Today was going to be a very ambitious day. I was leaving Sapporo the main city on Hokkaido Island, visiting the Ainu Folk Village in Shiraoi (previous entry), then travelling southbound back to Honshu Island via Hakodate.

My end destination was Nikko which is 90 minutes north of Tokyo but there was no direct way of getting there if coming from the north.

My complicated schedule for today

7.38 Shin-Sapporo > 8.32 Shiraoi - Limited Express
10.40 Shiraoi > 11.03 Tomokamai - Local Line
11.32 Tomokamai > 14.10 Shin-Hakodate - Limited Express Super-Hakuto
14.44 Shin-Hakodate > 17.29 Sendai - Shinkansen Hayabusa 26
17.44 Sendai > 18.58 Utsunomiya - Shinkansen Yamabiko 154
19.19 Utsunomiya > 20.02 Nikko - JR Nikko Line

The flying option wasnt practical either as the nearest airports to Nikko were in Tokyo or Sendai so would still involve multiple train options. Since I had the JR pass I might as well use that rather then pay for a flight.

I'd done all the research online on the JR timetable site Hyperdia and reconfirmed yesterday when I did all my seat reservations.

Leaving the Ainu Village at Shiraoi first I took a local train back to Tomokamai. I needed to get back to Hakodate on the southern tip of Hokkaido and this was the quickest option since so few trains stop at Shiraoi.

It was a local train for the short ride back to Tomokamai. While waiting on the platform at Tomokamai an older Japanese gentlemen was practicing his English with me and was remarkably good.

For the 2.5hr ride to Shin-Hakodate I was now back in a reserved Green Car carriage. I'd bought lunch for the trip and had noodles in a bun which I bought from a convenience store earlier.

For dessert they were selling local made apple ice cream for 320Y ($4). The rail line passes along the eastern coastline.

It was a good way to explore the rural landscape of Hokkaido Island which is mostly unspoilt compared to the rest of Japan's urban sprawl.

It was very clear weather ideal for the coastal scenery.

At Shin-Hakodate I changed back to one of the bullet trains heading for Tokyo, though I was to change at Sendai.

The Green Car was empty again and more luxurious. I had a reclining seat and footrest.

There is a 20 minute tunnel ride to connect back to the mainland after which there was dense tall forestry across the horizon. However, the clouds became darker and soon we were in heavy rains.

I'd had great clear weather on Hokkaido Island but now I had moved back into the rain belt. After almost three hours I had to change trains again at Sendai to reach Utsunomiya. The branch line to Nikko only connects from Utsunomiya but the bullet trains do not stop here so I had to transfer again at Sendai to connect to Utsunomiya. This time there were men in suits heading back in the early evening rush the closer we got to Tokyo.

Finally in the evening I had to change at Utsunomiya to the local Nikko line train. This was a more touristic train to run to the historic town. The train made local stops as students in uniform crowded in on their way back home.

The easiest option might have been to take a train direct to Tokyo and come back in the morning but I didnt want to travel back again and this way I help the local economy. I did look into sleeper trains on this trip to get to Hokkaido but they have been discontinued in recent years. They would have been interesting Japanese style with floor sleeping pods.

My hotel was right outside Nikko station but the town shuts down after 6pm so it was hard to find somewhere to eat.The hotel did have its own hot spring which was a nice way to relax after almost 13 hours and six trains to reach here.

Today was also a good way to experience a wide variety of trians. See also Kyushu trains from an earlier trip http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-en tries/londone7/22/1350329265/tpod.html