[From Sapporo to Hakodate] A comparison of JR, express bus, airplane, and car! - Part 5 Hokkaido Lab ~A comprehensive Hokkaido travel guide to enjoy gourmet food, nature, and culture~

[From Sapporo to Hakodate] We compared JR trains, express buses, airplanes, and cars!

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: Last updated: September 21, 2018

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5. Traveling between Sapporo and Hakodate by car (private car or rental car)

　Benefits

　Drawbacks

　Highway or local roads?

5. Traveling between Sapporo and Hakodate by car (private car or rental car)

Hokkaido Road Image

Benefits

When traveling in Hokkaido, owning your own car or renting one is absolutely essential. The biggest appeal is the freedom it offers. If you truly want to enjoy a leisurely trip, there's no reason to exclude owning your own car or renting one.

The tranquil coastline of Funka Bay and the clear blue horizon as you travel from Sapporo towards Hakodate, and Mount Komagatake towering over the landscape as if remembering something—all of these things can be savored in a wonderfully relaxed manner.

Leaving your original travel destination, surrendering yourself to chance encounters, and being deeply moved by the scenery—all of this is only possible because you have the mobility of a car. Isn't this the greatest advantage?

Drawbacks

Snowy road image

On the other hand, the exhaustion of driving is unavoidable. No matter how easy Hokkaido's roads are to drive on, there are cars behind you and coming from the opposite direction. And there are traffic lights as well. Driving with several people taking turns makes it much safer. Even though it's within the same prefecture, the distance between Sapporo and Hakodate is comparable to the distance between Osaka and Hiroshima.

Another issue is that traffic conditions are notoriously difficult to predict. You can't enjoy your trip without allowing plenty of time. This is especially true in winter, when factors like slower traffic speeds and longer starting times add up and significantly increase the amount of time you need.

Highway or local roads?

Recently, the opening of the Onuma Park Interchange has made it much more convenient to use the expressway from Sapporo. The remaining distance (Onuma Park to Hakodate city) can be covered in about 30 minutes by using the bypass.

However, most people in Hokkaido do not use expressways. This is because they are often closed or congested due to accidents in winter, and if you are on an expressway, you cannot turn off onto a side road and look for an alternative route.

Therefore, most drivers take the route known as "local roads," which goes from Yakumo → Oshamanbe → Shizukari Pass → Toyoura Town → Toya Village → Kimobetsu Town → Nakayama Pass → Sapporo.
The journey takes approximately 5 hours. This is about 4 to 4 hours on the highway, so there isn't much difference.
There are a few mountain passes, but they are well-maintained, so there shouldn't be any problems except in winter.

However, if you're traveling directly from Sapporo to Hakodate for sightseeing, using the expressway is undoubtedly the safest and most reliable option.

Lake Toya image Image of Lake Toya. Lake Toya and Niseko are just some of the many attractions in the area!