By plane
Hakodate Airport å½é¤¨ç©ºæ¸¯ Hakodate kÅ«kÅ, HKD is 20 minutes by bus ¥300 from the train station. JAL and ANA offer nonstop service to Hakodate from Tokyo Haneda, Osaka Itami and Nagoya Chubu; Air Do ADO also flies the Tokyo route and offers slightly cheaper fares. If you go to Tokyo International Airport,be careful about airlines.Get on the plane from Tokyo to Hakodate.100minThere are turboprop flights to several other cities in HokkaidÅ, as well as daily Korean Air service to Seoul. Public transport from the airport is limited, although JR offers scheduled buses to Hakodate Station approximately every 20 minutes 20 min., ¥300.
Sapporo's busier Chitose Airport, 2-3 hours to the north by train, also offers a fairly convenient alternative.
By ship
Hakodate's main ferry terminal is 4 km from the center and reachable on buses 1 and 19; a direct shuttle is also available between the ferry terminal and train station.
Seikan Ferry (http://www.seikan-ferry.co.jp) and Tsugaru Kaikyo Ferry (http://www.tsugarukaikyo.com/) operate ferry services from Hakodate's port to Aomori with multiple departures daily. One way fares are cheapest on the Seikan Ferry at ¥1500 for a carpet space. The Tsugaru Kaikyo ferries are more expensive: one way fares are ¥2700 for second class carpet space, ¥5000 for first class and ¥6000 for special class. Note that first and special classes are only offered on specific departures and offer better amenities, such as a room with bed. Travel time on all services is approximately 3 hours, 45 minutes.
Tsugaru Kaikyo also operates to Oma on the remote Shimokita Peninsula, with two daily round-trips. ¥2200 for second class; ¥3000 for a reserved seat. Travel time is 1 hour, 40 minutes.
Cars and motorcycles can also be carried on the Hakodate-Oma ferry, and on some of the Hakodate-Aomori ferries.
By train
JR trains run from Honshu to Hokkaido via the Seikan Tunnel. With a total length of 53.85 km 33.49 mi, the Seikan Tunnel is currently the world's longest railway tunnel - although in 2018 the Gotthard Base Tunnel, under construction in Switzerland, will surpass it by about 5 km. The Seikan Tunnel also claims the title of the world's longest undersea tunnel, with a 23.3 km 14.5 mi section under the waters of the Tsugaru Strait.
Currently, the fastest way to reach Hakodate by train from Tokyo is by taking two trains, the Hayate or Hayabusa shinkansen service and a Limited Express train, transferring between the two at Shin-Aomori station. The one-way trip lasts about 6 hours and costs ¥19,200. For foreign tourists making the trip from Tokyo, the better deal is to purchase the national Japan Rail Pass.
Travel times between Tokyo and Hakodate will be reduced over the next few years as train speeds are increased and construction of the Shinkansen continues under the Seikan Tunnel to the new Shin-Hakodate station, north of the city center. It is expected that Tokyo-Hakodate travel times will average 4 hours when the new segment to Shin-Hakodate opens in 2015.
A popular way to reach Hakodate is by overnight sleeper train. The Hokutosei åææ sleeper train departs daily from Ueno Station in Tokyo. The ride to Hakodate takes 11 1/2 hours. The Cassiopeia ã«ã·ãªã㢠sleeper train also runs from Ueno to Hakodate a few times a week, but its cabins are more expensive than the Hokutosei. Both trains eventually continue to Sapporo.
The Nihonkai æ¥æ¬æµ· overnight train from Osaka and Kyoto in Kansai runs as far as Aomori, from which you can connect to a limited express train for the run to Hakodate Journey time from Osaka is 17 hours. Note that the more expensive Twilight Express ãã¯ã¤ã©ã¤ãã¨ã¯ã¹ãã¬ã¹ overnight service does not stop in Hakodate.
Hakodate can also be reached using the Seishun 18 Ticket, as the ticket is valid on limited expresses between Kikonai and Kanita across the Seikan Tunnel. See Seishun 18 Ticket for a sample itinerary.
Trains to areas outside of Hakodate leave infrequently compared to areas like Tokyo where trains come every few minutes so plan ahead.