2 weeks in Hokkaido with the Japan Rail Pass (Part One: Day 0 – 8)

We explored Hokkaido Japan with the Japan rail pass (aka: JR pass) in the Summer of 2018. This time we were 3: myself, C, and C’s mum. The JR pass allows you to travel with almost all JR trains including some bullet (shinkansen) trains in Japan. We bought 14 day passes (£304). Considering that the returning shinkansen train journey between Tokyo and Hakodate (Hokkaido) alone could easily cost around £300, it was worth the money.

I’ll share our 2 week itinerary here and hope it’ll help you when planning your own railway journey to and around Hokkaido.

Day 0: Narita – Tokyo Station – Akihabara – Devil Ramen at Kikanbo Kanda

We landed at Narita airport after 1pm. We spent an hour or so at the airport exchanging our rail pass orders for actual JR passes and booking our shinkansen trains for the next day. With a valid rail pass, you can book the seat on the day of travelling, but I recommend booking your seats early as shinkansen seats can fill up quickly during busy times of the year. JR Narita Express train connects Narita airport and Tokyo city centre, and is covered by the JR pass, but as our JR passes were going to be valid from the next day, we took ‘The Access Narita’ bus ( ¥1000). We stayed in a budget hotel called ‘Olympic Inn’ in Kanda.

The hotel was only 3-4 minutes walk from the station (Kanda) and Tokyo station is only 1 stop away. The triple room we stayed in was clean and spacious and the staff at the hotel were very friendly. We checked in at around 4pm and I went to Akihabara as it was just 7-10 minutes walk from the hotel, just to have a look. Later C and I had dinner at Kikanbo Ramen which happened to be only around the corner from our hotel. We tried their famous spicy ramen. I ordered the ‘spicy miso ramen (¥850)’ with normal spice level. They were so accommodating and exchanged my meat topping to a boiled egg. Really good noodles, nice broth, the level of chilli pepper was just right for me, but sichuan pepper for me was too overpowering.

 

Day 1: Tokyo – (Sendai) – Wanko soba in Morioka – (Hakodate) – Sapporo

We started using our rail pass. Of course we used the rail pass to travel from Kanda station to Tokyo station (only 1 stop and about ¥160!)

Our plan today was to stop at Morioka for lunch and continue our way north to Sapporo where we booked airbnb for 4 nights. Our Yamabiko shinkansen left Tokyo station at 9:24 and arrived at Sendai at 11:14, we quickly changed our trains to Hayabusa shinkansen which left Sendai at 11:41 to Morioka. There are shinkansen trains that go directly from Tokyo to Morioka, but those were all booked up and changing in Sendai was our only option. We arrived at Morioka at 12:20 and headed to a soba restaurant called ‘Yabuya’ which actually was within the station.

Morioka is the main city in Iwate prefecture and known for a traditional Japanese food challenge called ‘wanko soba’ where you will be served lots and lots of small bowls of soba noodles until you tell them to stop. Apparently the ‘real man’ is supposed to be able to consume 100 bowls. C achieved 103 bowls and signed the special book and was given a special wooden certificate. I managed 50, which, I’m sure, is completely acceptable for a real woman.

The all-you-can-eat wanko soba challenge is ¥3000+tax, not cheap, but it was so much fun. Yabuya also has a taster wanko soba for ¥1500+tax (10 small bowls = 1 portion of soba).

After the soba challenge, we had enough time to look around shops and had coffee (all within the station). We left Morioka at 14:37 with Hayabusa shinkansen.

The train crossed the channel via Seikan tunnel and we arrived in Hokkaido, at Shin-Hakodate Hokuto station at 16:34.

We took the 16:55 Super Hokuto train and arrived at Sapporo at 20:33. We bought a box of baked cheese tarts at Kinotoya (6 tarts ¥1080) in Sapporo station and headed to our airbnb. Check in was easy and smooth and the baked cheese tart was out of this world.

Day 2: Hokkaido Museum – Sapporo Beer Museum – Ramen Alley

After enjoying a nice cup of drip coffee at our airbnb, we went to Hokkaido Museum using a local train and a bus, both JR company so we could use our passes. The museum was a little out in the sticks so make sure to check the bus time table if you plan to visit. A nice museum where you can learn the history of Hokkaido and I thought it was an ideal place to start our journey.

After the museum we went back to Sapporo station where I booked our seats on all reserved seat trains for our entire 2 weeks journey. From Sapporo station, we took a bus (¥210 with Chuo bus company, not JR!) to Sapporo Beer Museum.

The museum itself is free which is nice, but let’s be honest, it was all about beer tasting. At ‘Star Hall’, you can taste 3 kinds of Sapporo beer, each representing a different period in Sapporo beer history. It was probably the tastiest history lesson I’ve ever had. A beer tasting set comes with a small snack bag and costs ¥600. Soft drinks are only ¥100.

We then took a bus (¥210) to Odori park, and because it was raining we used Sapporo’s famous underground shopping street to reach Susukino. Sapporo Ramen Alley is right in the centre of Susukino entertainment district and easy to find.

After going up and down the alley a few times, we decided to try out ‘Kumakichi’. A tiny place that fits only about 9 people; broth tasty, noodles perfect. We had lots of ramens in this Hokkaido trip, but Kumakichi was hands down the No.1. C had Butter Corn Ramen (¥1000) and I had Vegetarian Ramen (¥850).

• 

• 

Day 3: A day trip to Otaru and Kaitakushi beer at Sapporo Factory

Otaru is a small harbour city about 40km north west of Sapporo. There are many trains that connect Sapporo and Otaru, and the journey takes only half an hour. As we’re all jet lagged and tired, rather than rushing to catch a certain train, we had a relaxed morning and booked our seats after arriving at Sapporo station. You can of course go straight to the platform and hop on the non-reserved car, but the reserved seats are so much more comfortable and I highly recommend it (also does not cost extra for JR pass holders).

From Otaru station, we took a bus (Chuo bus company, ¥220) to the Eastern end of Sakaimachidori shopping street, we then leisurely walked our way back to the station, looking at shops and admiring iconic Meiji architecture and the famous canal.

Our returning train’s reserved seat car was already full, so we went to the non-reserved car which was just a normal local train, this was when I realised how much better the reserved seats were on these particular trains.

We arrived back at our airbnb at around 6pm. C and his mum were tired, so I went out again by myself to Sapporo Factory, a large entertainment and shopping complex which was only a few minutes walk from our airbnb. I wanted to sample the beer called Sapporo Kaitakushi (pioneer) at the brewery inside Sapporo Factory. The Kaitakushi beer recreates the flavour crafted at the time of the factory’s founding around 1870s and can only be tasted in 3 places in Sapporo: the museum, the brewery and ‘Bier Keller’ pub also within Sapporo Factory. Kaitakushi was my favourite out of 3 Sapporo beers I tried at the museum yesterday and I wanted to taste it again right where it’s made.

The bar next to the brewery is a lovely little place and a glass of beer cost ¥250. If you just want a couple of beer in a more casual, cafe-like environment, I think this is a better place as the Bier Keller pub appears to have table service and more expensive.

On my way home, I bought some rice balls and bento boxes from a supermarket and we had dinner at the airbnb.

Day 4: Strolling through Sapporo city and amazing soup curry

This was already our last full day in Sapporo. We started the day with the famous clock tower which was very much under construction.

We then walked to the former Hokkaido government office building which was built in the second half of the 1800s after Sapporo was chosen as the capital of Hokkaido.

We headed to Sapporo station where I booked the sightseeing bus tour for Furano (Day 11) and we enjoyed the creamy and refreshing Hokkaido milk ice cream (¥380) at ‘Cafe Norte’ in Sapporo station.

Then we went up in Sapporo TV tower. Observation deck admission fee is ¥750 and you may be able to get 10% off either with a web coupon or a TV tower brochure which can be found in your hotel or tourist information centre. The view was pretty good even on this cloudy day.

• 

• 

We then strolled through the Odori park and ate corn on the cob (¥300). If you come to Hokkaido in summer, you MUST, MUST have corn on the cob, it’s just fantastic!

We then walked to Nishi Yon-chome streetcar stop which is probably the nearest streetcar stop from Odori park. We bought a ‘Dosanko pass’ (day pass for Sapporo streetcars) from the driver. Dosanko pass costs ¥360, knowing that a single journey costs ¥200, this is a good deal. However, it is only available on weekends and public holidays. Sapporo streetcar is a loop line, so we just sat in a cute little car and watched the world go by.

A quick research in the morning told us we should have soup curry in Sapporo, and that was our next destination. After completing a full circle on a streetcar (probably took about an hour?), we got off at Shisekan Shogakko-mae stop (one stop after Susukino) and went to a restaurant called ‘Rojiura Curry Samurai’. I will be writing more about this place in a separate post, so for now, I will just say that it was DELICIOUS and I highly, highly, recommend this place.

After the dinner, we went to MacDonald’s in Susukino and enjoyed the night view with a cup of coffee (¥100, C had a ¥200 pork burger).

We took a streetcar back to Nishi Yon-chome and then walked to our airbnb.

Day 5: Sake brewery and tasty sake ice cream – Sapporo to Kushiro

We packed out things, made sure our airbnb was tidy enough and checked out at around 10:30.

Our train to Kushiro was at 14:16, so we spent our early afternoon exploring the area near our airbnb. Chitosetsuru is a sake brewery and has a lovely shop and a small cafe. We tried the sake ice cream (¥300) which was super tasty. We also bought a small Chitosetsuru sake to try out (¥217).

After a brief visit to the Nijyo market and a quick rest at a shrine, we headed to Sapporo station. In the station, we looked at some souvenir shops, bought some rice balls and a ekiben (a station bento box), and soon it was time for our train – the limited express Super Ozora. We enjoyed the views and our food.

• 

• 

• 

The train arrived at Kushiro at 18:39, the sky was already darkening. We stayed at Super Hotel which was practically next to the train station.

It was Sunday and everything was shut in Kushiro. So, C and I walked to the entertainment (or drinking?) quarter about 10 minutes away from the hotel and had a bowl of ramen (¥700).

Back at the hotel, we tried the Chitosetsuru sake we bought earlier, it was smooth and refreshing, we all enjoyed it.

Day 6: Train ride across the wetland – Kushiro Shitsugen Wetland – DIY seafood rice bowl at Washo fish market

The hotel had a communal hot spring bath on the ground floor. I started every morning with a quick dip in the natural hot spring bath before breakfast.

Kushiro is very well known for Tancho cranes and Kushiro Shitsugen Wetland. JR’s Norokko train is a special observation train that goes through this wetland at a slower speed so the passengers can enjoy the great scenery. It is also fully covered by JR pass. We first took the 11:06 Norokko to Toro station, the furthest stop you can go with Norokko. The journey takes about an hour.

From Toro, we took the 12:17 Norokko back to Kushiro Shitsugen station which was only a 15-20 minutes journey. We got off the train and enjoyed the beautiful nature, the tastiest air and a small hike up to Hoso-oka observatory where we saw the panoramic view of Kushiro Shitsugen wetland and Kushiro river.

There also is a visitor’s centre where you can rest, buy souvenirs, use toilets or have a quick bite. From Kushiro Shitsugen station, walk to the observatory takes about 15 minutes and 5 minutes to the visitor’s centre.

We took the 15:10 Norokko and arrived back at Kushiro station at 15:36. I believe this was the last Norokko towards Kushiro station. We then headed to Washo fish market where C had a ‘katte don’ – you buy a bowl of rice and then walk around the various stalls and fill your bowl with your choice of toppings (mainly sashimi raw fish).

It was a fun experience for all of us and C enjoyed his fresh seafood bowl.

After the fish market, C and his mum went back to the hotel. I walked to Nusamai bridge to enjoy the night view.

Day 7: Tancho Crane Reserve

It really was C’s mum who gave us the idea of going to Hokkaido. She grew interests in Hokkaido and Tancho cranes during the past couple of years and has been wanting to see Tancho ever since.

So today was the day; we were going to Kushiro City Red-crowned Crane Natural Park (Tancho crane reserve).

We took the 10:15 bus with Akan bus company. We bought our tickets at the bus station which was almost attached to our hotel and the bus left from just outside the bus station. The ticket cost ¥910 and the journey takes about 50 minutes. The stop is called ‘Tsuru-koen (Crane Park)’, a few minutes after Kushiro airport.

Tancho crane reserve is a small site and the birds are in large fenced enclosures and feels a little contrived, but visitors can see Tancho cranes throughout the year and the aim of the centre is the protection of this endangered bird.

The entrance fee is ¥470. We actually did manage to see wild Tancho cranes a few times from trains and buses since arriving in Kushiro, but still, it was nice to have the opportunity to see this beautiful bird up close.

We took the 13:31 bus back to Kushiro station. We bought the ticket from the driver. The drivers don’t give you change, but they have a machine that changes your note into small coins so you can pay the driver the exact fee… (strange.)

After arriving back at Kushiro station, C’s mum and I walked to the waterfront. We strolled around and had a look around the shopping centre called ‘Fisherman’s wharf Moo’, not much going on, but good for souvenir shopping. There is a post office inside and C’s mum bought some stamps there.

Day 8: Leaving Kushiro – Lake Mashu – Abashiri

I enjoyed my 3 nights stay at Super Hotel in Kushiro. Our triple room was tiny beyond tiny, but clean and we managed just fine. I enjoyed the hotspring, breakfast, free coffee and excellent location (right next to both train and bus stations!)

We were heading to Abashiri today, but decided to visit lake Mashu on our way. We took the 8:57 JR Senmo line, a cute single car train with retro feel and absolutely no space for large bags.

We arrived at Mashu station at 10:11. We knew there was a bus that connects Mashu station and lake Mashu, and were going to just buy a single or return ticket. However, we were told at the station that they only sell a 2 days bus pass (¥1500). I thought it was ridiculous, but since the bus was just about to leave (10:30), we decided to go for it. The pass however, included free baggage storage service at the station. Knowing that these services usually cost around ¥600 per bag, the pass was not such a bad deal after all.

Free from our suitcases and backpacks, we hopped on the bus. The journey to lake Mashu observation deck 1 took about half an hour. It was chilly and raining, but the souvenir shop/cafe kept us dry and entertained and lake Mashu and its surroundings were absolutely beautiful.

We took the 14:10 bus back to Mashu station. You really don’t need over 2 hours at lake Mashu. We were simply bound by the bus time table, but we were also glad as staying longer allowed us to catch the moments when clouds were temporally lifted from the lake.

The next JR Senmo train to Abashiri was at 15:31 and we had nearly an hour to kill at Mashu station, but that was not a problem as there was a free foot hotspring bath right outside the station! We had brought small towels, but if you don’t have any, towels can be purchased at the station for around ¥200.

We arrived at Abashiri at 17:17. Our hotel was Toyoko Inn and right in front of the station! This time we had a really spacious and comfortable triple room.

• 

• 

There weren’t too many restaurants in the area, so we had our dinner at ‘Sukiya’ across the street. Sukiya is a large chain of beef bowl restaurants, but they have large selection of side dishes and can actually be quite suitable for vegetarians too, and really cheap. A regular beef bowl is ¥350.

Continue to Part Two (Day 9 – 14)