Unlimited bus ride pass offered for foreign tourists in Hokkaido

November 13, 2017

Sapporo- Two bus companies have started to sell unlimited ride passes for foreign tourists in the Tokachi area of Hokkaido, northernmost Japan.

The passes allow visitors to hop freely on and off route buses in the area and are seen securing transportation convenience for the increasing number of visitors from overseas.

Some 113,000 foreigners stayed at least overnight in the Tokachi area in fiscal 2016, which ended last March, 50 percent more than the number three years earlier.

The two companies selling the bus passes, Obihiro-based Tokachi Bus Co. and Takushoku Bus Co., based in the town of Otofuke, hope the improvement of services geared toward overseas visitors will attract more foreigners to the area.

Tourist attractions accessible by both companies' local buses in the 19 cities, towns and villages of the Tokachi area include Obihiro Racecourse in Obihiro, known for its "Banei Keiba" racing by draft horses pulling iron sleds, Tokachigawa Onsen hot spring resort in Otofuke, and Lake Shikaribetsu, which straddles the towns of Shikaoi and Kamishihoro.

With the unlimited ride passes, foreign tourists are able to travel around Tokachi without worrying about fares or renting vehicles.

The "Visit Tokachi Pass" costs 1,500 yen for one day and 2,500 yen for two days. It is sold at the bus terminal of Obihiro Station of Hokkaido Railway Co., or JR Hokkaido, and at Tokachi-Obihiro Airport.

Although the tickets held inside the passes need to be put into the fare box when tourists get off the bus, to keep tabs on where people board and disembark, foreigners will be able to ride buses an unlimited number of times even after using all the coupons if they show the front of the pass to the driver.

The introduction of the unlimited bus pass is a model project in Hokkaido.

"We hope to rejuvenate route buses by increasing the number of foreign passengers," a Hokkaido prefectural government official involved in the project said. Jiji Press