By train, it takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes to travel from New Chitose Airport to Asahikawa, with one transfer at Sapporo Station.
It takes about 10 hours to travel from Tokyo to Asahikawa, with 2 transfers. If you are still interested or if you plan to do some sightseeing in Japan, continue reading to the end.
Contents
How to Travel from New Chitose Airport to Asahikawa
Traveling by train from New Chitose Airport (CTS) to Asahikawa takes about 2 hours and 15 to 30 minutes, with one seamless transfer at Sapporo Station.
Step 1: Buying or Picking up Tickets at New Chitose Airport Station
- The JR New Chitose Airport Station is located on the B1 floor of the Domestic Terminal.
Required Tickets: You will need two types of tickets (or a combined ticket): a Base Ticket (乗車券) covering New Chitose Airport to Asahikawa, and a Limited Express Ticket (特急券) for the Sapporo to Asahikawa segment.
All-Reserved Seats Warning: All JR Hokkaido Limited Express trains (including Lilac and Kamui) are all-reserved seating (全車指定席). There are no non-reserved (free-seating) cars, so you must secure a seat reservation before boarding.
Where to Get Your Tickets:
Reserved Seat Vending Machines (指定席券売機): Located near the station entrance. Select "English" on the touch screen. You can use these machines to either buy new tickets (select destination, pick seats, pay with credit card/cash) or pick up pre-booked eki-net tickets (by scanning your QR code or inserting your credit card).
JR Ticket Office (みどりの窓口): Located next to the gates. Go here if you require human assistance from the station staff, such as when using special rail passes for tourists or if you encounter any issues with the vending machines.
Using IC Cards: While you can tap IC cards (Suica, Kitaca, etc.) for the Rapid Airport train between the airport and Sapporo, purchasing paper tickets for the entire route (Airport to Asahikawa) is the simplest approach for most travelers.
Step 2: Transferring at Sapporo Station
Boarding the Rapid Airport: Take the "Rapid Airport" (快速エアポート) train from New Chitose Airport to Sapporo Station (approx. 37–40 minutes).
No Gate Exit Required: When you arrive at Sapporo Station, do not exit through the ticket gates. You can transfer directly on the platforms inside the station.
Finding Your Express Train: Check the electronic departure boards for the Limited Express Lilac or Kamui bound for Asahikawa. These trains usually depart from Platforms 9 or 10.
Boarding: Look at your ticket for your Car Number (号車) and Seat Number. Floor markings and overhead displays on the platform will show you where to queue for your specific car. The express train ride from Sapporo to Asahikawa takes about 1 hour and 25 minutes.
Booking via eki-net: What You Need to Know
If you book your Limited Express ticket by the day before your departure via JR's official online reservation website (eki-net), you can get a significant discount on the fare. However, there are a few important caveats for international travelers to keep in mind:
Credit Card Issues: Eki-net enforces strict 3D-Secure authentication. Many overseas credit cards are frequently declined by the system. It is highly recommended to have multiple credit cards ready, or check with your bank regarding 3D-Secure support.
Physical Ticket Collection Mandatory: Digital QR codes or smartphone screens cannot be used to pass ticket gates. You must print physical paper tickets before boarding. You can conveniently pick up your pre-booked tickets at the Reserved Seat Vending Machines (指定席券売機) at JR New Chitose Airport Station by simply scanning the QR code issued after your purchase (or by inserting the credit card used for booking).
Limited Availability: The discounted tickets are limited in number per train and sell out quickly.
Operating Hours: As mentioned in the "Where to book your tickets" section, eki-net is NOT available 24/7.
Getting Around Japan (General Travel)
It is important to know which stations to get on and off. Google Maps generally works but it does not always show the best route, but it should be fine for our use cases. Japanese people sometimes use different software/website to search for their commute route, prioritizing time or costs. You can use NAVITIME as a starter to search for routes.
Train companies
Except for some metro systems that are run by the prefectures/cities (like Tokyo's Toei subway), pretty much all train companies are private. The old national railway (旧国鉄) was privatized in the 1980s to improve service quality but mainly to crush railroad worker's union. Today, major long distance train companies are the JRs (Japan Railway): JR East, JR West, JR Central, JR Kyushu, JR Shikoku, JR Hokkaido. For example, if you travel from Tokyo to Asahikawa, you will pass through JR East and JR Hokkaido area, and a paper ticket is required (see below for more details). But if you travel from Osaka to Tokyo via Shinkansen, the only rail company involved is JR Central, because JR Central is manages Tokaido Shinkansen, and in this case, you can book your ticket online and have it linked to a Suica or ICOCA (so you can tap your IC transportation card to pass the ticket gates) or print a paper ticket at the machines. In general, when traveling for a distance more than 100km, it may not be possible to use the same IC transportation card across different JR companies' areas. See this map for areas under different JR companies' control.
Fares
The ticket price is fixed throughout the year. Although you may find early bird discounts for limited express ticket when you book online, they tend to get sold out quickly.
There are also many other things to watch out. It's best to explain this like a case study. Let's start with simple cases.
Assuming you are traveling in Tokyo, you may buy a ticket or purchase your favorite IC transportation card, top up with cash, then tap it at the ticket gates. Unlike New York City, you must tap once when entering the station and once when exiting the station. If you choose to buy a ticket at the vending machine, the vending machines have a multilingual interface but you need to use cash. You can only a credit card to pay when you buy an express ticket or a monthly commuter pass.
In Japan, it costs extra to board a fast train. There is a base ticket (乗車券) (also called basic fare ticket by some companies), which covers the fare to your destination. But if you need to board a Shinkansen or limited express, you have to have a separate ticket "to be fast", which is called limited express ticket (特急券). There are two types of limited express ticket: one with free seating (自由席), one with reserved seating (指定席). When you reserve your seat, you are guaranteed a seat on that train. With a free seating ticket (which is slightly cheaper), you can just find an empty seat and sit on it. Shinkansen and limited express trains cars are divided into free seating cars and reserved seating cars, although all limited express in Hokkaido and some faster Shinkansen with fewer stops abolished free seating. Another difference between them is that free seating ticket is valid for the whole day, while reserved seating ticket is only valid for that specific train departs at that specific time. In high seasons, it can become so crowded that it's very hard to board a Shinkansen with your free seating ticket, waiting in line for hours on the platform. So, if your trip schedule is tight or you are in a hurry, get a reserved seat.
But there are some special cases. If you travel from Narita Airport to Tokyo, you have a few choices. Keisei Line (run by Keisei) has a Skyliner (limited express with reserved seats) that goes to Ueno station in 35min. Keisei Line also has other types of trains with bench seating that does not require a separate limited express ticket. Keisei has a different rule or philosophy on limited express tickets than JR: you only need to pay more to reserve a seat on Skyliner. On the other hand, you can also use JR to go from Narita Airport to Tokyo station or Shinjuku station: the limited express that runs this route is called Narita Express, and like Skyliner, does not have free seating either. Otherwise, using the Narita Line and Sobu Line rapid service does not require a limited express but may require the hassle of transfers. Using JR is useful for people with a JR rail pass (see below).
To ride the Shinkansen, you also need a base ticket and a limited express ticket. But if you book your tickets online, you have the option to link the tickets to your IC transportation card: it's called Shinkansen e-ticket. In this case, you can tap your IC transportation card at the ticket gates, without the need to print out the tickets at the vending machine. If you choose to print out the paper tickets, for Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen, the base ticket and the limited express ticket will be combined into one ticket if the departure and destination are the same on both the base ticket and the limited express ticket. This information is important because some beginner tourists often don't know what to do with their tickets at the Shinkansen ticket gates (see below for how to pass a ticket gate).
Rail Pass
JR offers rail passes to foreign tourists. This is not very useful during Debcamp and Debconf, but if you plan to do some sightseeing and get around using JR before or after Debcamp/Debconf, it might be useful.
JR rail pass is valid for 7, 14, or 21 days. Each company also has their own regional rail passes available. See https://japanrailpass.net/en/about_jrp/ for details.
Disability
You should ask for assistance of station staff if you need any. They will happily help you.
However, getting the disability discount is difficult. In most cases, although implementation details are different with different companies, you must have established residency in Japan and have a valid certificate of disability (障害者手帳) and travel for more than 100km one-way to be eligible for the disability discount of 50%, and this discount only applies to the base ticket, not the limited express ticket. Some companies in west Japan requires a caregiver to travel with the person to be eligible for disability discount. It is very much dehumanizing.
Ticket Office
A ticket office of JR is also called Green Window (みどりの窓口) in Japanese, literally.
Travel from Tokyo to Asahikawa
It will be a long journey of 10~11 hours of train ride with 2 transfers. If you plan to finish it in one day, you should depart in the morning. Booking tickets in advance (4 weeks before travel) is recommended, as August and September are travel high seasons and reserved seats tend to get sold out quickly, especially for faster Shinkansen trains with fewer stops, like Hayabusa(はやぶさ). Still, it would be possible to buy tickets at a ticket office at Tokyo station, at the expense of traveling on a slower Shinkansen with more stops, or 1 more transfer in Morioka.
Tohoku - Hokkaido Shinkansen (東北-北海道新幹線): start from Tokyo station. You will pass two gates before arriving at the Shinkansen platform: the first one is the gate for everyone, the second one is the gate for Shinkansen. Bringing your lunch is recommended, as a last minute resort you can buy bento (eki-ben 駅弁, although expensive these days) on the platform or riceballs and drinks at a convenience store on the platform. You should arrive at the platform ready to board at least 5 min before the scheduled departure time. You should arrive at Shinhakodate-Hokuto at noon.
Limited Express Hokuto (特急北斗): after arriving at Shinhakodate-Hokuto, you should follow the sign for limited express and local train (在来線乗り換え), take the escalator/elevator/stairs up, keep right, pass the Shinkansen ticket gate on the right, not on the left (if you pass the ticket gate on the left, you will exit the station and void your remaining part of the base ticket). By passing the ticket gate on the right, you are able to transfer to the limited express and local train platforms without exiting the station. This train will take you to Sapporo in the afternoon.
Limited Express Kamui or Lilac (特急カムイ/ライラック): either train can take you from Sapporo to Aasahikawa, and it takes about 84~90 min.
- After arriving in Asahikawa: congratulations, you made it! You should check-in with your hotel first before going to the Debconf front desk, to avoid having to drag your luggage all the way back and forth.
FAQ
How to pass a ticket gate
Shinkansen
You will have to insert both tickets (the base ticket and the limited express ticket) at the gates at the same time, one on top of another. Sometimes, the base ticket and the limited express ticket are combined into one ticket, so you just put that combined ticket in. If you bought the tickets on eki-net and linked the Shinkansen e-ticket to a IC transportation card, you only need to tap your IC card at the gates.
If you travel within one JR area (e.g. Tokyo to Sendai), it's possible to only purchase the limited express ticket and use the IC transportation card balance (called "SF balance") to automatically pay for the base ticket. In this case, you should tap your IC card first, then insert the limited express ticket at the gates.
Other trains
You only need to insert the base ticket or tap your IC transportation card. For non-Shinkansen limited express, it's not necessary to insert the limited express ticket, unless a station staffer wants to see your ticket or instructs you to. A train conductor may ask you to show your limited express ticket.
Where to book your tickets
If your long distance travel (more than 100km) includes riding the Shinkansen (also called super-express) or limited express, it is recommended but not required to book your ticket in advanced. You may purchase the ticket at the station, but in some cases, seats for reserved seating on Shinkansen or limited express can be already sold out. Some popular limit express train lines sold out quickly.
Assuming you start your trip from any station in the JR East or Hokkaido area, you should use this for most information you need and this to book the tickets. Tickets are on sale 30 days before the departure date. It is not possible to book a round-trip ticket.
The booking system eki-net is not 24h available: only available from 5:00 to 23:50 and 0:10 to 1:50. There is regular (i.e. everyday) maintenance.
Can you eat or drink on a train?
It depends. No eating on commuter trains for certain, but you may drink water to rehydrate. You are allowed to eat or drink on a mid-long distance train, e.g. Shinkansen or limited express. As a rule of thumb, if the train has seats facing (or opposite) the direction the train is going, and you are sitting on those seats it is OK to eat on train. If the seats on train is like benches, then it's a commuter train and no eating.
If you missed your train
If you missed your train, your reserved seat ticket would become invalid. However, your base ticket would still be valid for 2~4 days from the original departure date, depending on the length of the trip. Free seating ticket is valid throughout the date of travel, so you just need to wait for the next train.