OCT.2017 JRHokkaido Mail Magazine Let’s take the Hokkaido Shinkansen! Contents: 1.The Hokkaido Shinkansen 2.Walking around Kikonai station 3.Take “ Hakodate Liner” to Hakodate 4.JR East-South Hokkaido Rail Pass & JR-EAST Train Reservation 1.The Hokkaido Shinkansen The Hokkaido shinkansen is the newest Shinkansen which was launched in March 2016, connecting Shin-Aomori with Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto in one hour. The route length of the Hokkaido Shinkansen is 148.4 kilometers and one-third of it is the world's longest tunnel ‒ “ the Seikan Tunnel”. 2.Walking around Kikonai station Kikonai station is one of the Hokkaido Shinkansen stations. Let’s stop over here and take a walk around the station! After walking out of the station, you will see the roadside station ”Misogi-no-Sato Kikonai”. Here visitors can not only get tourism information on Southern Hokkaido area, but also find signature products at the souvenir shop. Moreover, there is a restaurant supervised by a chef who was selected as "one of the world's top 1,000 chefs". Publisher: Inbound Tourism Sales & Marketing Railway Operation Headquarters Hokkaido Railway Company Copyright © Hokkaido Railway Company ALL Rights Reserved. 01 OCT.2017 Let’s take the Hokkaido Shinkansen! JRHokkaido Mail Magazine It is recommended to attend the “Kikonai Cold Weather Purification Ritual Walk” to see around Kikonai area. Following a professional tour guide to walk from Kikonai Station to the seashore (Misogihama）, the tour stops at local shops to enjoy sweets and sample drinks, and finishes the journey experiencing the famous Cold Weather Purification Ritual and water divination, which are rarely seen in other areas. Kikonai Cold Weather Purification Ritual Walk Period：October 1st, 2017 ‒ March 31st, 2018（excluding New Year's holiday, and between Jan 13 - 15) Duration：Approx. 60 minutes Participation fee：¥1,000 per person For reservation details, please contact Kikonai ＊Kanchu Misogi Festival (Cold Weather Purification Ritual) : A Tourism Association. (Japanese website) traditional Shinto ritual in Kikonai town which is held in every January. http://kikonai-kankou.net/ The participants are poured with ice cold water to clean the body and spirit, to pray for a good catch of fish and good harvest in the following 3.Take “ Hakodate Liner” to Hakodate After arriving at Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station on the Hokkaido Shinkansen, the first step to go on a Hakodate journey is to transfer to “Hakodate Liner”, which connects Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station with Hakodate station. Only in 20 minutes you can arrive at Hakodate station. 4.JR East-South Hokkaido Rail Pass & JR-EAST Train Reservation The JR East-South Hokkaido Rail Pass is a special discounted pass which allows unlimited rides within JR East and southern Hokkaido area of JR Hokkaido (including Sapporo and New Chitose Airport). This pass is valid for use on Shinkansen and limited express trains and so on in the usable area. For details of the period of use, price and how to purchase the pass, please check the following website. http://www.jreasthokkaido.com/e/ For the rail pass holder, there’s no extra charge for seat reservation. Passengers who plan on using rail pass to travel can reserve seats on JR-EAST Train Reservation before arrival in Japan. There will be no worries about reserved seats being sold out after arrival in Japan. For details of seat reservation and receiving tickets, please check the following website. http://www2.jrhokkaido.co.jp/global/pdf/e/tr201701.pdf Let’s make the best use of JR East-South Hokkaido Rail Pass and JR-EAST Train Reservation to enjoy a smart and effective journey around Hokkaido! Publisher: Inbound Tourism Sales & Marketing Railway Operation Headquarters Hokkaido Railway Company Copyright © Hokkaido Railway Company ALL Rights Reserved. 02.