Is My Hokkaido Travel Itinerary OK?

I'm planning to travel to Hokkaido free and easy (not joining tour group) in December 2007. My planned itinerary is as follows:

14Dec-Chitose to Sapporo city
15Dec-Sapporo city to Otaru
16Dec-Otaru to Niseko
18Dec-Niseko to Toya
19Dec-Toya to Noboribetsu
20Dec-Noboribetsu to Chitose

1) Please advise me whether the itinerary is ok.

2) I intend to travel on the Hokkaido JR Line from place to place. Is it expensive to travel on the Hokkaido JR Line? Will there be cost savings if I purchase the 23,400Yen JR 7 day pass?

3) Do you have low to mid-priced accommodation to recommend for each of the places, especially for Lake Toya?

I look forward to recieving your advice. Thank you.

Regards,
Tan

Please advise me whether the itinerary is ok.

It looks rushed but possible with a rental car. More difficult by public transportation, especially between Niseko and Lake Toya.

I intend to travel on the Hokkaido JR Line from place to place. Is it expensive to travel on the Hokkaido JR Line?

No, it is not very expensive. Less than 10,000 yen. But, as mentioned above, there is no convenient connection between Niseko and Lake Toya. The trip will take at least 3 hours with a good connection plus additional bus rides to travel between the train stations and town centers on both ends.

Will there be cost savings if I purchase the 23,400Yen JR 7 day pass?

Certainly not.

Actually, there seesm to be one bus connection per day between Niseko and Lake Toya via Rusutsu, requiring only about 90 minutes and one transfer of buses.

Hi Uji, many thanks for your helpful advice.

1) To get from Niseko to Lake Toya, I had intended to get on the train at Niseko station (on the Sapporo-Oshamambe Line), change to the Sapporo-Hakodate Line at Oshamambe station, and get off at Toya station. Is it not convenient to do so? Also, could you advice me how long the journey will take and how much it will roughly cost?

2) I had planned to visit both Lake Toya and Noboribetsu for the hot springs. Is it worth the effort to visit both places?

Is it not convenient to do so? Also, could you advice me how long the journey will take and how much it will roughly cost?

1) Bus from the Niseko ski resort to Niseko Station

2) Train from Niseko to Oshamambe (75 minutes)

3) Train from Oshamambe to Toya (20 minutes by limited express)

4) Bus from Toya Station to Lake Toya (15 minutes)

With good connections, the trip can be as quick as 2 hours, but train and bus service is infrequent in this region of Japan, and it can easily take 3 or more hours. You have to study the timetables in advance:
http://www.jorudan.co.jp/english/norikae/

2) I had planned to visit both Lake Toya and Noboribetsu for the hot springs. Is it worth the effort to visit both places?

It depends on personal interest and time availability.