As part of its “Star Train Project” — an effort to create new travel value across Hokkaido together with the communities along its rail lines — JR Hokkaido has released detailed route names, timetables, and pricing for two new sightseeing trains rebuilt from Kiha 143-series cars: Red Star and Blue Star.
Both share the same underlying idea — “to make everyone involved shine” — but take very different approaches. Red Star, wrapped in a deep red, is the luxury-class option; Blue Star, dyed in the blue of Furano’s skies and fields, is the premium-class option built for a wider range of travelers.
Two Different Concepts: Red Star and Blue Star
Both trains are entirely reserved-seat, Green Car (first-class) sightseeing trains — there’s no unreserved seating. Special sightseeing trains like this often aren’t covered (or only partly covered) by rail passes, so budget for the ticket price separately and confirm pass eligibility with JR Hokkaido closer to launch. Book as early as you can once sales open.
Red Star: Latest Schedule, Fine Dining, and Fare Options
A Storied Name Reborn: “Okhotsk Wind” and “Snow Blossom Wind”
On the winter Sapporo–Abashiri route, Red Star revives a storied name: the Kiha 183-series “North Rainbow Express” once ran this route as the “Okhotsk Wind Drift Ice Express,” and Red Star’s Sapporo-to-Abashiri service continues that legacy as “Red Star Okhotsk Wind,” while the return leg, Abashiri-to-Sapporo, is named “Red Star Snow Blossom Wind.” The service is planned to run once daily each direction from early February through early March 2027. Note that the return leg leaves Abashiri the following day, so in practice this is an overnight trip rather than a day return. On both legs there is a set lunch period and, between Engaru and the next stop, a paid event in the Car 2 lounge.
The February–March 2027 operating calendar. Pink marks “Red Star Okhotsk Wind” days (Sapporo to Abashiri); orange marks “Red Star Snow Blossom Wind” days (Abashiri to Sapporo). Planning information as of June 2026; subject to change. (Image: JR Hokkaido)
From spring through summer, a different Red Star pairing — “Red Star Wetland’s Breath” and “Red Star Foothill’s Budding” — runs once round-trip daily between Kushiro and Shiretoko-Shari, and from summer into autumn, travel agencies also charter Red Star for “Hokkaido cruise” tour packages.
A Fine-Dining Lunch Plan and Ride-Only Fares
One-way, per-adult pricing on the Sapporo–Abashiri route comes in two forms, depending on how you want to travel.
The Lunch Plan (ride + a full-course meal) goes on sale from early November 2026 through the JR Hokkaido website and other channels. Southbound-to-Abashiri diners get authentic Japanese cuisine from Chef Osanobu Yamashita of the long-established Kagetsu Kaikan in Asahikawa; northbound-to-Sapporo diners get a special bento from Hitoshi Endo, owner of the popular Sushi Kappo Suiri in Kitami. Private rooms are sold by the room, not per seat:
Box seat / semi-compartment: ¥39,000 (yen) (approx. $245) per person
5- or 6-person private room: ¥50,000 (yen) (approx. $314) per person at full occupancy, rising to ¥54,500 (yen) (approx. $343) per person if the room is booked by fewer guests (for example, ¥53,600 per person for five people in the 6-person room, or ¥54,500 per person for four in the 5-person room)
2-person private room: ¥100,000 (yen) (approx. $629) per person for two sharing (¥200,000 for the room), or ¥154,000 (yen) (approx. $969) for the room if you book it solo
Red Star’s interior (private rooms are sold by the room). (Image: JR Hokkaido)
If you’d rather skip the meal, the Ride-Only Plan goes on sale from early January 2027 (each specific departure date opens one month ahead) at stations and ticket counters: ¥23,340 (yen) (approx. $147) for a box seat, including the Green Car surcharge. Be warned that it is a small allocation — JR Hokkaido has said only about 15 seats per departure go on general sale this way, against about 60 seats for the Lunch Plan once travel agencies’ overnight packages are counted in.
JR Hokkaido has also brought in JAL (Japan Airlines) and the JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo to train the onboard attendants, aiming for something closer to “staying in a luxury lounge on rails” — complete with private rooms and a tea room — than a typical sightseeing train where you simply sit and watch the scenery.
Blue Star: The Full Picture of “Hills in Bloom” and “Drift Ice Story”
Old Doorways Reborn as Glass-Walled Observation Rooms — Two Routes
Blue Star’s design draws on the lavender fields along the Furano Line and the blue of Biei’s famous Blue Pond. Its standout feature is an “observation room” in each car: the train’s former doorways have been rebuilt as full glass walls, opening up floor-to-ceiling views of Hokkaido’s countryside as you ride.
In summer, it runs the Asahikawa–Furano route as “Blue Star Hills in Bloom, trains 1–4,” slowing down near Biei’s rolling hills so passengers can take in the early-summer breeze — roughly departing Asahikawa around 9:20 a.m. and arriving Furano around 10:40 a.m. southbound, and departing Furano around noon and arriving Asahikawa around 1:20 p.m. northbound. It’s planned to run twice round-trip daily from early June through late September 2027.
In winter, it takes over the Abashiri–Shiretoko-Shari route as “Blue Star Drift Ice Story, trains 1–4,” inheriting the name of the beloved sightseeing train that has run this route since 2017. The southbound service includes about a 10-minute stroll break at Kitahama Station, and the northbound service includes about a 20-minute break at Hama-Koshimizu Station. It’s planned to run twice round-trip daily from late January through early March 2028.
Approachable Fares Around ¥5,000 for Everyone to Explore Hokkaido
Where Red Star is a full-course experience, Blue Star keeps things simpler: four-person wooden box seats, sold as ride-only tickets, with no dining plan.
Asahikawa–Furano: around ¥5,000 (yen) (approx. $31) one way (on sale from early May 2027)
Abashiri–Shiretoko-Shari: around ¥4,000 (yen) (approx. $25) one way (on sale from late December 2027)
Tickets go on sale nationwide at station ticket counters and reserved-seat ticket machines, one month before each departure date.
Keeping the “Drift Ice Story” name for the new Blue Star trains is a small but meaningful gesture — it’s a name the local community and volunteers helped build over years of ridership on the previous train. And by pricing Blue Star around the ¥5,000 mark, JR Hokkaido has opened the door to a “premium Hokkaido local line” experience for a much broader range of travelers, inbound visitors included — a nice complement to Red Star’s high-end audience.
(Images: JR Hokkaido, Map: Tetsudo Channel, using MLIT National Land Numerical Information)
Tetsudo Channel (Railway Channel) Editorial Team
(tetsudo-ch.com — Japan Travel, Trains & Weekend Outings)
Source (Japanese): https://tetsudo-ch.com/13031346.html