# Arriving in Sapporo: the Rapid Airport Train, the Bus, and IC Cards

> How to get from New Chitose Airport into Sapporo: the JR Rapid Airport at 1,230 yen non-reserved, the reserved seats in car 4, the airport buses to the city centre, IC cards and the Sapporo subway day ticket.

- Checked against the official source: 2026-11-04
- Official source: [JR Hokkaido, regular tickets and fares](https://www.jrhokkaido.co.jp/global/english/ticket/regular/index.html)
- Web page: https://travelsmarterasia.com/guides/sapporo-airport-to-city/
- Publisher: Travel Smarter Asia (https://travelsmarterasia.com/about/)
- Some links below are affiliate links (the /go/ addresses). If you buy through one we may earn a commission; it never changes what the guide recommends.

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New Chitose Airport is south-east of Sapporo, so the train or bus into the city takes longer than in most Japanese cities. [Japan's online arrival registration](https://travelsmarterasia.com/guides/japan-visit-japan-web/) is worth doing before you fly. If you are using a rail pass, [whether the JR Pass is worth it](https://travelsmarterasia.com/guides/jr-pass-worth-it/) runs the numbers.

![Infographic, step 1 of 4. Landing at New Chitose? Train or bus to Sapporo. JR Rapid Airport: about 30 to 37 minutes, 1,230 yen non-reserved, 2,230 yen reserved. Airport bus: to Nakajima Park, about 1 hour 50 minutes, from both terminals. The bus takes much longer than the train.](https://travelsmarterasia.com/images/sapporo-airport-to-city-infographic-1.png "Step 1 of 4. Illustration by Travel Smarter Asia.")

## The JR Rapid Airport

JR Hokkaido lists the adult one-way fare from New Chitose Airport to Sapporo as:

- Non-reserved seat: 1,230 yen.
- Reserved seat: 2,230 yen.

For a non-reserved seat, "You can use non-reserved seats with just an IC card." Reserved seats "are available only in car 4", and "A reservation is required". JR Hokkaido sells them through JR-EAST Train Reservation.

The airport puts the journey at "about 30 minutes without transfers". JR Hokkaido's own airport page gives the fastest train as 37 minutes, so allow a little more than half an hour.

![Infographic, step 2 of 4. Rapid Airport seats: tap in, or book car 4. Non-reserved: 1,230 yen, tap an IC card with no ticket needed. Reserved: 2,230 yen, car 4 only, booking required. Book reserved seats through JR-EAST Train Reservation.](https://travelsmarterasia.com/images/sapporo-airport-to-city-infographic-2.png "Step 2 of 4. Illustration by Travel Smarter Asia.")

## The airport bus

Hokuto Kotsu and Hokkaido Chuo Bus run buses direct to Sapporo city centre, with the last stop at Nakajima Park. They leave from the bus stops at both the domestic and international terminals. The airport's sightseeing page puts the bus at about 1 hour 50 minutes to Sapporo Station, against about 40 minutes by train. Fares are not on the airport's page.

Booking a reserved seat or checking the next Rapid Airport is done online. [A Saily eSIM set up before departure](https://travelsmarterasia.com/go/saily) has you connected at New Chitose. If Sapporo follows Tokyo or Seoul, [the same Saily profile takes a plan for each country](https://travelsmarterasia.com/go/saily).

## IC cards

JR Hokkaido says Suica, PASMO, TOICA, manaca, ICOCA, PiTaPa, SUGOCA, nimoca and Hayakaken all work in its Kitaca area, and on the train to and from the airport. The city of Sapporo says its own SAPICA card and those same IC cards work on the subway and streetcar.

![Infographic, step 3 of 4. IC cards work on JR and the Sapporo subway. Accepted in the Kitaca area: Kitaca, Suica, PASMO, TOICA, manaca, ICOCA, PiTaPa, SUGOCA, nimoca and Hayakaken. Sapporo's own SAPICA card also works on the subway and streetcar.](https://travelsmarterasia.com/images/sapporo-airport-to-city-infographic-3.png "Step 3 of 4. Illustration by Travel Smarter Asia.")

## The Sapporo subway day ticket

The city's fare page lists a one-day subway ticket at 830 yen for an adult and 420 yen for a child, and a weekend and holiday ticket, the Donichika, at 520 yen and 260 yen. That page was last updated on 18 February 2021, so check the price at the machine.

## Emergency numbers

The Japan National Tourism Organization lists 110 for police and 119 for fire and ambulance. Its Japan Visitor Hotline, 050-3816-2787, runs 24 hours a day in English, Chinese and Korean.

Travelling south by Shinkansen? [Hakodate's airport buses and streetcar passes](https://travelsmarterasia.com/guides/hakodate-airport-to-city/) cover the other end of Hokkaido.

![Infographic, step 4 of 4. Day tickets and help. Sapporo subway one-day ticket: 830 yen adult. Donichika, weekends and holidays: 520 yen. Emergency: 110 police, 119 fire and ambulance, visitor hotline 050-3816-2787. The city fare page dates from 2021, so check the price at the machine.](https://travelsmarterasia.com/images/sapporo-airport-to-city-infographic-4.png "Step 4 of 4. Illustration by Travel Smarter Asia.")