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
How to get from New Chitose Airport to Sapporo Station, Odori Park and Susukino, comparing JR Hokkaido's Rapid Airport train with the airport bus run by Hokkaido Chuo Bus and Hokuto Kotsu. Based on official information from JR Hokkaido, the two bus companies and New Chitose Airport, this guide covers fares, travel times, last departures, boarding points, how to buy the u-seat reserved seat, when to use a transit IC card or contactless payment, how to get from the International Terminal Building to the station and the bus boarding area, and the bus route changes from December 11, 2026.
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Overview
There are two main ways to get from New Chitose Airport to central Sapporo. With either one, you can reach central Sapporo without transferring.
- JR Rapid Airport: Runs from New Chitose Airport Station, underground at the airport, to Sapporo Station. Some trains continue from Sapporo Station straight on to Otaru Station.
- Airport bus: Runs from the boarding area on the ground floor (1F) of the terminal building to bus stops such as Susukino, Odori Park and Sapporo Station. Two companies, Hokkaido Chuo Bus and Hokuto Kotsu, operate the same route.
Your options
| Route | Where to board | Adult one-way | Approx. travel time | Where to get off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JR Rapid Airport | New Chitose Airport Station (basement level 1 (B1F) of the Domestic Terminal Building) | ¥1,230 | Fastest 33 min to Sapporo Station | Sapporo Station (some trains continue to Otaru Station) |
| Airport bus | Stops No. 22 and No. 14 at the Domestic Terminal Building; stop No. 84 at the International Terminal Building | ¥1,500 | About 65 min to Susukino | Susukino, Odori Park, Sapporo Station and other stops |
The fares in the table are regular adult one-way fares with no discount.
JR Rapid Airport: travel times and frequency
- The fastest trip from New Chitose Airport Station to Sapporo Station takes 33 minutes. According to JR Hokkaido, the fastest daytime trips (from 9:00 to 16:00) take 36 minutes on a Special Rapid and 37 minutes on a Rapid.
- During the day, 6 trains run per hour. There are three types of train, Special Rapid, Rapid and Semi-Rapid, and they stop at different numbers of stations. The fare is the same on all of them.
- The first train leaves New Chitose Airport Station at 6:38 and the last at 23:21 (October 2026 timetable). According to JR Hokkaido, the last train leaves on schedule even if flights are delayed.
- Some trains run through from Sapporo Station to Otaru Station. From New Chitose Airport Station to Otaru Station, the fastest trip takes 73 minutes and the adult fare is ¥2,040.
Airport bus: travel times and frequency
- The Domestic Terminal Building has two boarding points. In the timetable, "ANA Gate" is stop No. 22 and "JAL Gate" is stop No. 14. After leaving the boarding points at the Domestic Terminal Building, these buses stop at stop No. 84 at the International Terminal Building and then head for Sapporo.
- According to the timetable, the trip from "ANA Gate" takes 65 minutes to the "Minami 3-jo Susukino" bus stop and 68 minutes to the "Odori Park" bus stop. Times vary with traffic.
- The first bus leaves "ANA Gate" at 8:40 and the last at 22:55.
- According to the bus companies, buses leave on schedule even if flights are delayed.
Fares for children
JR and the airport bus use different standards for children's fares. JR goes by age, while the bus goes by whether the child is an elementary school student.
- JR: Children aged 6 to 11 pay half the adult fare. If halving the fare leaves 5 yen in the ones digit, that 5 yen is dropped. Children aged 1 to 5 ride free, up to 2 for each adult or child who pays a fare.
- Airport bus: The fare for elementary school students is ¥750. The fare for children who have not yet started elementary school is not stated in the airport bus information of either company. Check at the bus company counter before boarding.
Step by step
Arriving at the Domestic Terminal Building
- JR: New Chitose Airport Station is on basement level 1 (B1F) of the Domestic Terminal Building. After you come out of the arrivals exit, go down to B1F and you will find the station ticket gates. You can get there without going outside the building.
- Airport bus: After you come out of the arrivals exit, go to the bus boarding area on the ground floor (1F). Buses to central Sapporo leave from stop No. 22 or No. 14.
Arriving at the International Terminal Building
To take JR, walk over to the Domestic Terminal Building and go to the station on B1F.
- From the arrivals lobby on the second floor (2F) of the International Terminal Building, follow the signs for the Domestic Terminal Building.
- Go through the second floor (2F) of the connecting facility that links the two terminal buildings. The connecting facility has moving walkways.
- Once you enter the Domestic Terminal Building, go down to B1F and head to the ticket gates of New Chitose Airport Station.
The third floor (3F) of the connecting facility is closed for construction until the end of June 2027 (planned). To move between the two terminal buildings, go through the second floor (2F) of the connecting facility.
To take the airport bus, board at stop No. 84 on the ground floor (1F) of the International Terminal Building.
Paying for JR
- Transit IC cards: You can go through the ticket gates with any of the 10 IC cards that can be used nationwide, such as Kitaca, Suica, PASMO and ICOCA. New Chitose Airport Station, Sapporo Station and Otaru Station are all inside the area where IC cards can be used.
- Ticket machines: You can buy tickets with cash. Credit cards are not accepted.
- Reserved seat ticket machines and Midori-no-madoguchi (ticket offices): You can buy tickets with cash or a credit card.
The u-seat reserved seat
Car No. 4 of the Rapid Airport is the "u-seat" reserved-seat car. The other cars are non-reserved, and you can ride in them with just the fare. To ride in the u-seat, you pay a reserved seat fee in addition to the fare. Passengers without a reserved seat ticket cannot ride in Car No. 4.
- If you buy it at a reserved seat ticket machine or a Midori-no-madoguchi at the station, it costs ¥1,000 for adults.
- If you buy it as a ticketless reserved seat ticket for conventional (non-Shinkansen) lines on Ekinet, JR East's online booking service, it costs ¥800 for adults. If you pay the fare with a transit IC card, you can ride without a paper ticket.
The reserved seat fee for children is half the adult fee.
Paying for the airport bus
- You can buy a ticket before boarding from the ticket machines next to the Hokkaido Chuo Bus and Hokuto Kotsu counters on the ground floor (1F) of the Domestic Terminal Building.
- If you board without a ticket, you pay when you get off. Cash and contactless credit card payments are accepted on the buses of both companies. If you pay in cash and do not have the exact fare, get change for your bills or coins at the fare box on the bus when you get off, and then pay.
- Transit IC cards can be used only on Hokkaido Chuo Bus buses. They cannot be used on Hokuto Kotsu buses. PayPay can be used only on Hokuto Kotsu buses.
- No reservation is needed.
- Put large luggage in the luggage compartment under the bus. When you hand over your luggage, tell the staff which bus stop you will get off at.
Costs
The adult one-way fare is ¥1,230 by JR and ¥1,500 by airport bus. If you are going to Sapporo Station, JR is cheaper and also takes less time.
- Going to the area near Sapporo Station: The JR Rapid Airport takes you to Sapporo Station without a transfer.
- Going to the area near Susukino or Odori Park: The airport bus takes you to those bus stops without a transfer. If you go by JR, you transfer to other transport at Sapporo Station.
- Making a round trip by airport bus: A round-trip ticket costs ¥2,900 for adults, which is cheaper than paying the one-way fare twice. The round-trip ticket can be used on the buses of both Hokkaido Chuo Bus and Hokuto Kotsu.
- Sitting in a reserved seat on JR: The fare and the reserved seat fee together come to ¥2,030 for adults if you buy the reserved seat on Ekinet, or ¥2,230 for adults if you buy the reserved seat at the station.
Bus changes from December 11, 2026
Hokkaido Chuo Bus and Hokuto Kotsu have announced that they will change the routes of the airport buses to central Sapporo from December 11, 2026. Fares will not change. Buses from the airport to Sapporo will be split into the following two routes.
- A route that stops at bus stops such as "Minami 3-jo Susukino," "Odori Park" and "Sapporo Station." Its last stop is Sapporo Station.
- A route that goes around Nakajima Park and several hotels in central Sapporo. This route stops at neither the "Minami 3-jo Susukino" bus stop nor the "Sapporo Station" bus stop.
The airport bus travel times in this article (65 minutes to "Minami 3-jo Susukino" and 68 minutes to "Odori Park") and the first and last departure times from "ANA Gate" are, from December 11, the values in the timetable for the first route (the route whose last stop is Sapporo Station). The timetable up to December 10 shows the same values. The bus stops served will change from December 11, so before boarding, check the bus's destination and the stops it serves at the counter or in the timetable.
Good to know
- In winter, JR trains may be delayed or suspended because of snow. Service information is available on JR Hokkaido's official website (which has English pages). JR Hokkaido's English information lists buses (about 70 to 90 minutes) and taxis (about 60 minutes, from about ¥17,000 per vehicle) as alternatives when the Rapid Airport is suspended.
- JR Hokkaido's information desks for international visitors (JR Information Desk) are at New Chitose Airport Station and Sapporo Station. They provide assistance in English, Chinese and Korean from 8:30 to 19:00.
- With JR Hokkaido's passes for international visitors (the Hokkaido Rail Pass, the Sapporo-Noboribetsu Area Pass and the Sapporo-Furano Area Pass), you can ride the Rapid Airport in both non-reserved and reserved seats. With the JAPAN RAIL PASS, you can ride in the non-reserved seats of the Rapid Airport. The official JAPAN RAIL PASS website does not say whether you can ride in the u-seat with the JAPAN RAIL PASS without paying an extra fee. The JAPAN RAIL PASS is covered 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.
- How far Suica and other transit IC cards can be used in Hokkaido is covered in Where in Japan can you use Suica and ICOCA? | IC card areas and what to know when riding between areas, and Sapporo's winter temperatures and snow 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.
- Travel times are approximate. Fares and timetables may change. This article is based on official information checked on October 23, 2026, so check the latest timetables and fares on each company's official website before you set out.