I’ll be heading to Japan in February for some skiing. My flight will be in and out of Tokyo. Part of the time I’ll be in Hokkaido.
My question; with the JR pass work with the bullet train(s) from Tokyo to Hokkaido or will I need to book a separate ticket and pay for it on its own? I’m reading one thing online and being told another by a friend who has visited a few times.
I know February is a long way out but I like to plan big things like this well in advance.
12 comments
A quick Google search brings up [this](https://japanrailpass.net/pdf/Nationwide_JR_Route_Map_web230302.pdf) result. Yes you can get to Hokkaido with the JR Pass.
You should fly.
Hokkaido where?
JR Pass covers the train Tokyo – Sapporo and some lines like Sapporo-Otaru, Hakodate etc… The trip from Tokyo to Sapporo is 8hrs tho, it’s probably less time consuming to fly with Peach or some other airline
jr pass works, takes roughly 4-5 hours by Shinkansen.
Note: The JR Pass is valid on all Shinkansen services in all the Shinkansen lines, except for the Nozomi and Mizuho services
It works, you can turn up and go or reserve a seat reservation/s (for free!) when you’re there. Did this with JR passes in May, no problem.
Just note, shinkansen only goes to hakodate and takes >5 hours from Tokyo. You’ll then have to hop a local train to get to Niseko/kutchan. So maybe like 8 hrs total travel time?
If you fly, about one hour flight time, then about 3 hours by local train to get from chitose to Niseko. So, it would be faster by some degree especially if you are already at Narita. Plus, the train goes through Sapporo from the airport, so if you wanted to stop for a bit that is then an option.
You know that the Jr pass will be a lot more expensive then? It’s probably not worth it anymore.
Hubby and I went to Niseko this past February. I definitely recommend flying. Peach Air has super cheap flights multiple times a day. Then you can get a JR Pass for a shorter time frame after you are done (or before) the skiing portion of your holiday. Doesn’t usually make sense to be paying for an active JR Pass while you are at Niseko.
Just a heads up that the trip from Tokyo to Hakodate gets fully booked, so be sure to grab your tickets sooner rather than later. I went from Sapporo to Tokyo a couple of days ago and the local Hakodate train was delayed by an hour, causing us to miss our connection to Tokyo and having to wait several hours since some of the later trains were fully booked.
JR pass works. I did Tokyo to Sapporo just last week on a 2 week JR pass. It is a tad long of a journey and you need to change trains at Shin Hakodate but personally I didn’t mind it since I do prefer trains to planes in Japan.
I also travelled back from Sapporo to Osaka but did this over 2 days and stopped over for the night in Hakodate. Best decision ever, Hakodate was absolutely charming and worthwhile. With regard to the JR pass for this leg, I was able to use the pass to get to Hakodate from Sapporo on the first day of the trip, then from Hakodate Station to Shin-Hakodate from where I took a direct train to Tokyo Station. From Tokyo Station, I was able to take a Hikari train to Shin Osaka and from Shin Osama to Osaka Station. All routes using the JR pass.
Or you could try hitchhiking with a friendly whale. Just pack some fish snacks!
Let us know how it goes OP. We just did Japan in May and now I’m for sure gonna do a ski trip there. Train system is awesome. I’m sure it will be great!