Hokkaido Rail Pass: routes, collection and seat reservations

Compare this pass with smaller regional passes if you plan to travel from Sapporo (札幌) to places such as Hakodate (函館) and Kushiro (釧路). Add up the fares for your actual trains and compare them with the pass price and its consecutive-day validity.

JR Hokkaido accepts holders of valid passports issued by countries other than Japan. Present your original passport when exchanging or buying the pass; a copy or residence card is not accepted. Carry the passport while travelling. A travel agency may also have separate sales conditions for its own product.

These are JR’s official prices in Japanese yen. Advance prices apply to Exchange Orders bought from overseas travel agencies and purchases through JR-EAST Train Reservation; station prices apply at designated JR Hokkaido stations. Reseller prices are separate. Child prices apply to ages 6–11.

Choose 5, 7 or 10 consecutive days from your selected start date. You cannot choose separate travel days. Once the actual pass is issued, its start date and type cannot be changed.

An electronic or paper Exchange Order from a travel agency must be exchanged for the actual pass before travel. A paper Exchange Order must be exchanged within three months of issue; an electronic Exchange Order within 90 days. Check that the name matches your passport exactly.

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

Some JR Hokkaido buses are included, but intercity and temporary services are excluded. On the Sapporo–Otaru (小樽) expressway route, only services operated by JR Hokkaido Bus are covered. Take a numbered boarding ticket when getting on; hand it in and show the pass when getting off.

Use the 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. Pass-handling hours can differ from a station ticket office’s general opening hours. Check the official counter guide for the pass service hours.

All JR Hokkaido limited express trains have reserved seating only. Obtain an Ordinary Car reserved-seat ticket before boarding: seats cannot be assigned on the train. After collecting the pass, reserve at a station counter or reserved-seat ticket machine. Green Car travel requires both the Green Car charge and the limited express charge separately.

If a covered limited express is full, the official guidance permits standing in Ordinary Cars on the listed Hokuto, Suzuran, Kamui, Lilac, Soya, Sarobetsu, Okhotsk, Ozora, Tokachi and Furano Lavender Express services within the pass area. If you sit in a vacant seat, give it up when its reserved passenger arrives. Some seasonal trains cannot be used without a seat reservation.

Before exchange, request cancellation from the travel agency that sold your Exchange Order, under that seller’s fees and conditions. After the actual pass has been issued, its start date and type cannot be changed. Lost or stolen passes are not reissued. Ask the official purchase or exchange counter about refunds after exchange.