Hokkaido Rail Pass: routes, prices, exchange and reserved seats

Compare its coverage with narrower area passes if you plan to travel from Sapporo · 札幌 to destinations such as Hakodate · 函館 and Kushiro · 釧路. Compare the actual fares for your trains and the number of consecutive days you need.

You need a valid passport issued by a country other than Japan. Present the original passport when purchasing or exchanging; a copy or residence card is not accepted instead. Carry your passport while travelling. Check the travel agency’s separate customer conditions on the selected product page.

The table gives JR’s official JPY prices. Advance purchase means an overseas-agency exchange order or JR-EAST Train Reservation; in-Japan purchase means buying at a designated station. These are separate from a reseller’s displayed selling price and currency. Official child prices apply to ages 6–11.

Use the pass for 5, 7 or 10 consecutive days from your chosen start date. You cannot select separate travel days. Once issued, the actual pass’s start date and type cannot be changed.

Exchange an agency’s electronic or paper exchange order for the actual pass before use. The official exchange deadline is three months from issue for a paper order and 90 days for an electronic order. Check that the name on the order exactly matches your passport.

Eligible trains throughout JR Hokkaido are covered. The Hokkaido Shinkansen, South Hokkaido Railway (Donan Isaribi Railway), subways and trams are excluded. Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto · 新函館北斗 appearing on the map does not mean the Shinkansen from that station is covered.

Some JR Hokkaido Bus services are included. Intercity and temporary buses are generally excluded, but you can use a Sapporo–Otaru express bus operated by JR Hokkaido Bus. Take a numbered ticket when you board. Put that ticket in the fare box and show the driver your pass when you get off; buses run by other companies are not covered.

Use designated pass counters at New Chitose Airport · 新千歳空港, Sapporo, Noboribetsu · 登別, Asahikawa · 旭川, Obihiro · 帯広, Kushiro, Abashiri · 網走, Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto or Hakodate. General ticket-office hours and pass-processing hours may differ. Check the specific pass service hours in the official exchange-office guide.

All JR Hokkaido limited-express trains have reserved seats only. Obtain an Ordinary Car reserved-seat ticket before boarding; you cannot choose your seat on board. JR-EAST Train Reservation buyers may book eligible seats online before collecting the pass, but must collect the reserved-seat ticket before boarding. After collecting the pass, you can also reserve at a station counter or compatible machine. Green Car travel requires both the Green Car charge and the limited-express charge separately.

If your limited-express train is full, standing without a reserved-seat ticket is allowed only on the Hokuto, Suzuran, Kamui, Lilac, Soya, Sarobetsu, Okhotsk, Ozora, Tokachi and Furano Lavender Express, outside the Green Car. You may use an empty Ordinary Car seat temporarily, but must give it up when its reserved passenger arrives. Some temporary trains cannot be boarded without a reserved-seat ticket.

For an unused agency exchange order, ask the seller about its cancellation rules and fees. JR Hokkaido’s English guidance mentions a refund for an unused issued pass before its start date or within its validity period, but separately says refunds are unavailable after the starting date. Do not count on a refund once the printed validity has begun; ask a designated purchase or exchange counter before that date. The stated fee is 10% of the JPY sale price, or JPY 560 for a pass bought through JR-EAST Train Reservation. You cannot change the issued pass’s start date or type, and a lost or stolen pass cannot be reissued.