How to travel between Sapporo and Tokyo
By air:
Tokyo-Sapporo is the world's busiest air route with dozens of departures per day, operated by JAL, ANA, Air Do and Skymark Airlines. Most flights use Tokyo's Haneda Airport and Sapporo's New Chitose Airport. Only a small number of flights use Tokyo's Narita Airport.
Flight time between Tokyo and Sapporo is about 90 minutes. The regular one way fare is around 30,000 yen in case of JAL and ANA, around 23,000 yen in case of Air Do and around 16,000 yen in case of Skymark Airlines.
If you use an air pass or profit from one of the many other discount offers, you can fly for less. Among the cheapest options are the "Air Do Special" and "Sky Bargain", which cost between 5,000 and 10,000 yen, if you book at least 45, resp. 49 days in advance. Note that many discount offers are not available during travel peak seasons.
Sapporo's New Chitose Airport is located about 30 kilometers south of the city center. By frequently departing trains, it takes about 35 minutes and costs 1,040 yen into central Sapporo.
By daytime train:
From Tokyo, take a hayate train on the JR Tohoku Shinkansen to its terminus in Hachinohe (3 hours). Then, take the JR Hakucho limited express to Hakodate (3 hours) and finally the JR Hokuto limited express to Sapporo (3.5 hours).
The entire one way trip costs around 22,500 yen and takes between ten and eleven hours. It is fully covered by the Japan Rail Pass. Note that seat reservations are mandatory on the hayate shinkansen between Tokyo and Hachinohe.
Budget travelers with lots of time may consider the seasonally available Hokkaido & Higashinihon Pass for the trip.
By night train:
One or two night trains (more during peak seasons) operate daily between Tokyo's Ueno Station and Sapporo in each direction. Note that the Japan Rail Pass does not cover the expense for a berth (from around 6000 yen), the limited express fee (about 3000 yen) and a supplement for partially using non-JR tracks (about 3000 yen) on night trains between Tokyo and Sapporo.
View our night train information page for more details.
By ferry:
There are long distance ferries between various ports in Honshu and Hokkaido, providing leisurely and inexpensive access to Hokkaido. Some of the ports with ferries to Hokkaido are Niigata, Oarai (Ibaraki Prefecture), Sendai, Nagoya, Maizuru (Kyoto Prefecture) and Tsuruga (Fukui Prefecture). Most ferries arrive either in Otaru, 30 train minutes west of Sapporo or Tomakomai, 45-60 train minutes south of Sapporo.
View our ferry information page for more details.
Above fees and schedules are subject to change. For the current yen exchange rate, click here.
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