A review of the journey from Tokyo to Sapporo on the high-speed train and sleeping on the Hamanasu train (currently, the high-speed train continues directly).

Upon arrival at Narita Airport on the first day, we activated our JR Pass and made the following car reservations:


Our preparation process involves accessing the website http://www.hyperdia.com/en/.

Enter origin and destination. Enter date and time.

According to our plan, we will leave Tokyo in the evening to sleep on the train and save on accommodation costs for one night.

(This sleeper train will soon be discontinued due to the opening of the Shinkansen line to Hokkaido.)

Print this page and circle the desired itinerary. Then, hand it to the booking agent and inform them of your travel date.

This will give us a ticket that looks like this.


The first Shinkansen train from Ueno to Shin Aomori requires a seat reservation.


The second Hamanasu train from Aomori Station to Sapporo must be reserved.


For the Shinkansen in Tokyo, you can board at the starting point, Tokyo Station, or at Ueno Station like we did. If you ask me, I think it's better to board at the starting point, as the train only stops briefly when boarding at intermediate stations. You need to be prepared.

On the morning of our departure, we left our luggage at a locker near the Shinkansen entrance. The cost of the locker varies depending on its size. For example, a locker that can accommodate a large suitcase costs 600 yen and can only be paid with 100 yen coins. (Some lockers accept Suica payments.)


The atmosphere around the locker area

Green arrows and signs indicate the entrance to the Shinkansen.


After exploring every corner of Tokyo, I returned to unlock my locker and drag my suitcase onto the Shinkansen.


If you are boarding at Ueno Station, please wait at platform 20 as shown in the picture. This platform serves the Shinkansen from Ueno to Shin-Sapporo.

This is a picture of our Hayabusa 31 convoy (but this picture was taken on the way back, it was impossible to take one on the way there).


As a through station, trains will only stop briefly to pick up passengers. Therefore, when the train is about to arrive, check your ticket to see which car you need to board. Then, look at the platform floor. The Hayabusa train, for example, will be green. Find the green line that corresponds to the car number on your ticket and wait there.



Upon arrival at Shin-Aomori Station, the train will enter platform 14 as shown in the picture. We need to walk to platform 1 or 2 to transfer to the JR Ou Line to Aomori Station to catch the overnight train (no additional charge with JR Pass).


According to Hyperdia, we have approximately 9 minutes to change platforms. We need to hurry.

Boarding a train that was quite crowded, there was no atmosphere at Shin-Aomori Station.


Upon arrival at Aomori, please disembark at platform 5. Ascend the escalator and proceed to the adjacent escalator. The Hamanasu train will be waiting at platform 3.

This is not far enough to allow for a comfortable breathing space and easy luggage dragging.



In the Hamanasu car, we reserved a Dream Car compartment, which can be reclined almost to a lying position.


The train journey from Hakodate to Sapporo was a series of ups and downs, with frequent stops and starts. Passengers drifted in and out of sleep as the train made its way through the night.

The entire night passed on the Hamanasu train. It's a pity I didn't realize when we passed under the sea.

Upon arriving at Sapporo Station, before heading to our accommodation to leave our luggage, we started by purchasing bus tickets.


Sapporo offers various transportation options, including subways, trams, and buses. Since we planned to explore the city extensively, we opted for a 1-day ticket. On weekdays, the ticket costs 830 yen, while on Saturdays, Sundays, and special holidays, it costs 520 yen. The vending machine automatically adjusts the price based on the date of purchase. However, when we purchased our ticket on a Tuesday, the machine displayed a price of 520 yen, which confused us. We inquired with a station staff member, who confirmed the price. Later, we realized through Google search that it was a special holiday in Sapporo, explaining the lower price.

Today, we purchased a Donichika Ticket (One-day Subway Pass for Weekends and Holidays) for 520 yen. It looks like this:

[Image of Donichika Ticket]

On weekdays, the ticket will be a One-Day Ticket for Subway Use.

This design costs 830 yen.


Insert the ticket with the arrow facing into the machine and retrieve it after use. This is a single-use ticket.

When purchasing a daily pass, remember to retrieve your ticket after inserting it into the machine. If you forget to retrieve it, the machine will hold onto your ticket for a short period before retracting it. This means you will need to purchase a new ticket. This can happen sometimes, especially if you are in a hurry and mistakenly believe you have purchased a single-trip ticket instead of a daily pass, leading you to leave the daily pass in the machine.

Upon insertion into the machine, the ticket will be stamped with the date (for Donichika, the first use time is also stamped).

This ticket is valid for use from the time of activation until the end of the day. With this ticket, you are ready to explore Sapporo.


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And https://www.whenigoto.com


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