One-Day Trip from Sapporo City to Noboribetsu Onsen Town - Transportation Guide

Hotel is booked in Sapporo City, planning a one-day trip to Noboribetsu
Attention❗️❗️❗️❗️Suica card and other IC cards cannot be used to travel to Noboribetsu. You need to buy tickets at the JR Sapporo West ticket gate window or operate the self-service machine yourself. You can choose one-way or round-trip (round-trip is a bit cheaper). One-way ticket costs 💰4780 JPY.

🧳There are both non-reserved and reserved seats available. Both are fine, it depends on your preference. The cars for non-reserved and reserved seats are different, remember to look for the car number sign.
❗️❗️You will be given two tickets, both must be scanned when entering the station, see page 3. For round-trip, you will receive 4 tickets at once. Each time you board and sit down, the conductor will check your ticket. 🚶🏼‍♀️When you arrive at Noboribetsu and exit the station, someone at the door will collect your outbound ticket.

🚇Take the Hokuto Limited Express from JR Sapporo Station. See page 2 for notes. Download Google Maps to easily check arrival times and which platform to board. The Hokuto Limited Express has announcements in Chinese, Japanese, and English. The trip takes a little over an hour to reach Noboribetsu.

🚍After arriving at Noboribetsu Station, remember to buy a bus ticket at the self-service machine; tickets cannot be purchased at the window. Prepare coins 🪙 in advance. Take the Donan Bus to the Onsen Town, about 15 minutes. Round-trip costs 💰640 JPY, one-way 330 JPY. Remember to take a timetable.
(Some buses announce stops in Chinese, English, and Japanese, some only in Japanese, so pay attention to your stop, especially on the return trip when it gets dark and it’s harder to see.)

♨️I chose Dai-ichi Takimotokan Onsen, about 5 minutes from Jigokudani (Hell Valley). You can buy a day-use ticket separately, so you don’t have to stay at the hotel to enjoy it~ Just ask the front desk and they will tell you where to buy the day-use ticket.

♨️♨️There are two outdoor sulfur hot springs, and more pools on the second floor indoors, where you can see another side of Jigokudani. For those who get cold easily, try the salt spring; after soaking, your whole body feels silky smooth~

Post by ElizabethMcAllister732 | Sep 22, 2025