Totally disappointed

Hi there,

I am very sorry to hear about your bad experience and completely understand your complain. I had a similar experience last March when service between Sapporo - Hakodate was suspended due to bad weather conditions and could not reach my planned destination. I don't know the details of your situation but know that usually non-reserved buses are provided when service is suspended for longer periods of time.

There's little I can do about refunds but what advise I can give you is to explain to your booked hotel why you could not stay with them. When I contacted my booked hotel and explained why I could not reach them, they were so kindto cancel the booking without a fee.

I looked up the current status services and see that train service has been resumed, so I hope that you were able to reach your planned destination after all.
-Daniel

Hi there,

Just to follow up on this, we're really sorry that JR wasn't able to provide alternative transport - were you able to cancel your Sapporo room?

Thanks for the response. Sorry i wasn't able to reply to your comments until now. I was told that the train service was resumed at night, thus allowing the night train Hamanasu to run all the way from Aomori to Sapporo. But i took 7am train instead. Thanks to the workers who worked hard to repair the railway track.

I should have contacted the hotel in Sapporo to cancel my booking on that day, but I missed the opportunity. I don't think I can ask for refund now.

Anyway, it's a great experience riding JR trains in overall. JR Pass is indeed very convenient way to ride trains in Japan. I would recommend it to all potential tourists from overseas, but please be prepared for sudden disruption of train service due to unforeseen situations, e.g. heavy rain, earthquake, etc.

Thanks for the feedback leosmlee. Once again I'm really sorry that you had cancelled trains during your trip - I hope that you enjoyed the rest of your trip (it sounds like you did!)