Tomamu
トマム43°03′ N 142°37′ EResort villagePop. 653Tokachi
Hoshino Resorts runs Tomamu as a self-contained resort in the forests of Shimukappu, with its own station on the Sapporo–Obihiro line.
Photo Masahiro TAKAGI · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Who should base here
Stay at Tomamu for a self-contained ski holiday with reliably cold snow and plenty for non-riders. It suits families and anyone arriving by train from Sapporo or New Chitose.
The name
tomam
トマㇺMarsh, wetland
ainu
Tomam is a common Ainu word for marshy ground, and the district was written 苫鵡 before the katakana name took over. Tomamu lies in Shimukappu village, which Yamada Hidezō traced to si-mukap, 'the main Mu River', meaning the headwaters of the Mukawa. The village's own website prefers shimokap, 'a very quiet and peaceful upstream place', a reading Yamada thought unlikely as an Ainu place-name form. The population is the Tomamu district of Shimukappu at the end of September 2026; the whole village had 1,523 residents on 1 January 2026.
SourceEat · 食べる
OTTO SETTE TOMAMUOTTO SETTE TOMAMUfine¥¥¥¥
The Italian dining room at Risonare Tomamu builds its tasting menus around Hokkaido produce. Reservations required.
Garaku Tomamu no MoriGARAKU トマムの森curry¥¥
The Sapporo soup curry house runs this branch on Hotaru Street, open 11:00–22:00.
TAKEZOTAKEZOramen¥
Takezo serves ramen and Chinese dishes on Hotaru Street until late.
KINGKINGyakiniku¥¥¥
This Genghis Khan grill at the resort opens from 11:00 to 22:00.
Kanemaru Goto Shotenizakaya¥¥
This izakaya in the Foresta Mall serves seafood and drinks from 17:00 to 22:00.
MIKI Yoshihito. (#mikiyoshihito) / Flickr · CC BY 2.0 Nininupuri森のレストラン ニニヌプリcafe¥¥
The big buffet restaurant in the forest is the easy option for families.
Shabu-shabu SORAしゃぶしゃぶSORAfine¥¥¥
Crab and wagyu shabu-shabu; reservations required.
Drink · 飲む
Ice Bar at the Ice Villagebar
The bar inside the Ice Village serves drinks in glasses carved from ice after dark, from ¥1,500.
TOMAMU Wine Housebar
A wine bar at the resort for a glass after dinner.
Do · 遊ぶ
Ice Villageactivity
A village of ice domes with a chapel, bar, sweets shop and a hotel built each winter, planned for 20 December 2026 to 10 March 2027.
Kentaro Ohno / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 Frost Tree Terracesight
The Unkai Gondola climbs to this observation deck at 1,088 m, where the trees glitter with hoarfrost and the Hidaka range fills the horizon on a clear morning.
MIKI Yoshihito / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 Mina-Mina Beachactivity
An indoor wave pool for the non-riders and the kids.
Tomamu is a resort more than a village. Two pairs of tall hotel towers stand out of thick forest in the hills between Furano and Tokachi, and almost everyone here either works for the resort or is staying in it. The cold is the thing you remember. The valley traps it on clear nights and keeps the snow light and squeaky. In the mornings the trees near the top of the gondola wear a white coat of hoarfrost.
The riding is better than its family reputation suggests, with tree runs and a powder area on Tomamu-san that open up after a storm, and Sahoro is about half an hour east if you want a change. Off the hill there is plenty to fill an evening. The Ice Village builds a frozen chapel and an ice bar on the snowfield from 20 December. Down on Hotaru Street at the base you can eat Garaku soup curry or Takezo ramen, and for a long night out, book the Italian tasting menu at Otto Sette in Risonare.
Quick answers about Tomamuよくある質問
What does the name Tomamu mean?
Tomamu comes from the local name tomam, meaning marsh, wetland. Tomam is a common Ainu word for marshy ground, and the district was written 苫鵡 before the katakana name took over. Tomamu lies in Shimukappu village, which Yamada Hidezō traced to si-mukap, 'the main Mu River', meaning the headwaters of the Mukawa. The village's own website prefers shimokap, 'a very quiet and peaceful upstream place', a reading Yamada thought unlikely as an Ainu place-name form. The population is the Tomamu district of Shimukappu at the end of September 2026; the whole village had 1,523 residents on 1 January 2026.
Is Tomamu a good place to stay?
Stay at Tomamu for a self-contained ski holiday with reliably cold snow and plenty for non-riders. It suits families and anyone arriving by train from Sapporo or New Chitose.
How do you get to Tomamu?
Tomamu Station on the JR Sekisho Line is served by limited express trains between Sapporo and Obihiro, which stop at Minami-Chitose for the airport, and a resort shuttle meets the trains. By car it is about an hour and a half from New Chitose Airport on the Do-to Expressway. Fill up before the last stretch; the resort warns that fuel is scarce on the approach.
Ride from Tomamu近くの山
Stay in Tomamu宿
Hot springs nearby温泉
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