JR Hokkaido and JR East will release “Hokkaido & East Japan Pass” and “Hokkaido & East Japan Pass Hokkaido Line Express Option Ticket” for fiscal year 2023. The three periods of use are from March 1 to April 22 (spring season), July 1 to September 30 (summer season), and December 10 to January 10 (winter season).
The “Hokkaido & Higashi-Nihon Pass” allows unlimited rides for seven consecutive days on ordinary and rapid trains on JR Hokkaido and JR Higashi-Nihon lines (including BRT), as well as on Aoimori Railway Line, Iwate Galaxy Railway Line, and Hokuhoku Line. The fare portion is not available on express trains including the Shinkansen, but only on the Hokkaido Shinkansen (Shin-Aomori Station to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station), passengers can purchase a specific express ticket separately and use the ticket between stations within the section.
The “Hokkaido & Higashi-Nihon Pass Hokkaido Line Limited Express Option Ticket” allows you to board any number of unreserved ordinary-car seats on JR Hokkaido limited express trains (empty ordinary-car reserved seats on the Hokkaido Shinkansen) for one day only if you are in possession of a valid “Hokkaido & Higashi-Nihon Pass”. It is not possible to use the Pass for ordinary car reserved seats, Green Car, or Grand Class, including the fare portion. Unlike the “Hokkaido & East Japan Pass,” the optional ticket is not available from August 1 to 19 and December 28 to January 6, even during the period of use.
© Source travel watch