The Rapid Airport is a train service that provides a quick and easy link between New Chitose Airport and the major tourist destinations of Sapporo and Otaru. Between 9.00 and 16.00, JR Hokkaido operates six Airport trains per hour from New Chitose Airport, generally at about 10-minute intervals, although frequency varies outside these hours.
The daytime pattern consists of one Special Rapid, three Rapid, and two Semi-Rapid trains per hour. The fastest service reaches Sapporo in 33 minutes and Otaru in 1 hour and 13 minutes, but journey times depend on the train category and destination.
The Rapid Airport at New Chitose Airport Station
This train is run by JR Hokkaido and so it is completely covered by the Japan Rail Pass.
Departure information at New Chitose Airport Station
Key Destinations
The following are the principal stations along the Rapid Airport route, but not every service stops at every station.
New Chitose Airport – Minami-Chitose – Chitose – Eniwa – Kita-Hiroshima – Shin-Sapporo – Sapporo – Kotoni – Teine – Otaru-Chikko – Minami-Otaru – Otaru
Special Rapid, Rapid, and Semi-Rapid services have different stopping patterns. Special Rapid trains normally skip Chitose, Eniwa, and Kita-Hiroshima, while Semi-Rapid trains stop at every station between New Chitose Airport and Kita-Hiroshima.
All Airport trains serve Sapporo Station, but only some continue directly to Otaru. Others terminate at Sapporo, Teine, or Hoshimi, so check the train’s destination before boarding. Stopping patterns between Sapporo and Otaru also vary by train. This route’s key destinations are listed below with standard adult one-way non-reserved fares and fastest or representative journey times from New Chitose Airport Station.
A carriage banner on the Rapid Airport
New Chitose Airport Station
This station is an underground station that is directly connected to the Domestic Terminal of New Chitose Airport and it is only 10 minutes on foot from the International Terminal.
New Chitose Airport Station
Chitose Station
Chitose is a convenient base for visiting Lake Shikotsu and Shikotsu Onsen.
Lake Shikotsu is a large clear blue lake which is encircled by volcanic mountains. Camping, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding, fishing, and pleasure boat cruises are all popular activities in this area. Shikotsu Onsen is a small hot spring resort area on the eastern shore of the lake. This area hosts the Chitose-Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival, a winter event usually held from late January into February. The festival’s ice objects are made from lake water and appear blue in daylight before being illuminated in many colors after dark. Exact dates, admission, and additional activities vary each year, so check the festival programme before travelling.
For those who wish to stay in Shikotsu Onsen, Kyukamura Shikotsuko is an old-fashioned inn with hot spring bathing facilities and saunas, that also organizes nature treks, as well as canoeing, and bird watching activities. Also in Shikotsu Onsen, Resort Spa Mizu-no-Uta is a high-end luxury hotel with a hot spring spa, two restaurants, a café and bar, a patisserie, and a hamburger stand. The hotel operates a free advance-reservation shuttle from Chitose Station and New Chitose Airport. Reservations must be made by 19.00 three days ahead, and the shuttle does not run without bookings. Day visitors can use the baths as part of an advance-booked lunch plan on designated dates, but bathing-only admission is not offered. Lake Shikotsu is about a 45-minute regular bus ride from Chitose Station or 30 minutes by car. Bus services are limited, so check the timetable before travelling.
There are two hotels conveniently located near JR Chitose Station. Only a 6-7 minute train ride from the airport, these hotels are convenient for a short stay before an early flight or after a late arrival. JR Inn Chitose is located right in front of the station, and ANA Crowne Plaza Chitose is located a short walk from the station.
Train fare: 290 yen
Train time: 6-7 minutes
Eniwa Station
Eniwa’s best-known attraction is the agricultural and environmental theme park, Ecorin Village. Its current facilities include a welcome center, Restaurant Rakudaken, the seasonal Tomato Forest, a camping field, a dog run, and reservable outdoor and environmental programmes. Ecorin Village is also home to a large sheep farm, but visitors should check the current programme rather than expect regular sheepdog shows, sheep races, or tractor tours. The free station shuttle no longer operates, so visitors arriving by public transport should take a taxi from Eniwa Station’s west exit. The journey takes about 15 minutes.
Train fare: 380 yen
Train time: 12-13 minutes
Shin-Sapporo Station
Shin-Sapporo Station is convenient for three of Sapporo’s museums and an aquarium.
Sapporo Science Center is a 6 minute walk from this station. This renovated museum has hands-on exhibits on snow and ice, astronomy and earth science, the human body, and other scientific themes, as well as a planetarium.
The Sunpiazza Aquarium is a 5 minute walk from the station inside Sunpiazza Shopping Center. The aquarium displays about 200 species and 10,000 animals at peak periods, including Asian small-clawed otters, spotted seals, Cape penguins, and fish from Hokkaido and warmer waters.
The Historical Village of Hokkaido is about a 20 minute ride from the station on JR Hokkaido Bus route Shin 22. This open-air museum preserves and reconstructs buildings from the Meiji period through the early Showa period.
The Hokkaido Museum is a 15 minute bus ride from the station. This museum explores Hokkaido’s history through the relationship between human culture and the natural world.
Sapporo Science Center closes on Mondays and several additional dates, while Hokkaido Museum closes on Mondays with adjustments for public holidays. The Historical Village closes on Mondays only from October through April and is open daily from May through September. Sunpiazza Aquarium operates year-round. Check each venue’s calendar for holiday and temporary closures.
Train fare: 940 yen
Train time: 27-28 minutes
Sapporo Station
Sapporo is Hokkaido’s biggest urban center and its capital city. Here you can find historical buildings such as the iconic 19th century Sapporo Clock Tower and the Former Hokkaido Government Office (nicknamed “Akarenga”), great shopping and dining facilities in locations such as Sapporo Factory and Akarenga Terrace, nightlife in the Susukino entertainment district, and the history and origins of Sapporo Beer at the Sapporo Beer Museum and Sapporo Beer Garden. The city also plays host to the annual Sapporo Snow Festival every February when the streets and parks are decorated with delicate ice sculptures and giant snow statues.
Train fare: 1,230 yen
Train time: as little as 33 minutes
Teine Station
Seasonal JR buses connect Teine Station’s south exit with the Olympia and Highland zones of Sapporo Teine Ski Resort during the main winter period, while separate shuttle arrangements may apply later in spring. Check the resort’s access page and the current timetable before travelling. Sapporo Teine is the biggest ski resort near Sapporo and has a variety of trails suitable for all levels of ability, with the more advanced trails in the Highland Zone. The planned ski season runs from late November into spring, although Olympia usually closes earlier than Highland and all dates depend on snow and operating conditions.
Train fare: 1,400 yen
Train time: as little as 51 minutes
Otaru Station
Otaru is a picturesque port town with many perfectly preserved historic buildings which now house art galleries, museums, craft shops, antique shops, and delicious seafood restaurants. A key sightseeing area is the Otaru Canal which is lined with historic buildings and where visitors can enjoy canal boat cruises and rickshaw tours. Other attractions include the stained glass and art nouveau galleries of Otaru Art Base, the Otaru Museum Main Building with its impressive collection of railway vehicles, the Otaru Museum Canal Building with its displays of local history and natural history, the finely crafted glass works of Kitaichi Glass and Taisho Glass Palace, and the Old Aoyama Villa built by a local herring millionaire in 1917.
Train fare: 2,040 yen
Train time: as little as 1 hour and 13 minutes
The Rapid Airport at Sapporo Station
About the Rapid Airport
The Rapid Airport is a 6-car train and completely non-smoking. Five cars have non-reserved seating which requires no extra fare, and Car 4 has reserved seating. A u-seat reservation normally costs 1,000 yen in addition to the basic fare, while JR Hokkaido offers a standard 800-yen ticketless reserved-seat product online.
The ticketless seat reservation does not include the basic fare, so passengers also need a valid IC card or other basic-fare ticket. Japan Rail Pass users who want to sit in Car 4 should obtain a seat reservation before boarding. Car 4 may be worthwhile if you are carrying large suitcases as it has large luggage compartments. Its spacious “u-seats” are also reclinable.
This train uses either #721 series electric trains or the newer #733 series. The main difference between these trains is that while the #721 has mainly paired seating in all cars, the #733 has long bench seats in the non-reserved cars and so can feel less crowded. The newer #733 is also easier for wheelchair users as there is no difference in the level between the car floor and the platform. Both trains have a wheelchair space and a universal access toilet in Car 3.
Useful Information
Date-specific Rapid Airport times can be checked through the timetable search linked from JR Hokkaido’s official schedule guide. To plan other rail journeys in Hokkaido, check out JR Hokkaido’s timetable and route finder, and their downloadable route map.
Article and original photos by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved. Last updated 23-Aug-2026.
