Hokkaido Winter Trains 2026/27: SL Fuyu-no-Shitsugen, Ryuhyo Monogatari and the New 'Red Star' Limited Express

Hokkaido's winter sightseeing trains are small, seasonal and all-reserved, so they are easy to miss if you plan only by flight dates. JR Hokkaido has now published the winter 2026/27 schedule. It covers the steam train across the Kushiro Wetland, the drift-ice train on the Sea of Okhotsk coast, and a brand-new Green Car train between Sapporo and Abashiri called the Red Star (AKAIHOSHI). Here is what has been confirmed, what is still only planned, and how to book.

The short version

JR Hokkaido says the SL and Ryuhyo Monogatari trains are planned to run in March as well, but it has not published March dates yet. Don't book a March trip around them until the dates are announced. All timetables and train cars are listed as subject to change.

SL Fuyu-no-Shitsugen: steam across the Kushiro Wetland

The SL Fuyu-no-Shitsugen ("winter wetland") steam train makes one round trip a day between Kushiro and Shibecha on its operating days:

• Kushiro 11:05 → Shibecha 12:35
• Shibecha 14:00 → Kushiro 15:42
• Stops: Higashi-Kushiro, Kushiroshitsugen, Tōro and Kayanuma

You need a basic fare ticket plus a reserved seat ticket, and you cannot board without the reserved seat. JR Hokkaido's English page lists a one-way basic fare of ¥1,380 (Kushiro–Shibecha) and a reserved seat ticket of ¥1,680, half price for ages 6–11. Check the price again at the station before you buy. The same page says red-crowned cranes and Ezo deer can sometimes be seen from the window, and that there is a nature guide on board.

Ryuhyo Monogatari: the drift-ice coast

The Ryuhyo Monogatari ("drift ice story") train runs four trips a day between Abashiri and Shiretoko-Shari along the Sea of Okhotsk:

It stops at Kitahama and Hama-Koshimizu. JR Hokkaido's English page describes a 10-minute stop at Kitahama on Nos. 1 and 3 and a 20-minute stop at Hama-Koshimizu on Nos. 2 and 4. It lists a one-way basic fare of ¥1,040 plus a ¥1,000 reserved seat ticket. This winter the train uses the KiHa 40 cars "Sanmei" and "Shisui". JR Hokkaido also says that from next fiscal year onward the Ryuhyo Monogatari name moves to an entirely new train using its "Blue Star" (AOIHOSHI) set. If you have wanted to ride the current version, this winter is the one to do it.

Drift ice is a natural event, and no train schedule guarantees you will see it on a given day.

The new Red Star (AKAIHOSHI) between Sapporo and Abashiri

From February, JR Hokkaido is launching a new sightseeing limited express on the Sapporo–Abashiri route, using its new "Red Star" train set:

• Okhotsk-no-Kaze: Sapporo 9:07 → Abashiri 15:59. Stops at Asahikawa, Aibetsu, Engaru, Kitami and Memambetsu.
• Sekka-no-Kaze: Abashiri 10:00 → Sapporo 17:22. Stops at Bihoro, Kitami, Engaru, Kamikawa, Tōma and Asahikawa.

Every seat is a reserved Green Car (first-class) seat. To board you need a basic fare ticket, a limited express ticket and a reserved Green Car ticket. The October notices do not list Red Star prices, and they do not say whether rail passes are accepted. We'll leave both out until JR Hokkaido publishes them.

The two directions run on alternating days. If you want a one-way scenic ride from Sapporo to the drift-ice coast, the Okhotsk-no-Kaze dates are the ones to match.

Booking: what international visitors should know

• JR-EAST Train Reservation doesn't work for these trains. JR Hokkaido's English notice says seat reservations for all the sightseeing trains above cannot be made through JR-EAST Train Reservation.
• Get your reserved seats at a JR Hokkaido station after you arrive. For the SL and Ryuhyo Monogatari trains, JR Hokkaido's English pages tell visitors to collect reserved seat tickets at JR Hokkaido stations such as New Chitose Airport and Sapporo after arriving in Hokkaido.
• Rail passes. The English pages list the Hokkaido Rail Pass and the Japan Rail Pass as usable on the SL and Ryuhyo Monogatari trains. For the SL train with a Hokkaido Rail Pass, JR Hokkaido says to buy the reserved seat ticket separately.
• Seats are limited. These are short, all-reserved trains, so settle your dates early and collect seats soon after you land.

What has changed this year

• Kushiro Shitsugen Norokko has retired. The open-window "Norokko" train on the same Kushiro Wetland line ran its last trip on October 10, 2026, after 37 years, because its cars had aged out. In winter, the SL Fuyu-no-Shitsugen is the wetland train to ride.
• 302 extra winter trains. Between Dec 1, 2026 and Feb 28, 2027 (90 days), JR Hokkaido is running 302 extra trains: 16 on the Hokkaido Shinkansen and 286 on conventional lines. They include extra Hayabusa trains between Tokyo and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto over New Year, and extra Okhotsk 81/84 limited expresses between Sapporo and Abashiri for New Year and the drift-ice season.

Getting to Hokkaido from Canada

If you are flying in from Vancouver this winter, our guide to nonstop flights to Sapporo for winter 2026/27 covers the routes into New Chitose. New Chitose Airport Station is also one of the places JR Hokkaido suggests for picking up reserved seat tickets.

Quick checklist

• [ ] Choose your trains first, then match your Kushiro or Abashiri nights to their operating days
• [ ] Treat March as unconfirmed until JR Hokkaido publishes the dates
• [ ] Don't plan on reserving through JR-EAST Train Reservation
• [ ] Collect reserved seat tickets at a JR Hokkaido station (New Chitose Airport or Sapporo) as soon as you land
• [ ] For the Red Star, budget for basic fare, limited express and Green Car tickets, and check the price when it's announced

Sources

• JR Hokkaido — The operating dates of sightseeing trains for winter (official, English, Oct 27, 2026): SL Fuyu-no-Shitsugen, Ryuhyo Monogatari and AKAIHOSHI dates, timetables, stops, all-reserved and all-Green-Car rules, March "operating as well", JR-EAST Train Reservation not available. Checked 2026-10-29.
• JR Hokkaido — Winter express train plan and extra winter trains (official, Japanese, Oct 22, 2026): 302 extra trains from Dec 1, 2026 to Feb 28, 2027 (16 Shinkansen, 286 conventional), Red Star from February, Ryuhyo Monogatari cars and the future Blue Star train, schedules as planned on Oct 22, 2026. Checked 2026-10-29.
• JR Hokkaido — Winter sightseeing trains (official, Simplified Chinese, Oct 27, 2026): the same dates and rules as the English notice. Checked 2026-10-29.
• JR Hokkaido — SL Fuyu-no-Shitsugen Train (official, English): fares, where to collect reserved seats, rail passes. Checked 2026-10-29.
• JR Hokkaido — Ryuhyo Monogatari Train (official, English): fares, station stops, rail passes. Checked 2026-10-29.
• JR Hokkaido — Kushiro Shitsugen Norokko last run (official, Japanese, Aug 7, 2026): service ending in 2026 because of aging cars, final run on Oct 10, 2026. Checked 2026-10-29.

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Cover photo: Kris Tian via Unsplash.