The most memorable thing from the Bali trip i took in July 2017 was that we missed the return flight to Singapore and since the visit to Hokkaido was a month later; you can't blame me for being extra careful to ensure we reach New Chitose airport way ahead of time!
Even before i departed for Hokkaido, i was still thinking if i should move to a hotel nearing the airport should the train unfortunately breaks down but i am betting on Japan's strict culture on punctuality and reliability that the Japan Rail (JR) would operate smoothly.
To purchase the JR train ticket from Sapporo to New Chitose airport, just drop by the ticket counter at the JR station in Sapporo; you wouldn't miss it as the counters were housed in a room of its own.
Approach any of the staff members on duty if you have any question as you would be surprised how good their English is. In my case, i managed to get the train timetable in English.
No thanks to Bali; we opted for a departure that would allow us to reach four hours before our flight at 11.15 am! And given the amount of luggage we had, i thought having a reserved seat (priced at 1,590 yen an adult) would be beneficial. p.s. it's not a bullet train by the way
More on the train journey would be shared in a later posting when i get to day 8 of my Hokkaido trip. I am hoping to complete it before August as it would still be summer in Japan!
For those who chanced upon this posting and would like to know more on what we did at Hokkaido in summer last year, click here for the details!