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In Sapporo the Metro ticket machines only sell 1 Day Passes on Weekends where you can travel anywhere on the metro for free for one day. But if let's say you stay in Sapporo for a couple of days, is it possible to buy a multiple day pass (like JR Rail Pass)?

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  • Day passes in Japan are generally poor value and limited to a single system. Particularly if staying multiple days, odds are high you'll be better off getting a stored value card (Pasmo/Suica, which work anywhere in Japan) and paying as you go. Dec 23, 2019 at 8:09
  • Do you get a fare discount when using Pasmo/Suica? Because otherwise if you are intending to travel more than 2 times on the Metro on a single day the day pass seems to be a cheaper option. Dec 24, 2019 at 0:03
  • Yes, you get a 10% discount compared to single-trip tickets. Dec 24, 2019 at 0:42
  • But according to japan-guide.com/e/e2359_003.html it says "IC cards generally do not have discounts over regular tickets" Dec 24, 2019 at 2:15
  • I think you are referring to the "Donichika", which is only good for weekends and holidays. However, according to (Japanese link) city.sapporo.jp/st/josyaken/card.html, there is another kind of 1 Day Pass that can be used any day of the week, called "Chikatetsu Senyo ichi-nichi Joshaken" (literally, "One day pass for subway use") for 830 yen for adults. Sorry, not sure if you can buy one for multiple days. Probably need to buy one each day.
    – DXV
    Dec 24, 2019 at 6:53

1 Answer 1

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TL;DR: No.

There are three kinds of unlimited ride passes available in Sapporo:

  1. One-Day Ticket for Subway Use (地下鉄専用1日乗車券), valid on subways only, 830 yen
  2. Donichika Ticket (ドニチカキップ), valid on subways on weekends and public holidays only, 520 yen
  3. Dosanko Pass (どサンこパス), valid on streetcars on weekends and public holidays only, 370 yen

There are all valid for one day only; if you need multiple days, you need to buy multiple passes.

The subway network in Sapporo is quite limited and most city center rides will be under 7 km, meaning 210-250 yen. This translates to needing at least 4 rides per day for pass #1 to pay off, and 3 for pass #2. In addition, if you need to use anything other than a subway, like streetcars, buses or JR trains, you need to purchase single ride tickets on top.

A much easier and likely cheaper option is to buy a SAPICA card for ¥2000. This gets you ¥1500 of credit and a ¥500 deposit, both of which are fully refundable. SAPICA can be used on all forms of transport not just in Sapporo, but pretty much anywhere in Japan; or if you already have (say) a Pasmo/Suica from Tokyo, that works too. In addition to the convenience of just tapping on and off anywhere, SAPICA automatically gives you transfer discounts where applicable and 10% "points" which are automatically redeemed for free travel when you have enough to use them.

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