It’s finally happening after 43 years of waiting — the Hokkaido Shinkansen officially begins service today, on the 26th!

▲ The Hokkaido Shinkansen officially opens for service on the 26th. (Photo provided by JR Shinkansen)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

The Hokkaido Shinkansen has finally opened for service on the 26th of this month. After decades of planning and construction, the people of Hokkaido have waited 43 long years, and now they can travel from Tokyo to Hokkaido in just 4 hours and 2 minutes.

The first train of the Hokkaido Shinkansen departed from Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station at 6:35 AM Japan local time on the 26th. All 731 seats were sold out within just 25 seconds of ticket sales opening. On the day of launch, crowds of rail enthusiasts flocked to the station to see it off. Local residents emotionally noted: “This is a historic day!” The significance of this new Shinkansen line is not only that the people of Hokkaido finally have their first high-speed railway, but also marks the completion of a 2,150-kilometer continuous Shinkansen route stretching from the Tokaido Shinkansen to Kagoshima in Kyushu — half a century after the original Tokaido line began operating.

▲ The inaugural train of the Hokkaido Shinkansen departs early in the morning on the 26th from Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station. (Photo fromSankei Shimbun)

The Hokkaido Shinkansen starts from “Shin-Aomori,” the terminal station of the Tohoku Shinkansen, and travels through the Seikan Tunnel deep into Hokkaido. The line was opened in two phases — in March 2016, the stretch between Shin-Aomori and Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto was launched, allowing passengers from Tokyo to reach Hakodate non-stop in about 4 hours and 2 minutes.

The second phase of the route, between Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto and Sapporo, is scheduled to open by the end of 2030.