The northernmost Japanese prefectural capital, Sapporo is a little bit harder to reach than other cities in the Land of the Rising Sun. Direct international flights are limited to a handful of countries, and the shinkansen reaches only as far as Hakodate in the southern tip of Hokkaido.
But no destination is far enough for a traveler determined to conquer a wonderland.
Sapporo is served by two airports, the Okadama Airport and the New Chitose Airport. Okadama Airport is used mostly for flights within Hokkaido.
If you’re flying to Sapporo directly from abroad, you will most likely land at the New Chitose Airport. There are direct flights coming from Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Honolulu, Guam, and sometimes Australia. Most visitors connect in another major city, often Tokyo or Osaka.
You may also travel by train to Sapporo from Osaka or Tokyo. However, it’s something that I don’t recommend, unless you have a JR Pass. It’s time-consuming. Even if you take the bullet train, you’ll still end up spending a day onboard. It’s also super expensive. I’ll explain below.
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WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS GUIDE?
Tokyo to Sapporo by Plane
Estimated travel time from Tokyo to Sapporo by plane is 1 hour and 40 minutes.
You’ll find year-round flights that costs under USD 100 (PHP 5000). JetStar is one of them.
Tokyo to Sapporo by Train
- Take the Shinkansen Hayabusa to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station. Travel time: 4.5 hours. Reserved seat fee: ¥11,130 ($100, P5000).
- Switch to Limited Express Hokuto Line and alight at Sapporo Station. Travel time: 3 hours, 40 minutes. Reserved seat fee: ¥1550 ($14, P700); Unreserved seat ¥1290 ($11.5, P580).
One-way travel from Tokyo entails the following:
Total travel time: 8+ hours (excluding the layover time)
Total fare: ¥14,140 (excluding the seat fees)
If you add the seat reservation fees for the two legs to the fares, the whole journey would cost you around ¥26,820 ($240, P12,000). That’s just one way!
Osaka to Sapporo by Plane
Flights from Osaka takes around 2 hours. Fares are just a bit pricier.
Osaka to Sapporo by Train
To get to Sapporo from Osaka, you will need to make a transfer in Tokyo.
- From Shin-Osaka Station (not to be confused with Osaka Station), take the Shinkansen Nozomi to Tokyo Station. Travel time: 2 hours, 33 minutes. Reserved seat fee: ¥5700 ($51, P2550); Unreserved seat fee: ¥4870 ($44, P2180).
- Take the Shinkansen Hayabusa to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station. Travel time: 4.5 hours. Reserved seat fee: ¥11,130 ($100, P5000).
- Switch to Limited Express Hokuto Line and alight at Sapporo Station. Travel time: 3 hours, 40 minutes. Reserved seat fee: ¥1550 ($14, P700); Unreserved seat ¥1290 ($11.5, P580).
Total travel time (excluding layovers): 10.5+ hours
Total fare (3 legs): ¥18,140
If you add the seat fees, the total cost of the journey from Osaka to Sapporo is at ¥36,520 ($326, P16,400).
That’s why we don’t recommend taking the train. You’ll reach Sapporo by plane much faster at half the price.
But if you’re visiting multiple cities, then you will get great savings if you just book a JR Pass. This makes sense if you want to explore not just one or two cities. For example, if your itinerary includes Osaka, Tokyo, and Sapporo in 7 days.
Also, riding the bullet train across the Japanese countryside is quite an experience too, so that’s something to consider.
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Thank you for writing all these very informative articles. Very useful! Planning to go to Tokyo this Autumn 2018 but don’t know where to start. Thanks to your articles, I am more confident now and looking forward to experience all these amazing things and places.
Thanks too for visiting! Planning a Japan trip is always delightful for us, so we hope you enjoy planning yours too! :)
Hello Yoshke,
My husband and I are planning to travel around Japan this May for 16-18 days. Since it’s our first time, everyone is recommending only the Golden triangle. But from whatever little research I did, it seems interesting to explore the alpine route too. Would you recommend us to do that? If yes, how do you think we should plan our entry and exit into Japan e.g. Tokyo- Alpine route- Kyoto- Osaka our landing in Osaka working towards the north or stick to Tokyo to Tokyo and then move around internally. We would be using a lot of public transport but quite willing to explore. Kindly help us plan.
Thanks,
Best regards,
Hi HK,
I think it’s possible to do Tokyo – Alpine Route – Kyoto – Osaka in 16-18 days. I think it’s doable. I haven’t tried it though, so I can’t be of much help. It was my blogging partner Vins who covered Alpine Route for this blog so medyo chop chop.
But yes, I think it’s doable. And yes, it’s better to start in Tokyo and end in Osaka (or vice versa) instead of having the same entry and exit point.
Hello Yoskhe,
Is JR Pass possible for Tokyo – Sapporo – Kyoto – Osaka itinerary within 10 days (Feb 18 – 27)? We have actually booked the trip to experience winter but after research, there is no snow if are taking the Golden Triangle.
Thank you for being an inspiration. Your travel blog has been always our reference.
Cheers,
Jezza
Hi Jezza, pwede naman. Medyo siksik lang talaga kasi you’ll be spending a lot of time on the train to and from Sapporo.
If you’re after snow, consider Gifu and Nagano prefectures, which are both located between Osaka and Tokyo. I strongly recommend Gifu. It’s beautiful in winter, especially Shirakawa-go. More info here: https://www.thepoortraveler.net/2018/01/shirakawa-go-travel-guide/