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 covered. Intercity and temporary buses are excluded. On the Sapporo–Otaru · 小樽 express-bus route, only services operated by JR Hokkaido Bus are covered. Take a numbered boarding ticket when boarding; hand it in and show your pass when getting off.

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.

As of 6 October 2026, collect the actual pass at a designated counter. JR Hokkaido has announced passport-reader ticket machines at Sapporo and New Chitose Airport stations from 20 October 2026. That future service is not available yet; check the latest official notice if your trip is after that date.

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. After collecting the pass, reserve at a station counter or compatible reserved-seat machine. Green Car travel requires both the Green Car charge and the limited-express charge separately.

Within the pass area, the official guidance permits standing in Ordinary Car when eligible Hokuto, Suzuran, Kamui, Lilac, Soya, Sarobetsu, Okhotsk, Ozora, Tokachi or Furano Lavender Express services are full. If you temporarily use an empty seat, give it up when its reserved passenger arrives. Some seasonal trains require a reserved-seat ticket before boarding.

To cancel before exchange, contact the agency that sold the order; its own conditions and fees apply. Once you collect the actual pass, you cannot change its start date or type. Lost or stolen passes are not reissued. Ask the official purchase or exchange counter about refunds after exchange.

JR’s official rules allow refunds for an unused actual pass before its start date or while it is still valid at designated pass purchase/exchange counters. The handling fee is 10% of the JPY selling price, or JPY 560 for a pass purchased through JR-EAST Train Reservation. The selling agency’s cancellation rules apply before exchange. JR does not extend the pass or refund it for train disruptions after the start of use.