{"id":122,"date":"2015-11-13T04:26:03","date_gmt":"2015-11-13T04:26:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sapporostation.com\/?page_id=122"},"modified":"2020-05-06T21:16:03","modified_gmt":"2020-05-06T21:16:03","slug":"jr-hokkaido-train-lines-accessible-from-sapporo","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.sapporostation.com\/jr-hokkaido-train-lines-accessible-from-sapporo\/","title":{"rendered":"JR Hokkaido Train Lines Accessible from Sapporo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hokkaido Prefecture is laced with JR lines, and for those who like their tourism by train, it can be a delight. <\/p>\n

Most tourists traveling outside of Sapporo will be using the Sapporo – New Chitose Airport Express<\/a>, and the Hakodate Main Line<\/a>, covering Sapporo – Otaru – Niseko – Hakodate and Sapporo – Asahikawa.<\/p>\n

Asahikawa – Furano<\/h2>\n
\"Flower

Flower fields in Furano, Hokkaido<\/p><\/div>\n

This requires you to take a 90-minute express train (see Hakodate Main Line<\/a> article) north from JR Sapporo to JR Asahikawa, and then changing trains to the Furano Line (Furano Sen)<\/strong> to hook south.<\/p>\n

This is definitely worth a visit in late spring and pre-harvest summer. The farmers of Furano and Biei organize themselves into planting lovely rolling fields with lavender, flowers, and other blooming crops, creating a patchwork carpet of colors and even a symphony of smells for tourists. <\/p>\n

\"Norokko

Norokko train at Lavender Farm Station, Hokkaido, Japan. Norokko is a sightseeing train that only runs during summer between Asahikawa to Furano Station<\/p><\/div>\n

Overshadowed on two sides by mountains (particularly the Taisetsu mountain range \u2013 Hokkaido\u2019s highest), vistas in every direction are camera bait. Get off at Biei and ask the local tourism desk to arrange a taxi out to some picturesque spots. Then head further south and loop back to JR Sapporo from JR Furano, on the Nemuro Main Line (Nemuro Honsen) via JR Takikawa. Easily accomplished as a day trip.<\/p>\n

\"Furano

Furano Station Sign<\/p><\/div>\n

Travel time from JR Sapporo-JR Furano (via JR Asahikawa: recommended): 2 to 3 hours
\nCost: 5,990-6,300 yen
\nJR Furano back to JR Sapporo (via Takikawa): about 2 hours, 4,140 yen.<\/p>\n

Sassho Line (Sassho Sen)<\/h2>\n

This line emanates from JR Sapporo and takes commuters to the Health Sciences University of Hokkaido (or Hokkaid\u014d Iry\u014d Daigaku), located in a farming community outside of Sapporo\u2019s suburbs where cheap land was converted into a campus. Beyond that are local trains that lead to what feels like the back-end of nowhere, with cutely-named farming communities many Hokkaido residents may not have heard of. <\/p>\n

JR Sapporo \u2013 JR Shin-Totsukawa terminus: 2 \u00bd to 3 hours, three trains daily
\nCost: 1,640 yen.<\/p>\n

Sapporo – Obihiro – Kushiro Line<\/h2>\n

Make sure to board an express train from JR Sapporo, or else you will have to change trains at JR Minami-Chitose Station (the one just before New Chitose Airport) after waiting on a train platform buffeted by freezing winter winds. This route wends through Hokkaido\u2019s pleasant Hidaka Mountains (particularly ski resort area Tomamu, with its twin hotel towers providing mountain views from every room). Once past that, the land spreads out, and you\u2019re on rather dull plains surrounding the farming community of Obihiro (Hokkaido\u2019s seventh-largest city, but out there it\u2019s a metropolis). <\/p>\n

\"Obihiro

Obihiro Station Building<\/p><\/div>\n

Beyond that are the outback cities of Kushiro, Nemuro, and Abashiri.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an interesting trek. However, it will take a good chunk of the day to get there, and the sights to see are not the cities themselves (meaning you will have to plan in advance, arrange transit to the local nature sights, and find accommodation afterwards). This is not a day trip, so unless you have the better part of a week and an urge to go beyond the beaten path of most foreign tourists to Hokkaido, the trip is not recommended.<\/p>\n

Cost of an express train from Sapporo to Kushiro: 9,370 yen
\nTime in transit: 4 to 4\u00bd hours<\/p>\n

A complete map<\/a> of JR Hokkaido trains<\/p>\n

Article by Dr. Debito Arudou. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hokkaido Prefecture is laced with JR lines, and for those who like their tourism by train, it can be a delight. Most tourists traveling outside of Sapporo will be using the Sapporo – New Chitose Airport Express, and the Hakodate Main Line, covering Sapporo – Otaru – Niseko – Hakodate and Sapporo – Asahikawa. Asahikawa […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sapporostation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/122"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sapporostation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sapporostation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sapporostation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sapporostation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.sapporostation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/122\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":385,"href":"https:\/\/www.sapporostation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/122\/revisions\/385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sapporostation.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}