Tokyo to Hokkaido by JR Pass

Hi there,

I am planning a trip with my family of six for next June 2016. We intend to fly into Tokyo and then on to Hokkaido using the JR 7 days pass and return to Tokyo for departure. We have not yet nail down the exact itinerary. Thus will greatly appreciate if experienced forum users here can provide comment on my draft itinerary, whether doable, other suggestions or word of caution. Thank you in advance.

Day 1 - Arrival Narita (starting using JR pass). Stay in Tokyo
Day 2 - Stay in Tokyo
Day 3 - Leave Tokyo for Hakodate. Stay at Hakodate
Day 4 - Stay at Sapporo
Day 5 - Stay at Sapporo
Day 6 - Stay at Hakodate
Day 7 - Leave Hokkaido. Stay at Tokyo (end of JR pass)
Day 8 - Departure Haneda

It's doable, but timetables will be changed when the Shinkansen opens in March through to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto. I will cut some time off the trip, but without a timetable, it's hard to determine how much.

Hi there,

Thank you very much for your reply!

What is this new Shinkansen Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto? I didn't know about it. What is the starting station and ending station then? Where can I find more info on this train/route?

Thank you.

http://www.japantoday.com/smartphone/view/national/hokkaido-shinkansen...

Thks for article! That will save us some time on travelling.

Btw, I read that the validity of the JR pass is by calendar days rather than 24hrs. It is my 1st time using JR Pass. Is my understanding of the usage of 7 days JR pass for my draft itinerary correct as below?

E.g.
Day 1 1st Nov: Start using JR pass at 10am for Narita Exp
Day 7 7th Nov: End of JR pass at 12am mid-night
Day 8 8th Nov: JR pass expired

I heard that there is limited luggage space in Shinkansen. May I know then, does Takuhaibin do baggage delivery from a hotel in Tokyo to a hotel in Hakodate? I worry that the hotel in Tokyo on my 1st day is not able to keep some of our baggage over several days before we are back for the last night stay. Usually hotel only keep baggage for one overnight day, am I right?

Hope for some advice here pls. Thank you!

Day 1 of your pass is the first day, no matter if you start at 5am or 11pm. It goes by calendar days not by 24-hour clock. If your last train trip ends past midnight on the 8th day, and you haven't left the station, then it's okay. But the pass is for 7 calendar days, not 168 hrs.

I have sent my baggage though Ta-Q-bin before and sometimes it arrives to the hotel a day or two before I do. It'll take at least two days from Tokyo to Hakodate or vice-versa. If they know you have a reservation, they'll have no problem keeping it for a few days. I've even kept stuff at the hotel in Tokyo if they know I'll return there even after 10 days, though it depends on what you're planning to leave behind.

Hi John B,

Got it....thank you for sharing your experience and info!

Hi there,

Strongly recommend you to take a one way plane to sapporo. train journey from Tokyo to hokkaido takes a long time, and to top that off, taking the same route back is really a waste of time. at the end of the journey, all you might remember is the time u spent in trains.

It might be a little more expensive, but take it as if you are buying time.

with plane ticket, your itinerary might look like this.
Day 1 - Arrival Narita (starting using JR pass). Stay in Tokyo
Day 2 - Stay in Tokyo
Day 3 - Leave Tokyo for Sapporo. Stay at Sapporo
Day 4 - Stay at Sapporo or ( furano/asahikawa/otaru)
Day 5 - Stay at where ever is nice along the way to Hakodate (Lake Toya/noboribetsu)
Day 6 - Stay at Hakodate
Day 7 - Leave Hokkaido. Stay at Tokyo (end of JR pass)
Day 8 - Departure Haneda