Sapporo–Furano Area Pass: four-day routes, prices and exchange

Sapporo-Furano Area Pass

The Sapporo–Furano Area Pass covers designated JR routes linking New Chitose Airport · 新千歳空港, Sapporo · 札幌, Otaru · 小樽, Furano · 富良野, Biei · 美瑛 and Asahikawa · 旭川 for four consecutive days. Tomamu · トマム is excluded, and buses to sightseeing destinations require separate tickets.

When does this pass suit your itinerary?

Compare this pass if your train journeys between Sapporo, Furano, Biei and Asahikawa fit within four consecutive days. Budget separately for buses or taxis from Furano and Biei stations to the places you want to visit.

Who can use it?

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.

Prices and child fares

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.

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Sapporo-Furano Area Pass · official prices in JPY
DurationAdvance adultAdvance child (6–11)In Japan adultIn Japan child (6–11)
4 days11,0005,50012,0006,000

Verified:

Start date and consecutive days

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.

Check your exchange order

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.

Covered routes and exclusions

Covered JR sections include Otaru–Sapporo–New Chitose Airport, Takikawa · 滝川–Asahikawa–Biei–Furano, and Takikawa–Furano. Tomamu is excluded. A sightseeing destination being in Furano or Biei does not make its bus from the station part of the pass.

Buses and other transport

JR Hokkaido buses, the Sapporo subway and trams are not covered. Check onward transport from the station to lavender farms or other sightseeing facilities separately.

Where to collect or exchange the pass

Purchase or exchange this pass only at the designated counters at New Chitose Airport, Sapporo and Asahikawa. Furano Station is not an exchange location for this pass.

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.

Reserve a seat before boarding

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.

If a train is full or you miss your reservation

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.

Changes, cancellations and refunds

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.

From purchase to boarding

  1. Choose your stations and consecutive travel dates, then check the coverage area. You cannot purchase or use the same type of pass with overlapping validity periods.

  2. Take the agency exchange order and every traveller’s original passport to a designated counter that handles this specific pass. Choose your start date and collect the actual pass.

  3. For a limited-express journey, reserve the train, car and seat at a station counter or compatible machine after collecting the pass. To change trains after obtaining a reserved-seat ticket, ask at the counter.

  4. Insert only the actual pass into the automatic ticket gate and collect it after passing through. The reserved-seat ticket is not your gate ticket, and an electronic exchange-order QR code is not used at the gate.

  5. Check your reserved train, car and seat before boarding. Do not bend the pass or store it close to magnets, including those in a smartphone.

Frequently asked questions

Can I board using the QR code on my electronic exchange order?

No. Collect the actual pass at a designated counter first, then insert only that pass at the automatic gate. A reserved-seat ticket is not the ticket used to pass through the gate.

Do JR Hokkaido limited-express trains have unreserved seats?

No. They have reserved seats only. Obtain your reserved-seat ticket before boarding. Standing when a train is full is limited to the trains and Ordinary Cars listed in the official guidance.

Can I change the start date after collecting the pass?

No. Once the actual pass has been issued, its start date and type cannot be changed. Check your travel dates when exchanging.

Can I exchange the pass at a ticket machine on 6 October 2026?

Use a designated counter as of this verification date. The passport-reader machine service is scheduled to start on 20 October 2026, with restrictions on supported sellers and exchange-order issue dates. Do not assume it supports every Trip.com QR exchange order.

Are Tomamu and buses to Biei’s sights covered?

No. Tomamu and buses to sightseeing destinations are excluded. Separate the covered JR sections around Furano and Biei from your onward transport after leaving the station.

Official sources and maps

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