Rusutsu

Located 30 minutes southeast of Niseko, and 30 minutes north of Lake Toya, Rusutsu is a small village with a large ski resort. In summer you can visit an amusement park or go mountain biking, rafting, hiking, or golfing, but Rusutsu is best known for getting huge dumps of powder each year. For decades, it has been a favorite with Japanese skiers but remained less well-known to international visitors. It is, therefore, far less crowded than Niseko, with facilities aimed more at the Japanese market. In addition to skiing and snowboarding, winter visitors can try dogsledding, ice fishing, or even drift driving cars around a snow-covered circuit.