Can i buy train ticket in advance in sapporo?

I will be leaving sapporo to new chitose airport to catch a 8.55 flight and the earliest train i can take is 6.02am. Was wondering if i can buy the train ticket in advance (a few days before) from sapporo train station so that on the day itself, i can just use the ticket? in case of queues, slightly late, etc. Thank you.

Tickets can be purchased up to one month in advance from the date of travel.

No need to buy a ticket, just use an IC card.

For future reference, here's a diagram of the Kitaca area; all other major cards are valid there as well. http://www2.jrhokkaido.co.jp/global/english/kitaca/p02.html

Yes, you can purchase tickets in advance, but the validity is as short as the distance. So if you're buying the ticket before the day you are riding the train, be sure you buy it from an actual person at a counter and tell them what date you want to board the train on. Otherwise your ticket will be of no use by the time you board the ticket days after the purchase.

I'm pretty sure you can buy tickets between JR Sapporo to Shin-Chitosekuko station from a vending machine early in the morning just before boarding your train. It's 1,070 yen one way per adult.

By the way, base fare tickets are normally sold only on the day of departure, unless purchased together with a reserved seat ticket.

http://www.jrhokkaido.co.jp/network/guide/pdf/rule_02.pdf

Hi, thank you for all of your answers. For the IC card, i understand it costs 2000yen but what does it mean by 500 yen deposit? And what is the minimum amount we can top up in the card each time after that? Thanks!

The 500 yen is the value of the card itself. When you buy the card for 2000yen, you only have 1500yen worth of e-money on the card. Once you return the card, you will get your 500yen back. Most people keep theirs because they're good for 10 years and/or as a souvenir of the trip. Any monies left in the card will be subject to a small fee for refund.

Firas, thanks for the clarification about the purchasing date.

To the OP, you can also use the IC card to buy things at one of the many shops that accept the card, such as at most convenience stores. So if you want to get rid of whatever is left in your card, you can do some shopping at the airport when leaving Japan.

My apologies. I assume with a asking the question that you meant you would be riding some form of reserved ticketed train.

As others have said, if it is just a normal commuter, just get a ticker from the machine that morning. There will be plenty of machines to use, and you won't miss your train.