Sapporo to Asahikawa by JR Train 2026: S-Kippu & Booking Guide
Heading to Biei from Sapporo? The JR train is your best bet! Learn about the express services, discount tickets like S-Kippu, and how to make your journey smooth and affordable.
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Heading to Biei from Sapporo? The JR train is your best bet! Learn about the express services, discount tickets like S-Kippu, and how to make your journey smooth and affordable.
If you're planning a Sapporo-Biei tour,
you'll usually take a limited express train to Asahikawa Station
and then pick up a rental car.
While the bus from Sapporo to Asahikawa takes over 2 hours,
it's definitely best to hop on a JR train.
On the JR limited express line, you'll find both the Kamui and the Lilac,
and you can choose either – they'll both get you there!
If you're already a proud owner of a JR Pass, your journey is free,
but a regular one-way ticket costs about ~$31,
and a round trip will set you back a whopping ~$62.
But here's a savvy traveler's tip: if you grab a discount ticket like S-Kippu or Tokudane,
you can travel round trip for ~$28 to ~$41.
If your Hokkaido adventure primarily focuses on exploring the areas around Sapporo, like Furano, Biei, or Otaru, and more,
a JR Pass might be far more beneficial, so it's a great idea to compare your options!
S-Kippu
Think of the S-Kippu as a round-trip discount ticket for unreserved seats.
While it's for unreserved seats, you'll find that not too many people are heading all the way to Asahikawa,
so you can almost always snag a seat comfortably.
No need for a special reservation – just pick one up at the Sapporo Station ticket counter or
from an automatic ticket machine. It'll cost you
a little over ~$35 for a round trip.
Just so you know, I personally went for Tokudane instead of S-Kippu,
and snagged an even cheaper round trip for ~$28.
I'll spill all the details on how to do that further down!
Tokudane
As I just mentioned, the S-Kippu can be purchased at Sapporo Station without any prior reservation,
even on the day you travel, but keep in mind its validity period is
limited to 6 days.
Tokudane, however, is a special discount product conceived by Eki-net, Japan's train website,
and it's available exclusively for online reservations through their website.
And here's the best part: it offers incredible discounts of up to 60%!
The catch is that reservations open exactly one month before your travel date,
and because the discount is so fantastic, these tickets can get snapped up fast, often selling out
quickly on a first-come, first-served basis.
Booking
The site you see above is Eki-net,
the official hub for all your Japanese train bookings.
First things first, you'll want to sign up for an account.
For the contact number, I just put in the details of any random hotel.
It's crucial to enter both your departure and arrival stations in Japanese.
You'll find discounts on both one-way and round-trip tickets,
but for ease, I went for the round-trip.
It might look like the unreserved seats are the cheaper option at first glance,
Since the non-reserved seats don't include the basic fare ticket,
the total cost ends up being the same as a regular ticket.
For the reserved seat package that includes both the basic fare and express ticket,
it means that listed price covers everything,
you can book a one-way ticket with a 60% discount for 2,170 JPY.
I booked about two weeks before my travel date, and luckily, there were still seats available!
Most people purchase the S-Kippu non-reserved seats,
so the reserved seats are usually quite spacious.
(Reserved and non-reserved seats are in different train cars.)
If you're having trouble moving to the next page at this point,
try turning off your browser's automatic translation feature and trying again.
If you register your credit card and pay in advance,
they'll send you a voucher by email.
Now, you'll need to exchange that voucher's QR code
for a physical ticket.
After tapping 'QR Code Ticketing' on the screen,
scan your QR code below, and it will issue your paper ticket.
Just insert this ticket into the ticket gate when you enter,
and once again when you exit – and you're all set!
If you don't have a fixed itinerary or schedule,
find this too complicated, or just aren't sure,
it's not a bad idea to simply purchase your tickets
from the Klook page below... hehe.
Book Sapporo-Asahikawa Train Tickets
My Boarding Experience
The train to Asahikawa departs from Platform 9.
Always double-check the electronic display board to confirm it's the right one.
For the Kamuy train, cars 1 and 2 are non-reserved,
while cars 3, 4, and 5 are reserved.
For the Lilac train, cars 2, 3, and 4 are reserved,
and cars 5 and 6 are non-reserved.
It was the season when the Demon Slayer movie was released,
so the train was decorated with Zenitsu! Haha.
Both the reserved and non-reserved cars have identical seating.
The conditions are similar to Korea's KTX trains.
Above, there's space for luggage,
and in front of the seats, you'll find a bag hook and a table.
I absolutely loved that the window blinds
could be individually adjusted for each seat.
Why doesn't the KTX do that...?
When you arrive at Asahikawa Station,
you'll need to return your ticket when you exit through the turnstiles,
so make sure not to forget it!
If your itinerary to Asahikawa is already set,
I highly recommend using Tokudane, which is cheaper than the S-Kippu,
for an affordable trip!
S-Kippu is a non-reserved seat round-trip discount ticket that can be issued on the same day at Sapporo Station ticket counters or vending machines, costing a little over ~$35 for a round trip. Tokudane, on the other hand, is a reserved seat discount product that can only be booked online through Ekinet, offering up to a 60% discount and available for purchase for around ~$28 round-trip. Tokudane can be booked starting one month before the travel date and may sell out quickly on a first-come, first-served basis.
After registering as a member on the Ekinet Japan train reservation website, you can book reserved seat products by entering the departure and arrival stations in Japanese. The author booked a one-way ticket for 2,170 yen, paid by credit card, and exchanged the QR code from the email voucher for a physical ticket.
A regular JR limited express train ticket costs approximately ~$31 for a one-way trip and about ~$62 for a round trip. Using discount tickets like S-Kippu or Tokudane allows you to ride for ~$28 to ~$41 round-trip, which is cheaper than regular tickets.
For the Kamui train, cars 1 and 2 are non-reserved seats, and cars 3, 4, and 5 are reserved seats. For the Lilac train, cars 2, 3, and 4 are reserved seats, while cars 5 and 6 are non-reserved seats.
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