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.

✅ MORE INFO ABOUT JR PASS HERE

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.

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Tokyo to Sapporo by Train

1. Take the Shinkansen Hayabusa to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station. Travel time: 4.5 hours. Reserved seat fee: ¥11,130 ($100, P5000).
2. 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!

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Osaka to Sapporo by Plane

Flights from Osaka takes around 2 hours. Fares are just a bit pricier.

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Osaka to Sapporo by Train

To get to Sapporo from Osaka, you will need to make a transfer in Tokyo.

1. 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).
2. Take the Shinkansen Hayabusa to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station. Travel time: 4.5 hours. Reserved seat fee: ¥11,130 ($100, P5000).
3. 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.

✅ CHECK JR PASS RATES HERE

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