Japan (Lonely Planet, 11th Edition) - Chris Rowthorn [453]
Some sample destinations, which have frequent daily departures from Sapporo Eki-mae bus terminal, include Wakkanai (¥6000, six hours), Asahikawa (¥2000, two hours), Muroran (¥2250, 2¼ hours), Noboribetsu Onsen (¥1900, two hours), Tōya-ko Onsen (¥2700, 2¾ hours), Niseko (¥2300, three hours), Furano (¥2100, three hours) and Otaru (¥590, one hour).
From the Chūō bus station there are a few departures a day to Obihiro (¥3670, 4¼ hours) and Abashiri (¥6210, 6¼ hours). Buses to Hakodate depart from both the Chūō and Ōdōri bus stations (¥4680, 5¼ hours).
Discounted round-trip tickets are available for most routes.
CAR
The best place in Hokkaidō to pick up a rental car is at the New Chitose Airport. While you might have to backtrack a bit if you’re heading north, some people find this preferable to picking up a vehicle in Sapporo, and subsequently navigating through the busy city centre. There are just under a dozen different companies located in the arrivals area on the first floor, which makes it easy to shop around the various booths and quickly compare prices.
If you’d prefer to pick up your vehicle in Sapporo, it’s recommended that you deal with Toyota Rent a Car (281-0100; N5E2-1 Chūō-ku; 8am-10pm). In addition to being conveniently located near JR Sapporo station, the company is a bit better at dealing with foreigners than most rental car dealers. There’s no guarantee the staff will speak English – if you have problems, you can always try to make arrangements in advance through the tourist information centre.
TRAIN
The Hokutosei () is a tokkyū (limited express) sleeper train that runs between Tokyo’s JR Ueno station and JR Sapporo station. There are two departures in both directions every evening, and the total journey time is around 16½ hours, which puts you in your destination the following morning. Ticket prices vary depending on the distance travelled, as well as the type of accommodation you choose.
The base fare for a journey between Tokyo and Sapporo is ¥16,080, plus an additional ¥2890 limited-express train charge. On top of this, you need to pay an additional fee for accommodation – prices range from ¥6300 for a private sleeping berth to ¥17,180 for the ‘royal room’. Note that this flat fee is charged regardless of starting or ending location. If you’re travelling on a JR Pass, you do not have to pay the base fare and limited-express charge, but you will have to pay the accommodation fare. Full-on French and formal Japanese meals are available on board with advanced reservation, though meal service is not included in the ticket price.
A much more luxurious option is the Cassiopeia (), a tokkyū sleeper train that runs three times a week between Tokyo and Sapporo. There are three evening departures in both directions every week, and the total journey time is also around 16½ hours. Base fares and limited-express train charges are equivalent to the Hokutosei, and are again waived if you have a JR Pass, though accommodation is more expensive, ranging from ¥13,350 for a twin room to ¥25,490 for a full-on suite. These prices are on par with an upmarket hotel, and sleeper cars on the Cassiopeia are something akin to a four-star resort on wheels. The night train also has sophisticated dining cars offering Michelin-star quality meals, which are not included in the ticket price, and must be booked in advance. Note that single travellers must pay for the full price of a room, so it’s advised that you have a travel companion.
Reservations for both the Hokutosei and the Cassiopeia can be made at any JR ticket counter or travel agency. These trains are very popular and often booked solid, particularly in the summer months, so make a reservation as far in advance as possible.
Additionally there are hourly trains on the JR Tōhoku shinkansen between Tokyo and Hachinohe (¥15,150, three hours). Hachinohe