Heading north? The three best way to travel between Tokyo and Hokkaido

photo by flocations

The number of inbound tourists keeps growing steadily in recent years. As expected, Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka have always been top 3 most popular destination. But surprisingly, Hokkaido has also been as popular destination as those three cities. Why? This second largest island of Japan has beautiful nature and is famous for its agriculture. Hokkaido gives you very different impression compare to other part of Japan. Its scenic views, beautiful snow fields and good fresh foods capture great attentions from not just Japanese visitors but also foreign tourists. One downside is that there is a great distance from Tokyo, the largest entry port of Japan. So, let’s examine how we can travel between Tokyo and Sapporo, the largest city in Hokkaido, as cheap as possible.

Transports to Hokkaido and the Seikan Tunnel

The Japanese archipelago consists of four major islands and thousands of little islands. The largest island Honshu is directly connected to the rest of major islands, Hokkaido, Shikoku and Kyushu by bridges. Also, Honshu and Shikoku, and Honshu and Kyushu is connected with both motorways and railroads. However, Honshu and Hokkaido is connected only by a railway tunnel, the Seikan Tunnel which lies underneath the Tsugaru Strait between Aomori and Hokkaido. So, there is no fixed link between Honshu and Hokkaido that can be crossed by a car. Transport options to travel between Honshu and Hokkaido are airplane, train or ferry.

Flight + train

Haneda/Narita～Shin-Chitose (By air) + Shin-Chitose～Sapporo (Train)
Single air fare (Using economy class): 4,000～35,000yen
Travel time: 1h 40m flight + 40m train

Traveling by air is the most popular way to go to Hokkaido from Tokyo. There are heaps of daily flights from both Haneda and Narita airports to Hokkaido. Each flight takes just 1 hour and 40 minutes. Even when considering travel time to an airport and waiting time there, it is the fastest way to Hokkaido. ANA, JAL, Air Do and Skymark fly out from Haneda airport, and many low-cost carriers including Jet Star Japan and Peach have flights from Narita airport as well as ANA and JAL. Generally speaking, air fares from Haneda to Hokkaido is rather expensive when compared to flights from Narita as no low-cost carrier flies this route. However, a single ticket can be available from 6,000yen depending on grade of the seat and timing of booking. On the other hand, low-cost carriers from Narita offers cheaper tickets and tickets are available from 4,000yen when carefully choosing boarding time, timing of booking and grade of the seat. After all, airway can be the cheapest transport option to Hokkaido if you can get a god deal.

JAL
ANA
Air Do
Skymark
Jet Star Japan
Spring Japan
Vanilla Air
Peach

Shinkansen + Express train

Tokyo～Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto (Tohoku/Hokkaido Shinkansen) + Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto～Sapporo (Hokuto Express)
Single fare: 26,820yen (normal fare) ※Japan Rail Pass is valid for this line
Travel time: approx. 8hours

Since Hokkaido Shinkansen opened in March this year, Honshu and Hokkaido has been directly connected by Shinkansen. It takes as long as 8 hours from Tokyo station to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto station in Hokkaido, but trains of this latest opened line are equipped with spacious seats that guarantee comfortable time even in ordinary compartments. Fares are fixed throughout the year but quite pricy that a single price for ordinary compartment costs 26,820yen, over 50,000yen for a return ticket. Therefore the best deal to use Shinkansen from Tokyo to Hokkaido is Japan Rail Pass. You can purchase an exchange order for Japan Rail Pass at an agent’s office in your country. 7days Japan Rail Pass allows unlimited ride of railways, including Tohoku/Hokkaido Shinakansen, and bus routes operated by JR Group for 29,110yen for 7 days (except for some lines). There are many occasions to use public transports within Hokkaido, so Japan Rail Pass is definitely worth considering.

Express bus + Ferry

Tokyo～Oarai (Express bus) + Oarai～Tomakomai (Ferry) + Tomakomai～Sapporo (Express bus)
Single fare (Economy room): 9,990～16,330yen (varies depending on seasons)
Travel time: Approx. 26hours

If you are a kind of person who enjoy traveling process itself without caring for the time efficiency, traveling by ferry is worth trying. Among a few ferry routes between Honshu and Hokkaido, the best one is MOL Ferry that offers a combined deal of express bus and ferry. With this route, passengers get on an express bus at Tokyo station and head to Oarai port in Ibaraki prefecture to get on a ferry. The ferry travels from Oarai port to Tomakomai port in Hokkaido. After getting off the ferry at Tomakomai, passengers travel to Sapporo by express bus again. It takes almost 26 hours in total including transit time, about 2 hours on the buses and 18 hours on the ferry. But staying overnight in the ferry and travelling all night on the sea is quite unusual experience. Other than economy rooms priced above, many higher graded rooms are available with extra charges such as dormitory and twin bedroom. There are restaurants, hot bathes, kid’s room and observatory. You will never get bored on your way to Hokkaido.

MOL Ferry

Have a nice journey!

Since a bunch of budget airlines launched their operation in Japan about a decade ago, airlines have been a dominant transport between Tokyo and Hokkaido. These low-cost airlines that trim down its services to provide largely discounted fares can be the cheapest transport between Tokyo and Hokkaido depending on seasons. Also, the launch of Hokkaido Shinkansen has significantly improved the railway access to Hokkaido. Unlike airlines, fares are fixed throughout the year. What’s more, you can save lots of money on transport cost if you use Japan Rail Pass that only foreign tourists are allowed to have. There used to be overnight sleeper trains operated between Tokyo and Sapporo, but the operation of these sleeper trains came to an end according to the launch of Hokkaido Shinkansen. A ferry is only transport you can stay overnight on the vehicle while traveling. There is an 800km direct distance between Tokyo and Hokkaido. So, the number of practical transport options is rather limited. But still, take a little time to consider your budget and schedule to find the best way to go to Hokkaido.