Hokkaido Japan winter itinerary with JR pass ⛄ How I did 7 days with JR Hokkaido pass ⛄ Backpacking Japan travel blog

Hi there!

 

This is basically part 2 of my Japan winter itinerary. (Part 1 is winter in the Japanese Alps!)

I was in Hokkaido in March 2019, and there was plenty of snow to be seen in far northern Japan!

When you think of March, you may not think “winter” but overall, it was still a good time to get winter in Japan in Hokkaido. Although there was one activity in particular in which March was a little late. (A little more on that later.)

 

 

First, the quick list of the best places to visit for winter in Hokkaido.

Then, the quick list of the 7 day trip itinerary to go to these places in Japan.

Then, a little bit about getting around Hokkaido, including by using a JR Hokkaido pass or a regular JR pass.

And then, a bit more details about this Hokkaido trip plan… including photos!

 

 

5 best things to do in Hokkaido in winter

 

1. Asahiyama Zoo penguin walk

 

 

2. Abashiri drift ice cruise

The activity that would have been better earlier in winter!

 

 

3. Lake Shikaribetsu ice village

 

 

4. Mount Moiwa winter hike with city views

 

 

5. Noboribetsu Onsen hot springs town

 

 

More below on how to make this into a Japan winter itinerary!

 

 

🗾

 

 

 

 

There’s a bit more about each day of this Hokkaido itinerary, but first…

 

 

A little bit about using a JR pass for Hokkaido trains

 

 

JR Hokkaido pass

For the above 7-day Hokkaido plan, getting a 7-day JR Hokkaido pass will be the most efficient.

There are trains running between the routes listed, and they are comfortable. Many of them are limited express trains, which means they are the faster trains which is what can make them among the most efficient ways to get around Hokkaido when you’re limited on time.

For the longer distances between the major cities, I got around exclusively by train.

On most of these routes, there are reserved and non-reserved seats available. I’ve traveled in both reserved and non-reserved, although I don’t think it was necessary for most of the route to reserve seats at the time I was traveling. Sometimes it felt like the non-reserved cars were more empty, actually!

When traveling with a JR pass, you can go to the “green window” office to request a reserved seat which exists at most train stations. There’s no extra charge. Otherwise, you can just go for a non-reserved seat.

Some train routes were limited express trains, and others were local trains.

 

 

Train timings in Hokkaido

Hokkaido as a whole is a little more “rural” than other tourist cities in Japan like Tokyo and Kyoto. This means that train timings aren’t as frequent, in particular when you’re traveling across Hokkaido outside of Sapporo.

This means that it’s important to check train timings.

So the first thing you’ll want to do when you get to your first train station in Hokkaido is to pick up the latest copy of the JR Hokkaido timetable.

 

 

I relied on this SO much when I was in Hokkaido, and it was GREAT! I would check google maps for route ideas, and then check the timetable booklet for timings.

You can probably ask for it at the JR office of all major train stations in Hokkaido. I got mine at the JR office at the Sapporo Chitose airport.

When looking for the JR office at any train station, you’ll look for signs for “midori no madoguchi” – the green window.

 

 

Regular JR pass vs JR Hokkaido pass

Depending on your travel in Japan before and after Hokkaido, you may also consider getting the regular JR pass.

As you can imagine, the JR Hokkaido pass is only good for travel on JR trains around Hokkaido. This means that a JR Hokkaido pass won’t be able to get you from Tokyo to Sapporo for example.

But if you have a regular JR pass, it can get you from Tokyo to Sapporo, and you will also be able to use it on the trains around Hokkaido too.

The JR pass is more expensive than the JR Hokkaido pass. It would make sense to get a 7-day regular JR pass over a JR Hokkaido pass is if you’re planning on arriving AND leaving Hokkaido by train to/from Tokyo, if you’ll be adapting this 7-day Hokkaido plan into a 5-day Hokkaido itinerary. It MIGHT make sense to buy it if you are only going one way to/from Tokyo, IF you do enough train travel around the main cities of Hokkaido within that 7 days. Here are tips to calculate whether it’ll be worth it.

Very generally speaking, a regular JR pass will be worth it if you do 2 long-distance shinkansen train rides, and Tokyo to Hokkaido or Hokkaido to Tokyo would each count as 1 ride. If you will be going from Kyoto to Tokyo by shinkansen bullet train, and then within 7 days go from Tokyo to Hokkaido by shinkansen, the JR pass will very likely be worth it. Likewise, if you’ll be going from Hokkaido to Tokyo by shinkansen, and then within 7 days go from Tokyo to Kyoto by shinkansen, it will also be worth it with these 2 train rides alone… likely! Again, this is how you can calculate it to be sure.

My JR Hokkaido pass cost me 24,000 yen (US$220). There are also 14-day and 21-day regular JR passes.

If you don’t want to move around as much so quickly as is listed in this itinerary, then you may also look into buying individual train tickets or bus tickets and skip the pass.

 

Where to buy the JR Hokkaido pass

You can buy the JR Hokkaido pass at train station once you get to Hokkaido, including at the JR office at the airport and Sapporo Station.

As for the regular JR pass, it’s possible that you can buy it in Japan (you haven’t always been able to, and it’s been called an “experiment” or “trial”) but it will most likely be more expensive compared to buying it before you arrive in Japan. (I bought a regular JR pass in Japan and it cost US$30-40 more.)

 

Arriving to Hokkaido

There are 2 main ways you can arrive to Sapporo to start this Hokkaido itinerary:

• Flight
• Train

There’s an airport near Sapporo, and that’s the Sapporo Chitose airport.

If you’re traveling with a 14-day or 21-day JR pass, then arriving to Hokkaido by train might also be an option to consider. There’s a shinkansen bullet train that will get you from Tokyo to Hakodate, which is just south of Sapporo. From Hakodate, you can then take a limited express train to Sapporo.

Or, if you want to adapt this 7-day plan into a 5-day Hokkaido itinerary, then you might consider getting a 7-day regular JR pass and then arriving and leaving by train. For Tokyo to Sapporo and Sapporo to Tokyo, it’s best to give yourself the full day to travel. (As in, don’t plan extra activities on these days, or be flexible.)

 

 

Leaving Hokkaido

If you’re traveling with a JR Hokkaido pass, you can’t use it to take a shinkansen to Tokyo, and Hakodate will be the furthest south to go. From Hakodate, you can activate a regular JR pass if you’ll be further exploring Japan.

If you’re traveling with a regular JR pass, you can take the shinkansen bullet train to Tokyo from Hakodate.

It’s reasonable to go from Sapporo to Tokyo by train in one day, although it will require a train transfer. You’ll first go from Sapporo to Hakodate by train (not the shinkansen), and then you’ll go from Hakodate to Tokyo by train.

If you’ll be staying overnight in Hakodate, the shinkansen doesn’t leave from the train station in town (that’s called Hakodate Station). Instead, you’ll need to get a train from Hakodate Station to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station, and then get the shinkansen to Tokyo. If you will be going straight from Sapporo to Tokyo, you can get a train from Sapporo to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station.

If this sounds complicated, consulting google maps will make it seem more simple!

If you’ll be flying out of Hokkaido, you might consider skipping Hakodate since the airport is near Sapporo.

 

 

Tokyo to Hokkaido shinkansen // Hokkaido to Tokyo shinkansen (Hayabusa)

This is one of the rare shinkansen bullet trains that DO require seat reservations. There’s the regular reserved seats, and also the green car reserved seats.There are no non-reserved cars. Most other shinkansen trains have a non-reserved compartments.

This train also has a beer cart that comes around.

If you won’t be getting a JR pass, you can buy individual shinkansen train tickets at any JR train ticket office, available at any JR train station.

This train passes through an underwater tunnel! There are reports that say this is the world’s longest underwater tunnel.

 

 

 

And now…

Here’s a bit more about getting around Hokkaido in winter!

 

Day 1: Sapporo to Asahikawa / Asahikawa activity

• Sapporo to Asahikawa by train
• Asahikawa to Asahiyama zoo by bus
• Asahiyama zoo for penguin walk
• Overnight stay in Asahikawa

 

I took a train from Sapporo to Asahikawa.

 

 

When I arrived at the Asahikawa train station, I put my luggage in a coin locker at the station. The tourist information center at the train station also offers luggage storage.

 

 

And then I got on a bus to the zoo. The bus stop is located right in front of the train station.

 

 

What makes the Asahiyama Zoo popular is the penguin walk.

 

 

The zookeepers say that the penguins that come out do so at their will, so number of penguins coming out can vary but it seems every walk gets lots of penguins. (And lots of tourists!) Once at the Asahikawa train station, the bus stop is right in front of the train station. This is a local bus. When I went, the penguin walk timings were at 11am and 2:30pm. Many people do a trip to the Asahiyama Zoo as a day trip from Sapporo.

After the trip to the zoo, I returned to the train station to get my luggage, and then went to check in to my hostel.

I stayed at this Asahikawa hostel which was a 15 minute or so walk from the train station.

 

 

Day 2: Asahikawa to Abashiri / Abashiri activity

• Asahikawa to Abashiri by train
• Drift ice cruise
• Abashiri to Kushiro train (be alert for Japanese cranes when passing Kayanuma Station)
• Overnight stay in Kushiro

 

When I arrived at the Abashiri train station, once again I put my luggage in a coin locker at the station.

 

 

Then, I walked to the port for the drift ice cruise for a nice winter walk, in part along the river. It was about 30 minutes.

 

 

If you don’t want to walk through the cold, there’s also a bus that’s a reasonable option. The bus stop is right in front of the train station. There’s a little tourist information booth at the train station, so stop there to pick up a map, and you can also ask about the bus too!

This is the Hokkaido winter activity I was a little late in the season for.

The thing to do in Abashiri is to take an ice breaker cruise so you can see drift ice… ice drifting around in the ocean! (Well, the sea. It’s the Sea of Okhotsk, with Russia on the other side.) It seems like you might even be able to see wildlife like seals on the ice too.

But by the time I got to Hokkaido, basically all the ice in the ocean had melted. So it turned into just a boat ride around the ocean.

 

 

I didn’t book ahead, but if you’ll be there when there actually will be drift ice, it could be good to book a cruise in advance since it’ll be more popular if there’s ice.

I took the bus from the port back to the train station.

 

 

Then once I got back to the train station, I got my luggage to get on a train to the next destination. (No overnight in Abashiri.)

To get from Abashiri to Obihiro requires 2 trains, so Kushiro could be a good breakup point. If the timings work out, you may just try to get to Obihiro.

 

 

On the Abashiri to Kushiro train, follow along on google maps with GPS to know when you’re getting close to Kayanuma Station. There’s a chance you might see wild Japanese cranes in front of this train station! It’s known as the “train station Japanese cranes come to“!

 

 

I stayed at this “business hotel” in Kushiro located a few minutes walk from the train station. Since this is just a transit point, this can be one of the most convenient places to stay. I also found it to be among the cheapest options. Plus it has free breakfast.

Abashiri is on the northern coast of Hokkaido. Further to the west and north is Wakkanai. It’s said that on a clear day you might be able to see Russia from Wakkanai.

 

 

Day 3: Kushiro to Obihiro / Obihiro activity

• Kushiro to Obihiro by train
• Obihiro to Lake Shikaribetsu bus
• Lake Shikaribetsu igloo village
• Overnight stay in Obihiro

 

The Obihiro bus station is where you’d get a bus to Lake Shikaribetsu.

 

 

Lake Shikaribetsu is where you’ll find a frozen lake. And it’s ON this lake that a temporary ice village or igloo village is built every winter season.

There’s an ice bar and cafe, there’s a hot springs footbath that you can soak your feet in (bring a towel to wipe your feet!), and you can just go for a nice long walk across the snow-packed lake to maybe find people ice fishing too.

You can also go snowmobiling across the lake.

 

 

There are coin lockers at Obihiro station if you want to check in to your hotel after you get back from the igloo village.

If the timings work out, you may just try to get to Sapporo instead of staying the night in Obihiro. Or you might consider just staying at the lakefront hotel that overlooks the ice village!

Another igloo village/ice village in Hokkaido I went to another time was the Tomamu ice village. This is an evening activity, and Sapporo to Tomamu is around 2 hours.

 

 

Day 4: Obihiro to Sapporo / Sapporo activity

• Obihiro to Sapporo by train
• Ramen alley
• Overnight stay in Sapporo

 

After so much travel in the previous days, you can make this an easy day!

Take your time in the morning, and then go from Obihiro to Sapporo by train!

 

 

Japanese ramen noodles can be found all over Japan, and there’s a specialty “Sapporo ramen” you can try in the “ramen alley” of Sapporo for an intro to Sapporo! There is a whole row of ramen shops in the alley.

 

 

Sapporo beer is also one of the famous beers across Japan. Have a Sapporo beer in Sapporo! Or buy one at a convenience store before you board the train, and then drink one one your way TO Sapporo! (Drinks on these trains no problem.)

There were 2 hostels I stayed at in Sapporo – this one and this one.

 

 

Day 5: Sapporo activities

• STAY PUT in Sapporo!
• Mt Moiwa hike
• Overnight stay in Sapporo

There are different things to do in Sapporo based on your interest, but we’ll keep a winter theme here, so a winter hike in the snow sounds perfect!

This is a pretty easy hike in the snow, and it’ll take you to the Mt Moiwa observatory that’ll get you sweeping views of the city.

If you don’t want to hike, there’s also the Mt Moiwa ropeway, and you can get a ride up to the top.

Near the start of the Mt Moiwa hiking trail are the Sapporo fushimi inari torii gates.

 

 

For more city views from above, you can make a visit to the JR Tower observatory and the Sapporo TV tower.

 

Or… don’t stay put in Sapporo! 😉

 

Day trip to ski resorts from Sapporo

If you are into skiing or snowboarding, you may consider making day trips from Sapporo to Niseko, Rusutsu, or Furano.  (Or spend a night or 2! I stayed at this hostel in Niseko.) These are among the popular ski resorts in Hokkaido. Beginner lessons are also available. If you want to start your trip out with skiing, there’s a bus from the airport to Niseko, as well as to the other ski resorts.

 

 

Day 6: Day trip to Noboribetsu Onsen

• Sapporo to Noboribetsu by train
• Noboribetsu Station to Noboribetsu Onsen by bus
• Noboribetsu Onsen hot springs town
• Overnight stay in Sapporo (…or make it an overnight stay in Noboribetsu!)

 

Noboribetsu Onsen is a hot springs town and this is a popular day trip from Sapporo.

You can take a train from Sapporo, and once at the Noboribetsu train station, you’ll take a bus from right in front of the train station to get to the Noboribetsu town area.

 

 

This is the “hell valley” of Hokkaido, and you’ll see “demon” statues all over town.

You can also visit the volcanic crater area to see steam vents and sulfur banks. In town, there’s a “geyser park” where you might be able to see natural steam coming out in the small area.

 

 

There’s a natural hot springs river foot bath you can soak your feet in. (Again, bring a towel to dry your feet!) Even in winter, the water is warm.

 

 

If you want an even greater hot springs experience, you can find them all over town. You might even consider spending a night or 2 here! There are many accommodation options, including with hot spring room options, or a public bath.

Stop by the Noboribetsu Onsen bus station so you can get a map of the town area.

 

 

Day 7: Sapporo to Hakodate / Hakodate activity

• Sapporo to Hakodate train
• Goryokaku Tower for city views
• Overnight stay in Hakodate

 

There’s the Hakodate tram that goes through the city that makes it convenient to get around the tourist areas of the city.

 

 

While you can find things to do in Hakodate, this can also be more of a transit point on your way to Tokyo if you’ll be going by train. You can also skip Hakodate and then spend an extra night in Sapporo, then go straight from Sapporo to Tokyo. (Or Sapporo to the airport to fly out of Hokkaido.)

I stayed at this hostel on a cobblestone road that’s a tram ride away from Hakodate Station. See my photos from the Small Town Hostel in Hakodate.

 

 

And there are some ideas for one week in Japan in winter!

 

 

HAPPY 7 DAYS OF WINTER IN HOKKAIDO JAPAN!