The Hokkaido & Higashinihon Pass (Hokkaido & Eastern Japan Pass) is a seasonally available rail pass, which gives you unlimited travel on local JR trains in the Kanto, Tohoku and Hokkaido regions on five consecutive days.
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Hokkaido & Higashinihon Pass
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Hokkaido & Higashinihon Pass
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10,000 Yen
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Below is a map of major train lines, which can be used with the Hokkaido & Higashinihon Pass:
Validity
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1)
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Unlimited usage of local JR trains, incl. kaisoku (rapid trains), in the Kanto, Koshinetsu, Tohoku and Hokkaido regions.
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2)
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The pass is also valid on limited express trains between Kanita and Kikonai (tunnel connecting Honshu with Hokkaido), because there are no local trains on this section.
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3)
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The pass is also valid on non-reserved seats on the "Hamanasu" express night train between Aomori and Sapporo.
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4)
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The pass is also valid on an the IGR Iwate and Aoimori Railways between Morioka and Hachinohe.
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5)
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The pass is valid on five consecutive days.
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6)
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The pass is only available during school holiday seasons in spring, summer and autumn (see dates above).
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7)
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The pass can be used as a youth hostel membership.
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Points of Sale
Major JR railway stations and travel agencies in the area covered by the pass.
Assessment
The Hokkaido & Higashinihon Pass is one of the cheapest ways of traveling from Tokyo to Hokkaido. Travel by local trains, however, is time consuming and requires frequent transfers of trains. Therefore it is only recommended to travelers who have a lot of time.
Below is an example timetable on how to get from Tokyo to Sapporo in 24 hours, using the Hokkaido & Higashinihon Pass:
As of August 2009
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Ueno
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07:00
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Utsunomiya
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08:42
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08:45
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Kuroiso
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09:35
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09:39
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Koriyama
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10:40
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11:06
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Fukushima
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11:54
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12:00
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Shiroishi
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12:33
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12:37
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Sendai
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13:26
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13:41
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Ichinoseki
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15:22
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15:27
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Hiraizumi
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15:35
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Morioka
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16:56
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17:04
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Hachinohe
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18:58
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19:38
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Aomori
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21:10
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22:42
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Sapporo
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06:07
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Alternative Tickets
The Hokkaido & Higashinihon Pass is a kind of regional version of the Seishun 18 Kippu.
Unlike the Seishun 18 Kippu, however, the Hokkaido & Higashinihon Pass is valid only on consecutive days and cannot be shared by multiple people, which makes it much less flexible.
On the other hand, unlike the Seishun 18 Kippu, the Hokkaido & Higashinihon Pass is also valid on the non-JR trains between Morioka and Hachinohe and the Hamanasu express night train between Aomori and Sapporo, which enables pass holders to travel much faster from Tokyo to Hokkaido than Seishun 18 Kippu holders.
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