Tokyo > Hokkaido > Tokyo

Hi there,

Really nice itinerary you are making there! Seems you plan you travelling a lot.

1, 2 & 4) The trip from Tokyo to Sapporo is about 10 hours if you do it straight, this is a really long period to be in a train, even with all the comfort that trains in Japan offer. I have made a similar trip in the past and the night train really is the way to go if you want to have some time in Hokkaido. In your case I would take the Hamanasu and go to Sapporo first because the arrival time in Hakodate would be really early (around 1 am). After Sapporo you can take a day train to Hakodate, it is about a 200minute ride, the view is very pleasant and you can order a delicious bento box for in the train.
The trip from Hakodate back to Tokyo might be a bit more tricky if you want to take the Hamanasu again, because it leaves Hakodate at 3.22 a.m. Instead of this, consider taking a late noon train from Hakodate to Aomori on your last day there and stay the night in Aomori, you can resume your journey to Tokyo the next day by Shinkansen, which takes about 4 hours.

3.) About the Hamanasu, I am not sure where you get the 6 minutes from. Do you mean the transfer time you will have when you take the Hayate 39? The 6 minute transfer is certainly possible but if you are worried about missing your connection you can always take an earlier train from Tokyo. The Hayate 37 leaves Tokyo at 17:56 and arriving in Shin-Aomori at 21:28 giving you ample time to transfer. See here for the timetable.

If you are worried about reserving your Nobi Nobi seat on the Hamanasu, the best thing to do is exchange your rail pass the first day in Japan and make reservations at the same time even if you set your first day of use on a later day. In your case this is about two weeks in advance of your travels and is more than enough time.

Just in case plan A does not work out for you, you can always use plan B and go for the Non-reserved seat. This is just a regular seat and may be harder to sleep in but you would not have to change your itinerary or pay more. If you can sleep in the air plane you then you should be able to sleep in the normal seat as well. I have seen many Japanese do it themselves.

The Hamanasu has both Nobi Nobi and Dream seats, both can be reserved for free with a JR-Pass.

Hope this helps with your planning and let me know if you have more questions!
-Daniel

Hi Daniel-san,

About the trip from Hakodate back to Tokyo, because accommodation in Aomori is quite expensive, I have decide to take a morning train back to Tokyo instead.

HAKODATE 07:24
LTD. EXP SUPER HAKUCHO 20
SHIN-AOMORI 09:26

16 Minutes to change train.

SHIN-AOMORI 09:42
SHINKANSEN HAYATE 20
TOKYO 13:08

Is this feasible? Is 16 minutes more than enough to move from one platform to the other?
(I have no idea how big SHIN-AOMORI station will be, so I'll like to seek some advice on this)

Thanks!

Hi ifgma,

The transfer at Shin-Aomori is a rather smooth transfer. When you leave your train go to the Shinkansen transfer gate, show your rail-pass and proceed to the next leg of your trip. I have only done it once but it is nothing to worry about.I think 5 minutes is enough so with 16 you have nothing to worry about (and you can grab a coffee or Eki-bento while you are at it).

Enjoy your trip!
Daniel