PURCHASE YOUR RAIL PASS IN JAPAN

Purchase your JR Hokkaido Rail Pass and receive your exchange order by email.

We facilitate advance reservation for the JR Hokkaido Rail Pass valid for unlimited travel in Hokkaido island.

Passengers can travel on Limited Express, Rapid or Local trains in the available area for 5, 7 or 10 consecutive days. Passengers cannot travel on Shinkansen trains.

Trains operated by JR Hokkaido

Rail services in Hokkaido island are operated by JR Hokkaido.

JR Hokkaido is one of the companies of JR Group dedicated to provide passenger train services in Hokkaido island.

Limited Express conventional rail

JR Hokkaido operates many intercity and regional lines with trains running on conventional rail at a maximum speed of 130-160 km/h.

Conventional rail services are classified depending on the stop pattern:

• - Limited Express is the fastest service
• - Express is a semi-fast service stopping at major stations
• - Rapid is a fast service stopping at most stations
• - Local is a slow service stopping at all stations

When travelling on conventional rail, the standard ticket depends on the travel distance and it is the same for all the trains regardless of the number of stops or transfers. The standard ticket allows the passenger to access the platform and board Limited Express trains as well as Express, Rapid or Local trains.

On Limited Express trains, passengers can travel on Non-reserved Seat or Reserved Seat. In case of travelling with Reserved Seat, passengers are required an extra ticket for the Reserved Seat, which is purchased separately from the standard ticket and is inspected by the train conductor on board.

In total, the Limited Express trains offer three passengers classes: Green Car Seat, Reserved Seat and Non-reserved Seat.

Travellers with Reserved Seat tickets are required to take their numbered seat in the Green Cars or the Ordinary Cars. Travellers with Non-reserved Seat tickets are allowed to take any seat available in the Ordinary Cars designated as Non-reserved. On these cars, seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. When all the seats are full, passengers must travel standing on the corridor or the coach entrance without blocking the access to other passengers.

On Express, Rapid and Local trains, passengers can travel on Non-reserved Seat.

Getting around Japan by train

The JR Hokkaido Rail Pass is valid for unlimited travel in Hokkaido island.

Travel with JR Hokkaido Rail Pass

Passengers can travel on Limited Express, Rapid or Local trains in the available area for 5, 7 or 10 consecutive days.

The rail pass reservation is available 3 months in advance.

The rail pass is not valid for the following trains:

Destinations

Japan is divided into eight regions: Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, Kansai, Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu.

Hokkaido island

Hokkaido is the second largest island of Japan and comprises only one prefecture, Hokkaido, whose capital is Sapporo. This region is served by the Limited Express trains operated by JR Hokkaido.

How to purchase your rail pass in Japan?

Purchasing your rail pass in Japan is very quick and simple. Search for train routes between any two cities in the available area for your travel dates.

Select your route

After search, we will display the results for your itinerary.

Find the Limited Express services operated by JR Hokkaido available for your itinerary. Select the most convenient option.

We accept rail pass reservations from 3 months in advance up to 24 hours before departure. For departures under 24 hours, the rail pass must be reserved directly at the station.

Click to expand the details of the route, you will find the rail passes available for this route.

JR Hokkaido and JR East offer various types of rail pass valid for unlimited travel on Shinkansen trains, Limited Express trains, as well as Express, Rapid or Local trains for a number of consecutive days.

Fill in the passenger and contact details

According to the policy of JR Hokkaido, the passenger must meet the following criteria for rail pass reservation.

Passenger must hold a passport issued by a foreign government
− Japanese nationals are not allowed to use this rail pass for tourists.

In case you meet the criteria of eligibility, please provide the passenger information and the contact details of the person responsible for booking. We will send by email the booking confirmation and the electronic ticket.

Complete your payment

Select your payment method. We accept international credit or debit cards.

Check your itinerary and price breakdown. Confirm that the booking information is correct. Before you proceed to payment, you must read and accept the terms and conditions of booking.

Receive your electronic ticket by email

Once your payment is complete, your reservation will be processed.

In the following 24 hours you will receive the itinerary and booking confirmation by email with the electronic ticket attached in PDF format.

You can also access to Manage your booking via web and download the electronic ticket to your device.

How to use the rail pass?

The electronic ticket is valid to collect the rail pass at the station. It cannot be used to board the train.

After arriving in Japan, passengers can exchange the rail pass by scanning the passport and the QR code included in the exchange order (E-TICKET) at the ticket vending machines or presenting the passport and the exchange order (E-TICKET) at the ticket office in the exchange locations.

Once exchanged, the rail pass will be associated with the passport and the holder will be able to travel for a number of consecutive days according to the validity indicated in the physical ticket.

Passengers can travel on Shinkansen trains, Limited Express trains, as well as Express, Rapid or Local trains in Non-reserved Seat.

If you wish to travel in Reserved Seat, you must receive your tickets for Reserved seat from the ticket vending machine before boarding.