Sample itinerary Hokkaido 7 days by Japan Rail Pass 7 days

Night view form Mt.Hakodate ©Hokkaido Tourism Organization/© JNTO7 to 9 days
Night view form Hakodate mountain (C) Hokkaido Tourism Organization / JNTO
Night view form Mt.Hakodate ©Hokkaido Tourism Organization/© JNTO

Night view form Hakodate mountain (C) Hokkaido Tourism Organization / JNTO

This itinerary includes most of popular spots of Hokkaido in 7 days. Departure and arrival places are Tokyo. You can start using 7 days JR pass when you leave Tokyo.

If you arrive and depart from either Narita or Haneda airports, you may use other deal.

Haneda airport access guide and the list of deals

The list of deals for Tokyo to/from Narita airport

You can use this itinerary for departure/arrival at Sapporo. I will tell you this at the end of the post.

Day 1 Tokyo – Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto – Hakodate

06:32 Depart from Tokyo by Tohoku-Hokkaido Shinkansen Hayabusa 1
10:57 Arrive at Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto
11:10 Depart from Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto by Rapid train Hakodate Liner
11:25 Arrive at Hakodate
After arrival at Hakodate, enjoy sightseeing.

(Overnight in Hakodate)

Day 2 Hakodate – Sapporo – Otaru – Sapporo

Otaru Canal (C)Y. Shimizu

Otaru Canal is the highlight of Otaru city. (C)Y. Shimizu

07:37 Depart from Hakodate for Sapporo by Limited Express Super Hokuto 3
11:27 Arrive at Sapporo
After arrive at Sapporo, enjoy sightseeing in Sapporo
If you are okay with the packed schedule, you may squeeze Otaru on this day. Otaru is only 45 minutes away from Sapporo by rapid train. It is very easy to access. If you plan to visit Otaru, please expect to spend at least 4 hours for return trip from Sapporo and sightseeing in Otaru. If you want to save your time in Sapporo, Otaru do not suit to your plan.

(Overnight in Sapporo)

Day 3 Sapporo – Asahikawa – Biei/Furano – Asahikawa

Farm Tomita in Biei (C) Farm Tomita/ (C) JTA/ (C) JNTO

07:49 Depart from Hakodate for Sapporo by Limited Express Lilic 3
09:14 Arrive at Asahikawa
09:38 Leave Asahikawa by JR Furano line local train
10:14 Arrive at Biei
After arrive at Biei, enjoy sightseeing in Biei and Furano area.

16:29 Depart from Biei by JR Furano line local train
17:02 Arrive at Asahikawa

*You may skip Furano and Biei area and stay in Asahikawa all day. You can visit Asahiyama zoo. You can visit Asahiyama zoo on day 4 instead of Sounkyo.

(Overnight in Asahikawa)

Day 4 Asahikawa – Kamikawa – Sounkyo canyon – Kamikawa – Abashiri

Kurotake mountain ©Yasufumi Nishi/© JNTO

Kurotake mountain ©Yasufumi Nishi/© JNTO

08:35 Depart from Asahikawa for Abashiri via Sounkyo canyon by Limited Express Okhotsk 1
09:17 Arrive at Kamikawa
09:40 Depart from “Kamikawa Mori no Terasu Bus Touch” by Dohoku bus
*Kamikawa Mori no Terasu Bus Touch is the name of bus station in front of Kamikawa station.

10:20 Arrive at Sounkyo
Enjoy sightseeing in Sounkyo

15:40 Leave Sounkyo by Dohoku bus
16:10 Arrive at Kamikawa Mori no Terasu Bus Touch
*There is no better connections. You have to wait for 1.5 hours at Kamikawa station.

17:45 Depart from Kamikawa by Limited Express Taisetsu 3
20:49 Arrive at Abashiri

(Overnight in Abashiri)

Day 5 Abashiri – Shiretoko – Kushiro

Oshinkoshin Falls ©Yasufumi Nishi/© JNTO

Oshinkoshin Falls ©Yasufumi Nishi/© JNTO

06:41 Depart for Shiretoko-Shari by JR Senmo line local train
*If you miss this train, you cannot take Shiretoko tourist bus.
07:26 Arrive at Shiretoko-Shari
08:40 Ride on Shiretoko Tourist Bus. This bus is not covered by any rail passes. Please see the link below to find the information:

Yuyu Hokkaido Tour Bus information – Shari Bus

15:57 Depart for Kushiro by JR Senmo line local train
18:46 Arrive at Kushiro

(Overnight in Kushiro)

Day 6 Kushiro – Minami-Chitose – Date-Monbetsu – Lake Toya

Noboribetsu Jigokudani means hell valley (C) Noboribetsu Tourist Association / JNTO

08:23 Depart for Minami-Chitose by Limited Express Super Ozora 4
11:53 Arrive at Minami-Chitose and transfer to Limited Express Suzuran
11:59 Depart for Noboribetsu by Limited Express Suzuran 4
12:45 Arrive at Noboribetsu
13:00 Leave Noboribetsu by Donan bus
13:14 Arrive at Noboribetsu Onsen

Enjoy sightseeing and onsen bath in Noboribetsu

(Overnight in Noboribetsu)

Day 7 Noboribetsu – Lake Toya – Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto – Tokyo

Lake Toya (C)Toyako Tourist Association

Lake Toya (C)Toyako Tourist Association

09:00 Take Express Bus “Iburi” from Noboribetsu Onsen
Bus fare is 1,700 yen. This is not covered by any rail passes.
10:13 Arrive at Toyako Onsen

13:35 Leave Toyako Onsen by Donan Bus local bus
13:56 Arrive at Toya station
14:07 Depart from Toya by Limited Express Super Hokuto 12
15:49 Arrive at Shin-Hakodate-hokuto and transfer to Hokkaido Shinkansen
16:17 Leave Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto by Hokkaido Shinkansen Hayabusa 34
20:32 Arrive at Tokyo

*You may skip Lake Toya and go back to Tokyo earlier if you like.

Find your hotels in 218 cities throughout Japan!!!

Monterey Hotel Sapporo Close to station, dine, shop
La Vista Kushirogawa Hotel Kushiro Waterfront location

How to change the itinerary for Sapporo to Sapporo

If you start this itinerary from Sapporo to Sapporo, you may change the itinerary on day 1, 2 and 7 as follows:

Day 1
08:39 Depart from Sapporo by Limited Express Super Hokuto 6
12:23 Arrive at Hakodate
Overnight at Hakodate

Day 2
08:54 Depart from Hakodate by Limited Express Super Hokuto 5
10:45 Arrive at Toya
10:54 Leave Toya by Donan Bus local bus
11:14 Arrive at Toyako Onsen
Sightseeing around Lake Toya
15:00 Depart from Toyako Onsen by Express Bus Iburi
16:11 Arrive at Noboribetsu Onsen
Overnight at Noboribetsu Onsen

Day 3
12:05 Leave Noboribetsu Onsen by Donan Bus local bus
12:17 Arrive at Noboribetsu station
12:36 Depart from Noboribetsu by Limited Express Super Hokuto
13:46 Arrive at Sapporo
14:13 Depart from Sapporo by Rapid train
14:47 Arrive at Otaru
*You can go back to Sapporo whenever you want. Train runs every 30 minutes until 23:00

Day 4 – use Day 3 itinerary
Day 5 – use Day 4 itinerary
Day 6 – use Day 5 itinerary

Day 7
08:23 Depart for Sapporo by Limited Express Super Ozora 4
12:26 Arrive at Sapporo

You may use Hokkaido Rail Pass 7 days for this Sapporo to Sapporo trip plan.

Hope this post gives you some tips and idea to build your trip plan1

Comments

  1. Belinda says:

    Dear Takeshi-san,

    Thank you for this very helpful information! Our family of 2 adults and 3 children (7, 10, 13) will be visiting Japan from Dec 5 2015 to Jan 16. Currently, our plan is to arrive at Hakodate on Dec 29 and tour around Hokkaido until Jan 6 when we will transfer from Saporo to our ski resort.

    Your suggested itinerary is an excellent starting point for my planning. As we are going in winter, I realise that not all that I read about Hokkaido attractions we will be able to do.

    What are the places that you think we can skip/miss in winter? Currently there are too many places that I am trying to squeeze in!

    Many thanks in advance!
    Belinda

    • Hi Belinda,

      Actually you can access all places in this itinerary. But bus service is very limited to Shiretoko and Lake Mash. It’s no problem to get Utoro. But you cannot access to the heart of Shiretoko, like Shiretoko five lakes. Lake Mashu is also hard to access. Lake may be frozen and you may not be able to see the surface of the lake.

      I recommend you to stay south side of Hokkaido, like Sapporo, Otaru, Hakodate, Noboribetsu, Lake Toya. Shiretoko and eastern part of Hokkaido have very beautiful nature. But it’s not very accessible in winter time for overseas tourist.

      By the way, late December is the busiest period. Everybody get out from Tokyo and go to hometown. I think Dec 30 is the busiest day. But some of them start to move on Dec 29. I recommend you to book a ticket right after you arrive in Japan if you use a train to get Hokkaido.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JP Rail

      • Belinda says:

        Thank you for such a quick reply and for your tips! I will keep that in mind when I finalise our itinerary.

        • No problem, Belinda.

          Cheers,

          Takeshi / JP Rail

          • Belinda says:

            Hi Takeshi, me again!
            I have put together a rough draft:

            Dec 29 Train Tokyo to Hakodate.
            Dec 30 Train Haodate to Lake Toya ?Noboribetsu instead
            Dec 31 Lake Toya to Sapporo
            Jan 1 Sapporo ½ day. Otaru ½ day trip. I will need to check if attractions are open on this day.
            Jan 2 Sapporo to Abashiri.
            Jan 3 Abashiri to Utoro. Visit Shiretoko NP
            Jan 4 Utoro to Tokachigawa Hot Springs. Shiretoko SL Fuyu-no-Shitsugen train to Kushiro. Ohihiro to Tokachigawa hot Springs. Overnight at Tokachigawa hot Springs. Overnight at Obihiro instead?
            Jan 5 Lake Shikaribetsu day trip. Overnight Obihiro
            Jan 6 Transfer from Obihiro to Club Med Sahoro

            I know that you said Eastern Hokkaido has harsh winter conditions but the pictures looked so beautiful…
            My questions are:

            The above itinerary is so full. We would like to slow it down a little and not have to pack and move every night but I don’t know what to cut out!!! Any suggestions?

            On Jan 2 when we go from Sapporo to Abashiri do you think we should go via Asahikawa/Asahiyama Zoo or Sounkyo?

            On Jan 4 it seems like a LONG trip from Utoro to Tokachigawa Hot Springs. Is there time to stop at Kushiro? Do you think it is worth stopping there? Should we overnight at Obihiro instead?

            Your thoughts are much appreciated!

            Belinda

            • Hi Belinda,

              Once you fall in love with eastern Hokkaido, you cannot ignore. 🙂

              First, if you go to eastern Hokkaido, your itinerary is right. I know you will move every night. But once you go to Abashiri, you need to Kushiro via Shiretoko. It’s very hard to shorten the itinerary. But weather in winter time is very severe. In this season, sever winter storm hit eastern Hokkaido several times. Everything was shut off. So you have to take a risk when you go to eastern Hokkaido in winter time. You may need to make an adjustment your plan on the spot. In these years, weather has been something strange. It’s getting extreme.

              SL Fuyu no Shitsugen may be very busy and hard to book. But at this point, nobody knows this train will run or not.

              Asahiyama Zoo is very very busy in New Year Holidays. I really don’t recommend it. Soukyo can be dropped by. But you don’t need to. You should have some room in case of adjusting plan.

              You can stop at Kushiro for a few hours if you want. But it depends on SL train’s schedule if you want to take SL.

              So weather is a huge factor.

              Cheers,

              Takeshi / JP Rail

  2. Rowena says:

    Hello! My family of 2 adults and 3 kids (aged 13, 11 and 9) are planning a trip to Hokkaido in early May 2015. We would like to maximize our visit, using the 7-day Hokkaido JR Pass. Can you suggest an itinerary for our family? We are all first-time visitors to Hokkaido. Thank you!

  3. Annie says:

    Hi Takeshi san,
    May i know the above itinerary is all cover by the Rail Pass? How much is it?
    I will fly to Hokkaido in end May for 10 days. I am searching for info to plan my itinerary. Is the local bus fare covered by the Rail Pass too? I am considering to follow your itinerary as you have cover so many places. Please advise if any spot that i must visit.

    Thank you.

    • HI Annie,

      This plan is covered by JR Pass mostly. Local bus is not covered by JR Pass. I mentioned additional fare in the post above. However price is slightly increased because I wrote this post 2 years ago.

      If you follow this itinerary, you can’t visit any other places. It’s too tight to add other spot.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JP RAil

    • Annie says:

      Hi Takeshi,

      I will have 10 days in Hokkaido. If i follow your itinerary above, i have extra 2 days as i will come from Narita Airport to New Chitose and return. I will survery a bit. Just that may i know the bus website for your spot as JR Rail may not reach the spot.

      Thank you.

  4. Ka says:

    Dear Takeshi-san, please give some comments to my itinerary. I will be visiting in mid November 2014, and plan to be taking public transport all the way.

    Day 1 Arrive at Chitose airport 3pm, travel to Asashikawa and stay overnight
    Day 2 Visit Asashiyama zoo, Daisetsuan National Park, travel to Sounkyo Onsen area, take Kurodake ropeway. Overnight at Sounkyo.
    Day 3 Travel to Shiretoko National Park, take 1.5 hour boat ride, visit 5 lakes. Overnight in Utoro/Shiretoko ryokan.
    Day 4 Visit Abashiri prison museum, then travel back to Sapporo.
    Day 5 Day trip to Otaru
    Day 6 Walk around Sapporo
    Day 7 Visit Lake Toya (cruise to Nakajima National Forest), Apple farm in Sobetsu (not sure if it’s in season), Noboribetsu theme park, Jigokudani, then travel to Osaka where my next destination is. (still undecided whether to fly or take the train to Osaka)

    Can you please let me know if this plan flows? is it too cram? any suggestions you would like to add?

    I really want to avoid doing a circuit to save time, but cannot seem to find a better solution. I wanted to start from Sapporo and slowly move towards Shiretoko, then fly from Memanbetsu Airport to Osaka, but the flights are quite expensive.

    • Hi Ka,

      Actually it is not the best time to travel in Hokkaido. Mid November is the beginning of winter season. Many attractions will be closed.

      1. Asahiyama zoo will be closed from Nov 4 to Nov 10. I hope you will visit after this closing period.

      2. You can access to Sounkyo. But it will be winter condition. In last year, ski slope open on Nov 28.
      And ropeway (to 1300m point) will be open but lift (to 1520m point) will be closed from Oct 20 to Nov 6.

      3. Shiretoko boat trip will be operated until Oct 25.
      http://ms-aurora.com/shiretoko/en/

      4. Bus to five lakes will not run after Nov 1.
      http://www.sharibus.co.jp/pdf/201311_siretoko.pdf

      Sorry for many bad news.
      At last, if you take trains from Noboribetsu to Osaka, it will be more than 10 hours trip. There is an overnight train, Twilight Express. But since JR announced this train will be discontinued in next spring, it is sold out every day. All tickets are sold in 10 seconds after ticket on sale. So it’s impossible to take this train. Only day time train will be your choice. But it’s long long way.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JP Rail

      • Ka huey Tan says:

        Thank you SO MUCH for your information!
        I am so glad you replied so fast.

        My travel dates in hokkaido are 15-22 november. so the bad news you gave me only affects the Shiretoko trip.
        If the boat and bus operation is not running, what else is there to do in Shiretoko? Do you think I should skip it completely?

        If i replace the Shiretoko trip with Lake Mashu and Lake Akan will that work out well?

        • Hi Ka,

          If I were you, I skip Shiretoko. It’s nothing to do in November. Summer season or drift ice season is the best time to visit Shiretoko.
          Lake Mashu is not strongly recommended. You can’t access to lake shore> The only thing you can do is looking the lake from the view point. Both train and bus do not run very often.

          Lake Akan has hot springs. It’s much easier to stay than Lake Mashu. But boat cruise on the lake may be closed for the season. I think it’s open until end of Oct.

          Actually in this season, city site is much easier to do sightseeing. Hakodate is very nice and it’s not included in your plan. Especially eastern side of Hokkaido is very tough to travel in this season.

          Cheers,

          Takeshi / JP Rail

          • Ka says:

            Dear Takeshi,

            Once again, I sincerely thank you for your advice.

            I have rearranged my itinerary as followed:

            15th Travel from Chitose Airport to Asashikawa
            16th Asashiyama Zoo, then travel to Sounkyo, Kurodake ropeway , overnight in Sounkyo
            17th Travel to Sapporo, stay there for 2 nights
            18th Day trip to Otaru
            19th Travel to Toya, stay in Toya for 2 nights
            20th Day trip to Noribetsu
            21th Jozenkai for 1 night
            22th fly to Osaka from Chitose Airport

            What do you think of this itinerary?
            Sounkyo has attracted me compared to Hakodate when I looked it up on the internet. Do you think it is worth cancelling Sounkyo and go to Hakodate instead?

            Ka

            • Hi Ka,

              I like Hakodate more than Sounkyo. If I travel in summer season or fall foliage season, I would pick Sounkyo. I’m afraid it will be snowing. If it’s snow, you can’t see anything when you go up by gondola.

              But it’s my taste and opinion. The choice is yours.

              Cheers,

              Takeshi / JP Rail

  5. Ariel says:

    HI Takeshi,

    its very last minute and I be bringing my parents and my son next week. Signed up with a tour but did not materialise. we will book a flight to Sapporo and will follow ur itinery exactly. then take the train to toyko to visit Disneyland and Mt Fuij. Is there anything I need to take note. Abit worried not as Im looking after 3 people.

    Thanks.

  6. Oranuj Wang says:

    Hi Takeshi

    It’s me again. I’ve heard that you went to Japan. Are you still there? How’s the trip?

    I plan to go to Hokkaido East in May. Here’s my plan.

    Day1: Bkk – Sapporo
    Will arrv Sapporo before noon. I plan to take a half day tour to Otaru.
    Day2: Sapporo – Akanko (overnight in Akanko)
    Day3: Akanko – Utoro (overnight in Utoro)
    Day4: Utoro – Sapporo (by night bus)
    Day5: Sapporo
    Day6: Sapporo – Bkk

    Most of transportation for this trip will be bus as it seems to be more convenient than travelling by train. However I would like to have your comment and advice since I prefer to travel by JP rail.

    Regards,
    Nuj

    • JPRail says:

      Hi Nuj,

      My trip was very short. It was only 3 nights. But I was stuck at Narita due to snow. I was forced to stay in Tokyo one more night. I was back on last Tuesday.

      So if I were you, I use train other than day 3. Sapporo-Otaru, Sapporo-Kushiro, Shiretoko Shari-Abashiri-Sapporo, in these segments, trains are much faster than bus. Even day 3, there is not direct bus from Lake Akan to Utoro as far as I know. But maybe yes, but I’m not very familiar with bus.

      Of course you can Hokkaido Rail Pass. Probably this pass will be cheaper than total bus fare.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JP Rail

      • Oranuj Wang says:

        Hi Takeshi

        Tks for yr reply. I’ve seen the snow strom on NHK. Weather is so strange this year, isn’t it? But I hope you had a good time though.

        I found an information about direct bus between Akan and Utoro from the website of Akan Tourism, but not sure if it is updated. Will do more reserch.

        Your sample itenerary Day 2 – 4 is interesting, so I may re-consider and compare Akanko vs Toyako since I’ve never visited them both.

        Tks again,
        Nuj

  7. James says:

    is this itinerary suitable for winter ? late dec to jan ?

    Regards
    James

    • JPRail says:

      Hi James,

      You can do, but some location cannot be accessed during winter time. And it’s not rare that train delay in severe winter weather.

      Soukyo can be accessed, but this place is mostly for ski in winter time.
      To Shiretoko, bus trips are limited and it will be very busy in drift ice season.

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JP Rail

  8. Oranuj Wang says:

    Hi Takeshi

    I’m so glad I’ve found your website. It helps me a lot to plan my trip to Japan.
    Re Day5, what if I would like to go to Lake Akan and spend a night there instead of Kushiro.
    How can I go to Akanko from Utoro?

    Thank you.
    Nuj

    P.S. It’s very difficult to find accom., especially ryokan, for a solo traveller. Do you have any suggestion?

    • JPRail says:

      Hi Nuj,

      You can do it, but it will be very busy.

      Lake Akan is very nice area and one of highlights in eastern Hokkaido. But if you go to Lake Akan, you have to go to Kushiro anyway. Kushiro is primary gateway to Lake Akan.
      http://www.akanbus.co.jp/localbu/akan.htm
      You will see two timetable. First one is from Kushiro. Second one is from Lake Akan. If you take the last bus and first bus, you will make this trip. Kushiro and Lake Akan are depart/arrive point.The fare is 2650 yen.
      And this timetable will be revised in winter time.

      I think Rakuten Travel is the best site to book Ryokan. This is most popular online travel site in Japan. They have lots of selections of Ryokan.

      But it’s not cheaper than hotels. 🙁

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JP Rail

      • Oranuj Wang says:

        Takeshisan

        Thank you for your explanation.
        It looks like, from Utoro, I should go directly to Kushiro (JR Senmo from Shiretoko-Shari 10.46 to Kushiro 13.15). Then take the bus which depart at 14.50 to arrive at Akan around 16.40 p.m.
        The next morning, there is the bus that leaves Akan at 12.15 (operates from June 1st to Oct 31st) and reaches Kushiro at 14.25 p.m.
        Base on this arrangement, I can catch the train that leaves Kushiro at 16.17 and arrives Sapporo at 20.13

        Please re-check and confirm.

        Nuj
        The problem is there is no

        • JPRail says:

          Hi Nuj,

          If you can skip Lake Mashu, it makes your trip easier.
          On next day, you can get Sapporo at 20:13 as you researched. But in the itinerary, original place to stay is Lake Toya. If you are okay to skip it, it’s okay. But if you still want to stay in Lake Toya, you should take one earlier train, otherwise you can’t get there.

          I have some more things to mention to you.
          JR Hokkaido will make a small revise on timetable. Because they had several problems with engine. JR Hokkaido will reduce top speed to run. It will not be a big change, but most of limited express trains will arrive a bit later than original arrival time.
          And also many limited express trains are suspended due to engine issue. Please check the updated info at the following link:
          http://www2.jrhokkaido.co.jp/global/pdf/e/operationplan.pdf

          Cheers,

          Takeshi / JP Rail

          • Oranuj Wang says:

            Hi Takeshisan

            Thanks for the info.

            We still have time as I plan to go to Hokkaido in May 2014. I’ll send you my plan for your review and comment.

            Nuj

  9. Jessica says:

    Dear Takeshi-san,

    How do I get to Kamikawa from Sapporo from JR Rail? I’m trying to check the timing for October, but Kamikawa station does not appear? Is it another station?

    Thank you!

  10. Agnes says:

    Hi Takeshi-san,

    Thank you so much for the recommended itinerary! I am planning to follow your itinerary for my visit to Hokkaido in October.

    However I am confused about the part where you go to Lake Toya from Date-Monbetsu. Since we will be staying at Kushiro the night before, can’t we get to Lake Toya through JR Toya Station (which is 2 stops away from JR Kushiro station, when I look at the map)?

    Thanks in advance for clarifying, the train system in Japan is quite intimidating for a first-timer… 🙂

    • JPRail says:

      Hi Agnes,

      Yes. You can access there from Toya station. When I made this itinerary, there were many more bus services from Date-Monbetsu. You can access Lake Toya from Toya station too.

      Hope you enjoy your trip! 🙂

      Cheers,

      Takeshi / JP Rail

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