Everything you need to know about the JR East South Hokkaido Rail Pass

What is the JR East South Hokkaido Rail Pass?

The JR East South Hokkaido Rail Pass offers foreign tourists unlimited travel on JR trains within the Kanto, Tohoku, and southern Hokkaido regions for six consecutive days.

This includes shinkansen, limited express trains, and local trains, allowing for extensive travel across a vast area of Japan.

How much does it cost?

• No green car option is available.

Where can it be used?

The JR East South Hokkaido Rail Pass allows unlimited travel on:

• JR East trains throughout the Kanto (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, Gunma, Tochigi, and Ibaraki Prefectures) and Tohoku (Fukushima, Miyagi, Yamagata, Akita, Iwate, and Aomori Prefectures) regions.
• JR Hokkaido trains in southern Hokkaido (extending to Sapporo).
• Select non-JR lines.

The pass covers a wide range of train (and some bus) types, including:

• All JR East and JR Hokkaido shinkansen lines (except the Tokaido Shinkansen, which is operated by JR Central).
• Limited express trains on both JR East and JR Hokkaido lines.
• Local trains on both JR East and JR Hokkaido lines (with some exceptions for “liner” trains).
• BRT buses, which run along the Sanriku Coast.

The full list of lines the pass can be used on is as follows:

• JR EAST (including BRT*)
• JR Hokkaido Lines (Hakodate, Sapporo, Otaru area)
• Izu Kyuko Line
• Tokyo Monorail
• Aoimori Railway Line
• Iwate Galaxy Railway (IGR) Line
• Sendai Airport Transit Line

_{*BRT refers to the Bus Rapid Transit system which runs along the Sanriku Coast.}

Reserved seats can be booked for ordinary cars of the following express trains with through operations between JR EAST and Tobu Railway lines: Nikko, Kinugawa, and SPACIA Kinugawa trains.

You can also use regular trains (including rapid trains) from Shimo-imaichi to Tobu-nikko and Kinugawa-onsen on the Tobu Railway line. Between Kurihashi and Shimo-imaichi, you can only use limited express trains that run through to Tobu Railway.

Important information

• May require a separate fare for travel on non-JR lines within the pass area.
• Gala Yuzawa Station only operates during the winter and spring.​ ​
• You cannot use the South Hokkaido Railway Line.
• Valid for six consecutive calendar days (midnight to midnight) from the date of your choice.
• Exclusively for foreign visitors to Japan (on temporary visitor status).
• Not valid for Japanese residents.
• The age of a child is defined as the age on the date of purchase. A passport or other such document is required to prove a child’s age.
• Children under 6 years old who do not require seat reservations do not need a pass.
• A separate fee is applicable if you wish to use the Green Car or GranClass.
• Youth fares (including student discount) are not offered for this pass.
• You can only use one JR East-South Hokkaido Rail Pass at a time while travelling in Japan.

Where to buy

• Purchase through online or offline travel agents outside of Japan.
• Available at major railway stations and airports within the pass area. If purchased outside Japan or online, collect the physical pass at a JR East Travel Service Center in the pass area.
• Available for purchase on the official JR East website. Pickup options include passport reader-equipped ticket machines.
• Can also be purchased at passport reader-equipped ticket machines within Japan.

For a full list of JR East Travel Service Centers, or for ticket machine locations for collection of passes booked via the official JR East website, the JR East website has a full list of locations and facilities.

How to reserve seats

Free seat reservations available at:

• Seat reservation ticket machines.
• JR ticket offices.
• JR East Train Reservation website (collect physical tickets at a ticket machine or ticket office).

How to use

Insert only your rail pass into the automatic ticket gate. 

Make sure to pick up your rail pass after passing through the gate. The rail pass cannot be reissued even if it is lost or stolen etc.

Value

The pass can be a cost-effective option for travellers visiting southern Hokkaido from Tokyo.

A regular one-way ticket between Tokyo and Sapporo can cost around 28,000 yen, so the pass can offer significant value for those looking to make a round trip.

Even more cost savings can be gained by using the pass for travel on local lines covered by the pass around your destination.

It can be beneficial to plan your journeys on local trains and buses in advance, as this will also help you to determine if you can match, or ideally exceed, the value of the pass with your intended travel.