Sapporo–Noboribetsu Area Pass: 4-day routes and exchange

Compare this pass if your train journeys towards Noboribetsu and your Sapporo and Otaru visits fit within four consecutive days. If you continue to Toya, budget separately for the fares and charges outside the pass area.

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 4 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.

The official map marks JR routes bounded by Otaru, Hokkaido-Iryodaigaku · 北海道医療大学, Iwamizawa · 岩見沢, New Chitose Airport and Noboribetsu. Toya is excluded. If you get off outside the area, pay the ordinary fare and charges for the additional section.

JR Hokkaido buses, the Sapporo subway and trams are not covered. Pay separately for the bus from Noboribetsu Station to the hot-spring town.

You can purchase or exchange this pass only at the designated counters at New Chitose Airport, Sapporo and Noboribetsu. The broader list of Hokkaido Rail Pass exchange offices does not apply to this product.

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.