Booking sleepers with JR passes

Hi Andrew - I'm afraid that you'll need to have exchanged the voucher in Japan before you can place reservations on the sleepers. It's a common problem, but currently there is no simple solution :(

Sorry I can't be more help!

Thanks for that Mari!

Do you know if we can exchange the vouchers at Kutchan station? It's the closest station to Niseko...

Also, do the sleeper carriages usually sell out / book out? Would we still be able to get a seat or bed on the sleeper the same day we exchange the vouchers?

Kind regards,

There is no exchange office at Kutchan Station,but if you're landing at New Chitose I recommend you exchange your vouchers there on arrival, specifying a starting date for your validity period to be the day you are travelling from Sapporo to Tokyo (you can specify a starting date upto 1 month into the future). This will also let you reserve seats/places on the sleeper at least a few days in advance to maximise your chances!

I recommend that you try and use the Hamanasu sleeper to Aomori, and then in the morning catch one of the superfast Hayabusa Bullet Trains down to Tokyo.

It's hard to give any hard guarantees about sleepers. They do sell out, but mainly on Fridays/Weekends and public holidays. You may well be luckier if you are travelling during the week. The best recommendation I can give is that you have a backup plan in case you are unable to book a bunk on the day you want.

Hope this helps!

Mari you have been very helpful!!

We will look to exchange our vouchers at Chitose, try and book the sleeper to Aomori then, and enjoy the morning ride to Tokyo with breakfast!

Thank you again!!