Tokyo to Sapporo Snow Festival. Full trains

Usually when I come to Japan, I have a JR Pass Exchange Order and visit a station to set a Start/Activation Date as well as reserve tickets for the various trains I will be taking.

This time, I will be arriving on Feb 3rd in Tokyo. I will be traveling to Sapporo the day of the 5th. That said, are trains (JR Shinkansen, Limited Express) already packed up with reservations? That is, if I go to a JR office one day before my actual trek to Sapporo, will it be tougher with the Snow Festival happening? Kind of worried about no open spaces on trains...

Thank you in advance for any feedback on this!

Hi mate, I had a similar concern a year ago and the prospects didn't look good:

http://www.japan-guide.com/forum/quereadisplay.html?0+108996

Also, have you considered a domestic flight to Sapporo? I ended up doing just that when it seemed that I might have trouble with the trains.

Cheers.

Incidentally, it seems that your concerns (accommodation, transport, etc.) are almost the same as mine - except I went through all that a year ago, haha.

Hang in there . . . after the festivals in Sapporo, Otaru, and Asahikawa, it all seemed worth it. (^_^)

Thanks Diego, how much was your flight?

Because I arrive in Japan on the 3rd, and plan to go on the 5th, that sounds like I won't be able to secure trains. I wouldn't be packing too heavy, and I would have a friend possibly meeting me at JR Sapporo. Am aware that it's 9-10 hours travel time across a few trains (Shinkansen, Ltd. Expresss). Perhaps flying is the only way to ensure going there though, since I arrive in Tokyo and go to Sapporo a few days later

Also, I wager that night trains like this one are booked way in advance as well? :)

http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/routemaps/cassiopeia_hokutosei.html

I took advantage of ANA's Experience Japan fares:

https://www.ana.co.jp/wws/us/e/wws_common/promotion/experience_jp/

Apart from the speed advantage of flying, an overland journey by train will take about 10 hours and several transfers. I love trains, a little obsessed with them actually . . . but not even I can stomach that much travelling, especially in view of all the sightseeing I could be doing with that time.

As for the night trains, if anything, those may be even harder to come by than the regular trains:

http://jprail.com/trains/alternatives-of-overnight-train-cassiopeia-an...

Cheers.

A bit more about my domestic flight with ANA, and my first night in Sapporo:

http://withinstrikingdistance.wordpress.com/2014/03/08/field-report-sa...

The next several posts after that will tell you more about the winter festivals I attended during that trip.

At this time, ANA flights from Haneda to Sapporo as of 5th Feb have plenty of vacant seats in the cheap price segments (Tabiwari 75). On the other hand, on Feb 6, the prices get more expensive, and on Feb 7, morning flights for Tabiwari 75 are booked out. That said, the "peak day" for going to Sapporo Snow Festival should be 7th Feb. Most Japanese will take airplane rather than train, since the former is faster and usually cheaper, so Shinkansen to Shin-aomori may not be so crowded on 5th Feb (two days before peak), but the safest option should book flights as early as possible.

Thank you Diego & frog for the info so far. I think I saw your blog, Diego, another time when a friend told me about some details about the Snow Miku things! :)

Time is money indeed... the ANA flights are looking like something I may opt in for.

Take night train "Exp Hamanasu[急行はまなす]"
from Aomori (Not Shin-Aomori/Tohoku shinkansen end stn) to Sapporo.
Some un-reserved seat cars[自由席車](not sleeper type) extend
for Snow fes week usual. (about 120 seats plus/240 seats total)
JR Pass holder no need booking for un-reserved seat cars only.
Other cars need seat booking before dep. http://urx.nu/ebKt
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamanasu_(train)
JR trains(Shinkansen,too) seat ticket sales just one month before
purchasing most JR-East stn in Tokyo possible if not already full.

But basically operate possible or not depends on weather conditions
if by air from Tokyo(HND/NRT) or other area air port,too.
Only Tohoku Shinkansen trains are very strong against the snows.
(closed track, a lot of tunnel sections and sprinklers for melting snows)

BTW,No back to Tokyo after Snow fes?
If use only for oneway no big advantage against regular trains fare 22320Y.
(Tokyo stn to Sapporo stn by Shinkansen and Hamanasu un-reserved)
http://www.hyperdia.com/en/
Where to go other days Tokyo and Hokkaido both?

Hi Eilla

---Take night train "Exp Hamanasu[急行はまなす]"

I decided to book for an ANA flight from Haneda to Sapporo (Chitose) to save time on the trip.

--BTW,No back to Tokyo after Snow fes?
--Where to go other days Tokyo and
--Hokkaido both?

After Sapporo, I am actually going all the way south to visit Beppu. So, I booked a flight from Chitose towards Oita (stopover at Osaka/Itami).

I'm set for now!

We used jr pass all the way to sapporo from tokyo last feb 2015 to snow festival. We don't have any reservations but we had a smooth and fast travel. No problem at all.