Honest Hoshino Resorts Tomamu Review: Family Japan Ski Trip at Risonare, Hokkaido
Wondering if Hoshino Resorts Tomamu is worth it for a family ski holiday? I stayed at Risonare Tomamu with my husband and kids for five nights in January 2026, and it turned out to be our favourite part of an entire two weeks in Hokkaido, Japan.
In this honest Risonare Tomamu review, I’ll share the suite that made my jaw drop, what the skiing is really like for beginners and kids, the magical Ice Village, how to get there without a car, and the few things worth knowing before you book.
Here’s how much we loved it: We’ve already booked to go back for the 2027 season! To find out why, read on for more.
I paid for the accommodation and experiences in this post with my own money, and am reviewing them unbeknownst to staff, management or owners. This post contains affiliate links, at no extra cost to you. I may earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.
Risonare Tomamu Review: The Quick Verdict
Short on time? Here’s my Risonare Tomamu review in a nutshell.
What we loved:
- A suite with its own jet bath and sauna, with floor to ceiling windows over a snowy forest
- Long, gentle runs and virtually no lift queues
- The Ice Village at night (and the kids’ favourite run, the Forest Maze)
- Mina-Mina Beach wave pool and Kirin no Yu outdoor onsen included for guests
- Getting there and away without a car is very well organised.
Good to know:
- It’s a premium resort with a price tag to match
- Everything is run by the resort, like a cruise ship, so restaurants get busy at peak times
- Tomamu Station has stairs and no lift when you leave
- It’s “cold” cold at night.
Best for: families with beginner and intermediate skiers. If your kids are older teens and you’re all advanced skiers, you’ll probably enjoy Niseko more.
Where to stay at Hoshino Resorts Tomamu: Risonare vs The Tower vs Club Med
Three big resorts share the Tomamu ski area in central Hokkaido:
- Hoshino Resorts Risonare Tomamu: an all-suite hotel in the dark burgundy towers, where we stayed.
- Hoshino Resorts Tomamu The Tower: the other Hoshino hotel, in the green towers. This is also where you’ll find the JR ticket machine (more on that below).
- Club Med Tomamu: an all-inclusive Club Med resort in the same area.
As I couldn’t get a private in-room onsen in Niseko (booked too late!), I opted for a Risonare Tomamu Suite Room: 100sqm, with an in-room jet bath AND sauna, two bedrooms and a living area. I can only speak for Risonare, but I was over the moon with this choice.
TIP: The Risonare towers are dark burgundy in colour, not to be confused with the green ones called The Tower. Make sure you ski back to the right accommodation!
NOTE: Mina-Mina Beach, Kirin no Yu outdoor onsen and the Ice Village are shared with guests of Club Med Tomamu. Here are some other accommodation options in Tomamu.
How to get to Tomamu from Sapporo without a car
You don’t need a car to get to Tomamu. The Limited Express train runs on the main line from Sapporo to Tomamu Station in about 1.5 hours. From New Chitose Airport, change trains at Minami-Chitose. The trains are big, seats are reserved and there’s room for luggage.
Arriving at Tomamu Station
Arriving by train from Sapporo couldn’t be easier. The train pulls in on the hotel side of the station, so you simply wheel your suitcase off the train and you’re there. The resort’s shuttle bus takes you to your hotel, and your luggage travels separately. You’ll meet your bags again in the lobby at check-in.
Our suite at Risonare Tomamu
I can’t remember the last time I walked into a hotel room and my mouth dropped in awe. The entire front room of our suite was a giant spa bath, with floor to ceiling windows overlooking a snow-capped forest. It was breathtaking!
The suite was spacious, too. As well as the impressive spa room (with its own sauna), there was a decent-sized living area with couches, a TV and a fridge, and two separate bedrooms: one for the kids and one for us. This is definitely Western-style living space, not the cramped rooms you usually get in Japan’s modern cities, where you can hardly fit your suitcase next to the bed.
At night, you can turn down the lights and just stare out the window as the snow blows across the treetops, the moon gently lighting the landscape. When my husband turned to me and said “How did you find this place??” I knew I’d hit a real winner.
Where to eat at Hoshino Resorts Tomamu
Our Risonare stay included a daily buffet breakfast, served in a huge restaurant with tall windows looking out over the snowy forest. The gratin was incredible!
For lunch on the slopes, we loved Mount Cafe SOL. It’s about midway down the mountain, so it’s the perfect place to stop in and grab lunch, and it has a nice fireplace to warm up by and dry off your gloves.
For dinner, head to Hotalu Street, a row of ski-in restaurants with fire pits outside. There’s something for everyone, including tukino cafe, RAMEN TAKEZO, CAMARO Steak Diner, GARAKU soup curry and ALTEZZA TOMAMU Italian. All of the restaurants are run by the resort, so it pays to plan ahead (see my dining tip in the good to know section).
Skiing at Tomamu ski resort
Tomamu has 29 runs across two mountains, and the runs are long (the longest is around 4 km) and gradual, with off-piste sections if you want to challenge yourself. The powder is fantastic, and the chairlifts had virtually no queues. I don’t remember waiting more than a few minutes!
Tomamu lift passes and ski rental
- Lift passes: I booked a Risonare plan “with lift ticket”, which I definitely recommend. Without one, hotel guests can buy discounted passes for around 9,000 yen per adult per day and 7,000 yen for kids.
- Ski rental: available on site, around 8,500 yen per adult per day for skis, boots and poles and 6,400 yen for kids, with discounts for multi-day rentals. There’s no need to pre-book, but you can book online ahead.
- Ski-in and Ski Valet: ski right back to Risonare and leave your skis and poles in the indoor Ski Valet overnight.
- Trail map: here’s the Tomamu ski map.
NOTE: Prices are based on Hoshino Resorts Tomamu’s latest 2026/2027 season information, however pricing changes regularly so please check the resort’s lift ticket and rental pages for exact costs.
TIP: Ski boots need to be taken back to your room after each day. Lockers are not available.
Is Tomamu good for beginners and kids?
Absolutely. For family-friendly beginner and intermediate skiing, you can’t beat Tomamu. The long, gentle green runs are perfect for building confidence, and there’s enough off-piste to keep stronger skiers happy.
If your kids are older (mid to late teens) and your family are advanced skiers, you’ll probably enjoy Niseko more, with its bigger mountain range and more advanced slopes. I share my honest thoughts in my Niseko guide.
Tomamu ski lessons
We didn’t need ski lessons ourselves, but we saw plenty of people in group classes and kids’ groups on the slopes. Tomamu’s ski school teaches in English, Japanese and Chinese.
- Kids aged 4 to 6: group lessons on the kids’ slope and beginner park, learning to stop and turn.
- Kids aged 7 to 12: group lessons to build their skiing or snowboarding skills.
- Teens and adults (13+): small group lessons.
Group lessons run for two hours and cost around 7,800 to 8,800 yen per person, depending on the date. Private lessons are also available.
NOTE: Lesson details are for the 2026/27 season (1 December 2026 to 5 April 2027). Booking online in advance gets you a discount, so check the resort’s ski lesson page for the latest times and prices.
Our favourite run: the Forest Maze (or as my kids named it, the Enchanted Forest)
If I had to pick one reason to ski at Tomamu with kids, it would be this. Tucked into the Adventure Mountain area, the Forest Maze is a gentle trail that weaves through the trees, splitting into different paths and joining back up again. You enter by skiing under a star-shaped wooden sculpture, which my kids decided was the doorway to the Enchanted Forest. The name stuck!
The slope is gentle enough for beginners, but the trees and little bumps make it feel like a real adventure, especially for younger skiers. One afternoon we did it over and over again, trying a different track through the trees each time.
Every time we reached the top of the mountain we’d take a vote on where to go next, and the answer was always the same: “We want to go through the Enchanted Forest again!!” Without a doubt it was my kids’ highlight of the whole resort.
Terrace of Frosted Tree (Unkai Terrace in winter)
In summer, Tomamu’s mountain-top lookout is famous as the Unkai Terrace, for its sea of clouds. In winter it becomes the Terrace of Frosted Tree, 1,088 metres up, where the trees are coated in frost and snow.
Ride the UNKAI Gondola up to the top, where you can walk out onto the Cloud Walk, take in the views and visit the Cloud Bar.
We thought the Cloud Bar would be a… er… bar. It’s actually a metal table with very high metal chairs, perched near the edge of a cliff, so it’s not for the faint-hearted! Don’t be like me and head up there expecting a cosy bar to have a drink at.
Up here you’ll also find KUMO Cafe, the highest cafe on the mountain. It sells a special cloud soft serve ice cream (and an UNKAI soda topped with a fluffy cloud), both 700 yen when we were there. We didn’t eat up here because we always started our runs straight away, and we loved the mid-mountain cafe. But next time, we’ll definitely take a look!
NOTE: In the 2026/27 season the Terrace of Frosted Tree is open from 1 December 2026 to 5 April 2027. The gondola is free with a lift ticket (otherwise around 2,500 yen per adult and 1,600 yen per child), and the last ride up is at 3pm or 3:30pm depending on the date. Please check the resort’s website for the latest details.
Tomamu Ice Village
The Ice Village comes alive at night, and it’s the perfect way to end a hard day of skiing. It’s a time to slow down and breathe in the cool night air, surrounded by twinkling lights and ice sculptures. It’s peaceful, calm even.
You can relax with a drink at the Ice Bar, served in a glass made of ice. I chose vodka to warm me up, but there are plenty of other choices. Be careful, the ice countertop is slippery!
The kids had an absolute blast on the ice rink and the ice slide, and we roasted marshmallows over the fire pits. Don’t miss the Ice Chapel and the Ice Hotel room either.
There are even fireworks over the village in the evening (around 7:30pm when we were there, but timings can change from season to season, so check the schedule when you arrive).
Be warned though: it’s “cold” cold, and much colder than during the day once the sun goes down. At night we had temperatures between -12°C and -18°C, and it can get even colder, so check the local weather before you head out. It’s not a reason to miss the Ice Village, just come prepared with thermals, gloves, scarves, hats and, most importantly, proper snow footwear.
NOTE: In the 2026/27 season the Ice Village is planned to open from 20 December 2026 to 10 March 2027, 5pm to 10pm. Entry is around 600 yen, and free for guests of Risonare and The Tower (some plans are excluded). Please check the resort’s website for the latest details.
Mina-Mina Beach and Kirin no Yu onsen
Our stay included entry to Mina-Mina Beach, a huge indoor wave pool under a glass roof that’s kept at over 30°C, plus Kirin no Yu, the outdoor onsen. If you enjoy onsen, please do not miss Kirin no Yu overlooking the snow!
The pool was warm and the waves are a nice feature for an indoor pool, but don’t come here expecting to surf! It’s very family friendly, with lifeguards and both shallow and deeper sections. You can even hire different inflatable pool toys for the kids.
Good to know before you book
Tomamu is like a cruise ship
There’s nothing at Tomamu I’d tell you to skip, but there is one thing to be aware of so you can plan around it. Think of Tomamu like a cruise ship. Everything is run by the resort, so it isn’t a typical alpine village with its own shops and cafes to wander through.
The small convenience store on site sells resort merchandise, some drinks and a few snacks. It’s not a Family Mart or Lawson. Unlike Niseko, with its outdoor food market and several convenience stores where you can grab a meal in a pinch, Tomamu has a fixed set of restaurants, and they only open for a set window at dinner time.
This isn’t a reason to avoid Tomamu at all, it just means a little planning goes a long way.
TIP: Look up the restaurants ahead of time and decide where you’d like to eat (and what the kids feel like!), find out when it opens, and head there right at opening time. You’ll be seated straight away. If you browse and wander around until 7pm, you’ll be lining up.
NOTE: Some of the facilities are connected by an indoor “Sky Tunnel” walk. I swear this tunnel felt colder than outside, bring a good jacket along. We saw a man walking in a T-shirt who was clearly regretting his life choices!
Leaving Tomamu: Getting back to Sapporo and New Chitose Airport
The day before you check out, the front desk gives you a handy timetable showing the shuttle buses to Tomamu Station and which train each one meets. That covers trains back towards New Chitose Airport and Sapporo, and also east towards Obihiro and Kushiro if you’re continuing your trip. You simply book the shuttle you want, and the bus takes you and your luggage to the station in time for your train.
It’s very well organised (as you’d expect in Japan) and runs like clockwork!
TIP: Tomamu Station is unstaffed and has no ticket machine, so buy your reserved-seat train tickets a night or two before from the JR ticket machine inside The Tower (the green towers). Credit cards are accepted.
When you leave, just be aware of the stairs. If you’re heading back west towards Sapporo or New Chitose Airport like most people, your train leaves from the platform on the other side. That means carrying your luggage up the stairs, over the tracks and down again.
There’s no ramp or lift that we could see, so if you use a wheelchair, have limited mobility, or can’t carry your suitcase up and down stairs, contact the resort before you travel to ask what help is available.
Once you’re on the platform, check which carriage your seat is in on your ticket and line up at the matching letter.
Is Hoshino Resorts Risonare Tomamu worth it?
Let’s be honest, this isn’t Bali on a budget. Flying a family to Japan, travelling up to Hokkaido, staying at a premium ski resort (whether it’s Tomamu or anywhere else), plus ski hire and eating out all add up to an expensive trip. This IS a premium experience and it comes with a price tag to match.
But the true test of value is whether you get the experience you paid for. For my family, the answer is a resounding yes! So much so that we’ve already booked to go back in January 2027 (and yes, prices have gone up, ouch). We may not be able to do this every year, but if we can afford it, we will. It’s hands down the best ski holiday we’ve had anywhere.
The chairlifts had virtually no queues, the runs are long and gradual with off-piste sections if you want a challenge, and the powder is fantastic. On top of all that you have Mina-Mina Beach, onsen, restaurants, the Ice Village and ice skating for the non-ski hours.
Who it suits: for family-friendly beginner and intermediate skiing, you can’t beat Tomamu. If your kids are older (mid to late teens) and your family are advanced skiers, you’ll probably enjoy Niseko more, with its bigger mountain range and more advanced slopes.
Hoshino Resorts Tomamu FAQ
How many nights should you stay at Tomamu?
We stayed five nights with four days of skiing, and we all agreed we would rather have stayed longer. Five nights gives you time to ski both mountains, visit the Ice Village more than once and enjoy Mina-Mina Beach.
Is the lift pass included at Risonare Tomamu?
Not automatically. I booked a plan “with lift ticket”, which I recommend. Otherwise, hotel guests can buy discounted lift passes (around 9,000 yen per adult per day and 7,000 yen for kids in 2026/27).
Is Tomamu good for beginners?
Yes! The long, gentle green runs and short lift queues make Tomamu one of the best places in Hokkaido for beginner and intermediate skiers, especially families.
Can you visit the Tomamu Ice Village if you’re not staying there?
Yes, entry is around 600 yen. It’s free for guests of Risonare and The Tower (some plans are excluded).
How cold is Tomamu in winter?
Very cold at night. We had between -12°C and -18°C after dark in January, and it can get even colder, so pack thermals, gloves, a hat and proper snow boots.
How do you get from Sapporo to Tomamu?
Take the Limited Express train from Sapporo Station to Tomamu Station (about 1.5 hours), where the resort shuttle bus meets the train. From New Chitose Airport, change at Minami-Chitose.
Should you stay at Risonare or The Tower?
We stayed at Risonare and loved it: every room is a suite, and ours had its own jet bath and sauna with forest views. Both are Hoshino Resorts hotels at the same ski area, so you can enjoy the same slopes, Ice Village and Mina-Mina Beach either way.
Final thoughts on our Risonare Tomamu stay
Tomamu was the highlight of our 14 day Hokkaido winter itinerary, and Risonare made it extra special. If you’re planning a family ski holiday in Japan, I can’t recommend it enough. See you on the slopes in January 2027!
While you’re here, I have more tried-and-tested recommendations for spending winter in Japan (and any season on my Japan travel blog):
- 14 day Hokkaido itinerary for winter (without a car)
- Niseko for beginners
- Things no one tells you about winter in Japan
- Takaragawa Onsen, Gunma review
- Gala Yuzawa day trip itinerary from Tokyo
- 2 days in Nagano itinerary.
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Until next time,
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