Hokkaido travel and Hayabusa bullet train

Hi Andrew,

Yes - for a trip as you describe your JR Pass will cover all your JR travel costs within Hokkaido, and also your trip down from Hokkaido to Tokyo without additional cost. The Japan Rail Pass is fully valid for the Hayabusa shinkansen too, so you'll be able to travel down Honshu in the fastest bullet train currently running in Japan! (please note all Hayabusa seats are reservation only - reservations are free for JR Pass holders, so be sure to make one!)

If your child is 5 or under, they do not need to purchase any ticket and can travel for free on all JR trains. They may use adjacent seating, however must give it up if a fare paying passenger needs it or has reserved it.

You can find more on Children JR Passes here.

Hope this helps!

Dear Mari,

Thanks for the reply. Just a few more questions about the Hayabusa and restrictions:

• For Hayabusa, where do I make reservation, online? or a few days before at the JR pass counters?
• From Hakodate to Tokyo, I understand Hayabusa Shinkansen starts from Shin-Aomori. How do I travel from Hakodate to Shin-Aomori?
• There are restriction of JR pass on Nozomi/Mizuho, it will not affect my route from Hakodate to Tokyo, right?

Ask away! :)

Here are some answers for you:

1. For Hayabusa you can make your seat reservations as normal at the JR counter. You can also make them online using the JR-East reservation service before you leave for Japan, however this is not generally necessary for this line and will require you to use a Credit Card (charged if you don't pick up the reserved tickets 1 day in advance of travel). I recommend you reserve a few days before travel at the JR counter with your JR Pass.

2. From Hakodate to shin-Aomori you'll need to use the JR Super-Hakucho express. Here's a sample itinerary. It's quite a funky looking train!

3. The Nozomi/Mizuho restriction is only applicable on the Tokaido and Sanyo shinkansen and will not apply to your travel.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the interesting pix of Super Hakucho