How to Use the Hokkaido Rail Pass | Prices for 5, 7 and 10 Days, How It Differs from the Two Sapporo Area Passes, Trains and Buses You Can Ride, Reserving Seats on All-Reserved Limited Express Trains, and Whether It Pays Off

Overview

The Hokkaido Rail Pass is a pass sold by JR Hokkaido for people who hold a passport issued by a country other than Japan. There are three types: 5 consecutive days, 7 consecutive days and 10 consecutive days. While the pass is valid, you can ride all JR Hokkaido lines except the Hokkaido Shinkansen as many times as you like. You can also use this pass to reserve Ordinary Car reserved seats on limited express trains. You can also ride some JR Hokkaido Bus routes. The pass for 5 consecutive days costs ¥22,000 for adults (age 12 and over) and ¥11,000 for children (age 6 to 11) when you buy it from a travel agency outside Japan or on JR East's booking site. If you buy it at a station after arriving in Hokkaido, the price is higher.

JR Hokkaido also sells the "Sapporo-Noboribetsu Area Pass" and the "Sapporo-Furano Area Pass", which are valid for 4 consecutive days and can be used only within set areas near Sapporo. This article also explains these two passes. The prices and rules in this article were checked on October 26, 2026 on JR Hokkaido's official website and in JR Hokkaido's route, fare and timetable search.

The map is a simplified summary of the JR lines running from Sapporo to the main destinations you can reach with the Hokkaido Rail Pass. The numbers do not show an order to visit; they point to the following places.

1. New Chitose Airport Station. A station inside New Chitose Airport, where you can board the Rapid Airport train to Sapporo Station.
2. Noboribetsu Station. From Sapporo Station, you can get there without changing trains on the Suzuran limited express.
3. Hakodate Station. From Sapporo Station, you can get there without changing trains on the Hokuto limited express.
4. Asahikawa Station. From Sapporo Station, you can get there without changing trains on the Kamui or Lilac limited express. To get to Biei Station and Furano Station, change at Asahikawa Station to the JR Furano Line.
5. Wakkanai Station. From Sapporo Station, you can get there without changing trains on the Soya limited express.
6. Abashiri Station. From Sapporo Station, you can get there without changing trains on the Okhotsk limited express.
7. Kushiro Station. From Sapporo Station, you can get there without changing trains on the Ozora limited express.

• What you can and cannot ride is summarized in "What you can ride with the Hokkaido Rail Pass" and "What you cannot ride, and what you pay for separately".
• You cannot ride the Hokkaido Shinkansen. You also cannot use this pass when you come to Hokkaido by Shinkansen from Honshu, such as from Tokyo.
• A pass that lets you ride JR lines all over Japan is explained in JAPAN RAIL PASS (JR Pass): Prices and How to Use It | Prices on the Official Website and from Agents Outside Japan, How to Buy, and How to Ride Nozomi and Mizuho.

Prices

Hokkaido Rail Pass prices

• The first price in the table applies both when you buy an Exchange Order from a travel agency outside Japan and when you buy the pass on JR East's booking site, JR-EAST Train Reservation.
• The "if bought at a station" price is the price when you buy the pass at a designated JR Hokkaido station after arriving in Hokkaido.
• JR Hokkaido's information about the pass does not say how children under age 6 are treated.

Validity period

• The pass is valid for 5, 7 or 10 consecutive days, starting from the start date you choose. You cannot use it on separate days with gaps in between.
• After you receive the pass, you cannot change its start date. You also cannot exchange it for another type of pass or for other tickets.
• One person cannot buy or use two or more passes of the same type whose validity periods overlap. If the validity periods do not overlap, you can also buy a second pass.
• Even if trains are suspended or delayed, the validity period is not extended.

Two area passes for use only near Sapporo

• The stations shown on the official map as the area of the Sapporo-Noboribetsu Area Pass are Otaru Station, Sapporo Station, Shiroishi Station, Hokkaido-Iryodaigaku Station, Iwamizawa Station, New Chitose Airport Station, Minami-Chitose Station, Tomakomai Station, Shiraoi Station and Noboribetsu Station. Toya Station is not in the area.
• The stations shown on the official map as the area of the Sapporo-Furano Area Pass are Otaru Station, Sapporo Station, Shiroishi Station, New Chitose Airport Station, Minami-Chitose Station, Takikawa Station, Fukagawa Station, Asahikawa Station, Biei Station and Furano Station. Tomamu Station is not in the area.
• The two area passes also let you ride Ordinary Car reserved seats and non-reserved seats on rapid and local trains within the area. On limited express trains within the area, you can ride Ordinary Car reserved seats. JR Hokkaido limited express trains have no non-reserved seats.
• You cannot ride JR Hokkaido Bus with the two area passes.
• When you get off at a station outside the area, you pay the fare and charges for the section outside the area at the station where you get off.

Conditions

What you can ride with the Hokkaido Rail Pass

• All JR Hokkaido lines except the Hokkaido Shinkansen. On rapid and local trains, you can ride Ordinary Car reserved seats and non-reserved seats. On limited express trains, you can ride Ordinary Car reserved seats. On JR Hokkaido limited express trains, all seats are reserved and there are no non-reserved seats (explained in "Seat reservations").
• JR Hokkaido sightseeing trains. However, to ride the SL Fuyu-no-Shitsugen Train, you need to buy a reserved seat ticket separately.
• JR Hokkaido Bus routes. However, you cannot ride buses that connect one city with another, or special extra buses. On the express buses between Sapporo and Otaru, you can ride only the buses operated by JR Hokkaido Bus. You cannot ride the Hokkaido Chuo Bus buses on the same route.

As examples, JR Hokkaido's guide to the buses you can ride with this pass (December 2024) lists JR Hokkaido Bus routes that go to Shiroi Koibito Park, the outer market of the Sapporo Central Wholesale Market (Jogai Ichiba), Sapporo Factory, Hokkaido Shrine, Maruyama Zoo and Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium. The same guide says that you cannot ride the following routes with this pass.

• Routes connecting Sapporo with Asahikawa, Monbetsu, Hiroo, Obihiro or Erimo.
• The route connecting Tomakomai and Erimo.
• The route connecting Shin-Sapporo Station and Atsubetsu Stadium, the route connecting Shiroishi Station and Sapporo Dome, and the route connecting Teine Station and Teine Highland.

When you ride JR Hokkaido Bus, take a numbered ticket when you get on. When you get off, put the numbered ticket in the fare box and show your Hokkaido Rail Pass to the driver. Bus routes and timetables may change, so check JR Hokkaido Bus's official website.

What you cannot ride, and what you pay for separately

• The Hokkaido Shinkansen.
• South Hokkaido Railway.
• Subways and streetcars.
• Buses of companies other than JR Hokkaido Bus.
• Green Cars. To ride a Green Car on a limited express, you pay the limited express charge and the Green Car charge.
• Reserved seats on the SL Fuyu-no-Shitsugen Train. You need to buy a reserved seat ticket in addition to this pass.

Costs

Comparing the pass with paying each fare and charge separately (adults)

If the total of the fares and charges for the trains you ride during the validity period is higher than the price of the pass, the pass is cheaper. The table below shows the total one-way fare and charges for adults on the trains used as examples in this article. The values are for a non-reserved seat on the Rapid Airport, and for an Ordinary Car reserved seat on limited express trains. All values were looked up in JR Hokkaido's route, fare and timetable search for travel on December 2, 2026.

The comparisons below use the price of the pass when bought from a travel agency outside Japan or a booking site (the first price in the "Hokkaido Rail Pass prices" table). If you buy the pass at a station after arriving in Hokkaido, compare with the price for buying at a station in the "Hokkaido Rail Pass prices" table.

• One round trip between Sapporo Station and Hakodate Station on the Hokuto costs ¥19,540. If you make only this one round trip, paying the fares and charges is ¥2,460 cheaper than buying the pass for 5 consecutive days.
• If you make one round trip between Sapporo Station and Kushiro Station on the Ozora, and, within the same 5 days, one round trip between New Chitose Airport Station and Sapporo Station in a non-reserved seat on the Rapid Airport, the total is ¥23,100. The pass for 5 consecutive days is ¥1,100 cheaper.
• If you make one round trip between Sapporo Station and Hakodate Station on the Hokuto and one round trip between Sapporo Station and Asahikawa Station on the Kamui, the total is ¥30,420. If both round trips fit within 5 consecutive days, the pass is ¥8,420 cheaper. If both round trips fit within 7 consecutive days, the pass for 7 days is ¥2,420 cheaper.
• For the Sapporo-Noboribetsu Area Pass: if you ride the Rapid Airport in a non-reserved seat from New Chitose Airport Station to Sapporo Station and, within the same 4 days, make one round trip between Sapporo Station and Noboribetsu Station on the Suzuran, the total is ¥11,010. The area pass (¥10,000) is ¥1,010 cheaper.
• For the Sapporo-Furano Area Pass: one round trip between Sapporo Station and Biei Station by the route in the table costs ¥12,640. With this one round trip alone, the area pass (¥11,000) is ¥1,640 cheaper.
• When we also looked up travel on December 28, 2026 and January 20, 2027 in JR Hokkaido's route, fare and timetable search, the values from Sapporo Station to Hakodate Station and from Sapporo Station to Asahikawa Station were the same as in the table.

The rules for children's fares and charges are explained in Child Fares on Japan's Trains and Subways | When Kids Pay Adult Fare, Free Rides for Young Children, Child IC Cards. How to get from New Chitose Airport to Sapporo is explained in New Chitose Airport to Sapporo | JR Rapid Airport and Airport Bus Fares, Travel Times and Boarding Points, Plus How to Use the u-seat Reserved Seat and Transit IC Cards.

Where to buy

Who can buy and use the pass

• According to JR Hokkaido, this pass can be used by people who hold a passport issued by a country other than Japan.
• When you buy the pass, and when you exchange an Exchange Order for the pass, you must show the original, valid passport of the person who will use the pass. You cannot complete the procedure with a residence card or a copy of a passport. When you complete the procedure for several people at once, you need the passports of everyone who will use the passes.
• A pass can be used only by the person who received that pass. You cannot give it to anyone else.
• While you are using the pass, carry your passport with you. If staff ask to see your passport when you show them the pass, show it together with the pass.

Three ways to buy

1. Buy on JR East's booking site, JR-EAST Train Reservation. You can also reserve seats there. You collect the pass at a designated ticket office in Hokkaido by showing your passport and your member number or the reservation confirmation email. You can also collect it at a ticket vending machine with a passport reader at New Chitose Airport Station or Sapporo Station. When you collect it at a ticket office, show the passports of everyone who will use the passes, as with the other procedures. When you collect it at one of these machines, what you need, according to JR Hokkaido, is the passport of the person who made the reservation.
2. Buy an Exchange Order, which you exchange for the pass, from a travel agency outside Japan (on its website or at its shop). There are paper Exchange Orders and E-ticket Exchange Orders. You exchange it for the pass at a designated ticket office in Hokkaido by showing your passport and the Exchange Order. E-ticket Exchange Orders with the Nippon Travel Agency logo issued on or after October 20, 2026 can also be exchanged at a ticket vending machine with a passport reader at New Chitose Airport Station or Sapporo Station (you need the passports of everyone who will use the passes). Paper Exchange Orders cannot be exchanged at these machines. Separately from this, E-ticket Exchange Orders issued through JTRweb also cannot be exchanged at these machines.
3. Buy after arriving in Hokkaido, at a designated ticket office or at a ticket vending machine with a passport reader at New Chitose Airport Station or Sapporo Station. You can pay in cash (Japanese yen only) or by credit card. Apple Pay and similar services cannot be used.

• When you buy an Exchange Order, check that the name on the Exchange Order is exactly the same as the name in your passport.
• The price of an Exchange Order may change with exchange rates.
• Exchange a paper Exchange Order within 3 months of the date it was issued. Exchange an E-ticket Exchange Order within 90 days of the date it was issued.

Stations where you can collect, exchange or buy the pass

According to JR Hokkaido's list (October 20, 2026), you can complete the procedures at the ticket offices of the following stations.

• The ticket offices at New Chitose Airport Station and Sapporo Station (JR Information Desk) are open from 8:30 to 19:00. Ticket office hours at other stations differ from station to station, so check JR Hokkaido's list.
• There is one ticket vending machine with a passport reader at New Chitose Airport Station (next to the JR Information Desk) and three at Sapporo Station (two in the West Concourse and one in the East Concourse). You can use them even when the ticket offices are closed. They can be used from 7:00 to 22:00 at New Chitose Airport Station and from 5:30 to 23:50 at Sapporo Station. However, at these machines at Sapporo Station, only the procedure for collecting a pass bought on JR-EAST Train Reservation ends earlier: it is available until 23:30.
• In busy periods, you may have to wait a long time at the ticket offices.

Refunds

• For an Exchange Order that you have not yet exchanged, check with the travel agency where you bought it whether you can get a refund. Any fee depends on that travel agency's rules.
• A pass you received in exchange for an Exchange Order, a pass you bought in Hokkaido and a pass bought on JR-EAST Train Reservation can each be refunded at a designated ticket office only if it is before the start date, or if the validity period has started but you have not used the pass even once. As the refund fee, 10% of the price of the pass (in Japanese yen) is deducted. However, the refund fee for a pass bought on JR-EAST Train Reservation is ¥560.
• After you start using the pass, there is no refund and the validity period is not extended, even if trains are suspended or delayed. JR Hokkaido also does not pay for extra transportation or accommodation costs caused by a change of plans.
• If your pass is lost or stolen, no replacement pass is issued. You also cannot buy a replacement pass.

Booking

Seat reservations

• On JR Hokkaido limited express trains, all seats are reserved and there are no non-reserved seats. Get a reserved seat ticket before you board a limited express. You cannot have a seat assigned on the train after boarding.
• You can reserve seats on JR-EAST Train Reservation. However, some trains cannot be reserved on this site. As examples, JR Hokkaido's information lists local trains, sightseeing trains and special extra trains.
• You can also reserve seats at the JR Information Desk at major stations and at JR ticket offices. At reserved seat ticket vending machines at major stations, you can use the pass you have received to get a reserved seat ticket yourself.
• On trains and sections where the number of seats that pass users can reserve is limited, you may not be able to reserve a seat even if seats are available.
• In busy periods, the number of reserved seat tickets issued at one time at a ticket office may be limited to shorten waiting times.
• If you have already received a reserved seat ticket and want to change to a different train, have the change made at a ticket office.

When a limited express is full

According to JR Hokkaido, when the reserved seats are full on the following limited express trains, you can board with the pass alone, without a reserved seat ticket. In this case, you ride standing. You cannot ride in the Green Car.

• Hokuto, Suzuran, Kamui, Lilac, Soya, Sarobetsu, Okhotsk, Ozora, Tokachi and Furano Lavender Express.

Even when you are riding standing, if there is an empty seat in an Ordinary Car, you may sit in it temporarily. However, if a person with a reserved seat ticket for that seat arrives, move to another seat. You can also reserve a seat on the next train. Some special extra trains cannot be ridden without a reserved seat ticket.

Going through the ticket gates

• At automatic ticket gates, insert only the pass. Do not insert the reserved seat ticket. After you go through, do not forget to take the pass.
• At stations without automatic ticket gates, show the pass and the reserved seat ticket to the staff. On the day you start using the pass, if you board at a station without automatic ticket gates, have the staff stamp the pass.
• The back of the pass is magnetic. Do not keep it near smartphones or other things that use magnets. Do not bend the pass.

Good to know

• Niseko Station and Kutchan Station are stations on JR Hokkaido lines, and you can get there with this pass. How to get to Niseko from New Chitose Airport or Sapporo is explained in New Chitose Airport and Sapporo to Niseko | Winter Ski Bus (Reservation Required) and JR Fares, Travel Times and Timetables, Plus Boarding Points and How to Book.
• Winter temperatures and snow in Hokkaido are explained in Japan Winter Weather and Temperatures | December, January and February Normals by Location (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Sapporo, Kawaguchiko, Naha in Okinawa), Days with Snow or Sleet and Sunset Times.