snow can fall suddenly on some days in spring and autumn.
• Futami Suspension Bridge. The FAQ says the bridge is closed to traffic from late December to late April because of snow. It is about a 10-minute walk from the tourist information center.
• Winter scenery. The association’s About page describes the area as mountainous and refers to “the silent white world of winter.”

My suggestion: wear shoes with a good grip, keep the bus time in mind, and avoid leaving the return trip until the last bus. In winter, if you do not have experience on snowy and icy roads, take the bus rather than driving a rental car.

A sample day outline (my suggestion)

1. Take the Kappa Liner or the subway-and-bus route in the morning. Reserve the direct bus in advance.
2. Pick one bathing facility from the association’s day-use list and check its hours and price on its own page.
3. After bathing, walk the town for the foot baths and to look at the scenery you picked from the association’s pages.
4. Leave well before the last bus times of 21:00 and 21:55, and allow extra time in winter.

For a day when the weather is too rough to go out of the city, see Sapporo on a Snowy Day: Odori, Susukino, and the Underground Walkways.

Before you go: a short checklist

• Reserve the Kappa Liner (reservations are accepted from one month ahead until 17:00 the day before), or check the Makomanai bus timetable.
• Remember the Sapporo Station stop: bus stop 27 in front of Hokuren Building.
• Check the price and hours of your bathing facility on its own page.
• Bring yen and layers; the town has no currency exchange.
• Know the last bus times (21:00 to Sapporo Station, 21:55 to Makomanai Station) and the taxi estimate of about 7,000 yen (from an undated FAQ, so confirm the fare before you ride).

FAQ

How long does it take to get to Jozankei from Sapporo?

The Jozankei Tourist Association lists 60 minutes one way on the direct Kappa Liner from Sapporo Station and 70 minutes via the subway to Makomanai Station and a bus. By car, the association’s Access page says about 50 minutes (its About page says “just under one hour”). Check the official pages for current details.

Do I need a reservation for the direct bus?

The Jozankei Tourist Association says reservations are required. The bus company’s page says all trips are reservation-based but that you may board without one if a seat is free on the day. Reservations are accepted from one month ahead until 17:00 the day before. My suggestion is to reserve.

What is the last bus back?

According to the Jozankei Tourist Association’s FAQ, the last bus to Sapporo Station is at 21:00 and the last bus to Makomanai Station is at 21:55. Check the official page for current details.

Can I visit Jozankei and Otaru on the same day by public transport?

The Jozankei Tourist Association’s FAQ says there is no direct public transport from Jozankei to Otaru; you would need a taxi or a car, or a change in Sapporo. My suggestion is to check each leg of the trip before you plan both on one day.

Sources checked: Jozankei Tourist Association Official Website, Easier Access from Sapporo Station to Jozankei Onsen, Jozankei Tourist Association Official Website, Access, Jozankei Tourist Association Official Website, About Jozankei, Jozankei Tourist Association Official Website, List of day-trip hot-spring facilities, 定山渓観光協会公式サイト, よくある質問 (FAQ, Japanese), じょうてつバス, 定山渓温泉かっぱライナー号 (Kappa Liner, Japanese), 札幌市, 札幌駅周辺バスのりばご案内(令和7年12月現在) (bus stops around Sapporo Station, Japanese). Checked on October 9, 2026. This post is general information; bus times, fares, bathing prices, and closures can change, so please check the official pages. The sources differ on the number of Kappa Liner trips (8 round trips in the association’s news item; 11 departures from Sapporo Station on the bus company’s page), so this post does not copy a timetable. The FAQ page is undated, and I could not confirm when its figures were last updated.