Hokkaido Transport Passes & Transport System

JR Rail Pass Guide

In Hokkaido, you can use the JR Hokkaido Rail Pass on most JR trains, except for the Donan Isaribi Railway in Hakodate.

For example, the Airport train from New Chitose Airport to Sapporo or Otaru is covered by the pass, and you can also use the U-Seat (U-seat) reserved seating without any extra charge.
With a rail pass, you can get a reserved seat ticket in advance for a more comfortable ride.

• You can exchange the pass at New Chitose Airport Station and Sapporo Station from 08:30 to 19:00.
• The rail pass cannot be used on the Shinkansen, streetcars, subways, or private railways.
• Other regional passes can be checked separately on each regional page.

1) Sapporo - Noboribetsu Area Pass

① Available routes

• You can use reserved and non-reserved seats on limited express, rapid, and local trains within the section shown in the image below.

② Pass type and price

• 4-day pass: valid for 4 consecutive days from the start date
• If purchased overseas: Adult 10,000 yen / Child 5,000 yen
• If purchased in Japan: Adult 11,000 yen / Child 5,500 yen

③ Key points

• A one-way reserved seat fare on the limited express between Sapporo and Noboribetsu is about 4,890 yen, so if you plan to visit Noboribetsu, this pass is a good value.

2) Sapporo - Furano Area Pass

① Available routes

• You can use reserved and non-reserved seats on limited express, rapid, and local trains in the section shown in the image below.
• This also includes the summer-only Furano Lavender Express and the Furano-Biei Norokko Train.

② Pass type and price

• 4-day pass: valid for 4 consecutive days from the start date
• If purchased in Korea: Adult 11,000 yen / Child 5,500 yen
• If purchased in Japan: Adult 12,000 yen / Child 6,000 yen

③ Key points

• This pass is strongly recommended if you plan to explore Biei and Furano by train without a bus tour, or if you plan to rent a car from Asahikawa.

3) Hokkaido Rail Pass

① Available routes

• Unlimited rides on JR Hokkaido lines during the valid period
• The Hokkaido Shinkansen is not covered

② Types

③ Key points

• A one-way reserved seat on the limited express Hokuto between Sapporo and Hakodate costs 9,770 yen, so if you plan to visit Hakodate, this pass is usually a good deal.
• You can also ride limited express and local JR trains across Hokkaido.
  • Reserved seats for the SL Fuyu-no-Shitsugen Train must be purchased separately
• Some JR buses are covered
• Not valid on the Donan Isaribi Railway (a private line), streetcars, or subways

4) Online reserved seat booking

If you buy a JR Hokkaido Rail Pass, you can reserve seats online in advance.
To do this, membership registration is required. No payment is made at the time of booking, but a fee applies if you miss the ticket pickup deadline, so you must enter credit card details.

5) How to book online

1. The steps below assume you have registered and are logged in.
2. Select "Reserved seat booking (using a pass)".

   

3. Select the pass type you purchased.
   • Hokkaido Rail Pass
   • Sapporo-Noboribetsu Area Pass
   • Sapporo-Furano Area Pass
4. Search for trains.
   • Instead of route search, it is easier to use "Search by station".
5. Enter departure and arrival stations
   • New Chitose Airport: NEW CHITOSE AIRPORT
   • Sapporo: SAPPORO

   • Reserved seats apply only to limited express trains, so stations served only by local trains will not appear in the search.

6. Select a reserved seat from the results
   • Automatic seat assignment: the system selects any available seat
   • Choose from seat map: select your seat using the layout
   • Pickup location: “undecided” means not selected; if you want to pick up everything at the airport, choose NEW CHITOSE AIRPORT
   • Pickup date: can be selected up to the day before travel
7. After booking, an email with your reservation number is sent to your registered address.

Exclusive TourCast Tips!

Is a rail pass really necessary for Hokkaido?

As mentioned above, the one-way reserved seat fare on the limited express between Sapporo and Hakodate is 9,770 yen. If you plan to travel to Hakodate, using the Hokkaido Rail Pass can be a good option. This is because once you add costs such as travel from New Chitose Airport to Sapporo, the total of individual fares can become higher than the pass price.

However, it is not always true that a pass is the best deal.

The image below is the Eki-net advance booking screen introduced in 'Common Part 2 - JR Pass / Discount Train Booking'. It shows that the Sapporo–Hakodate route can be 6,830 yen one way with a discount.

• 3,170 yen: base fare for Sapporo–Hakodate (limited express ticket must be purchased separately)
• 6,830 yen: Tokudane 30% discount fare
• 8,300 yen: Tokudane 15% discount fare

If your itinerary is focused mainly on Hakodate, buying individual tickets with discounted fares may be cheaper. If you are traveling only to one or two areas, it is recommended to check discounted fares in 'Common Part 2 - JR Pass / Discount Train Booking' first, and then decide whether to buy a pass.

How to Use Buses in Hokkaido

In Hokkaido, taking a highway bus instead of a JR train can reduce your transport cost to about half in many cases.

1) Round-trip tickets (往復券) and multi-ride tickets (回数券)

A round-trip ticket is when you buy two one-way tickets together for the same route. A multi-ride ticket is a discounted ticket bundle of 4 or more rides (commonly 4, 10, or 20 tickets).

A round-trip ticket can be used by one person for a return trip, or by two people using one-way tickets each. For example, if four adults travel one way only, you can buy a 4-ride multi-ride ticket and use it.

• New Chitose Airport ↔ Sapporo
  • Round-trip discount: 100 yen / 4-ride ticket discount: 300 yen
• Sapporo ↔ Asahikawa
  • Round-trip discount: 300 yen / 4-ride ticket discount: 1,000 yen
• Sapporo ↔ Furano
  • Round-trip discount: 300 yen / 4-ride ticket discount: 1,300 yen
• Not available for Sapporo ↔ Noboribetsu or Sapporo ↔ Hakodate routes
• No multi-ride ticket option for child fares
  • Example: For a family with 2 adults and 2 children, adults buy a 4-ride ticket, and children buy separate tickets at 50% of the regular fare
• Round-trip and multi-ride tickets are valid for 6 months from the purchase date.

2) How to buy round-trip / multi-ride tickets

1. Buy online (Busmo)
   • You can buy tickets on the Busmo official site after email verification and simple card registration
   • See How to use (Japanese)
   • Tickets can be used across operators on the same routes, including Chuo Bus and Hokuto Kotsu

2. Buy on the bus
   • When you board, take a numbered ticket. When you get off, ask the driver to purchase a round-trip or multi-ride ticket.
   • In this case, you will receive only the ticket for the return direction.

3) Main bus companies in Hokkaido

Many highway bus routes in Hokkaido are operated jointly by two or more companies.

Because of this, you can often use round-trip and multi-ride tickets across different companies. For example, even if you booked on Company A’s website, you can board Company B’s bus if it arrives for the same time slot.

• Around Sapporo (Otaru, etc.)
  • Chuo Bus
  • JR Hokkaido Bus
• Noboribetsu, Hakodate, Toya
  • Donan Bus
  • Hokuto Kotsu
• Asahikawa, Furano
  • Dohoku Bus
  • Furano Bus