The was a limited express sleeping car train service in Japan which operated between Ueno Station in Tokyo and Sapporo Station in the northern island of Hokkaido, taking approximately 16½ hours. It was operated jointly by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) from March 1988. The service became a seasonal service from the 14 March 2015 timetable revision, and was completely discontinued in August 2015, in preparation for the opening of the Hokkaido Shinkansen. Route Going from Ueno to Sapporo, trains called at Ōmiya, Utsunomiya, Kōriyama, Fukushima, and Sendai. One train made additional stops at Ichinoseki and Morioka. The first stop in Hokkaido was at Hakodate, with arrival in Sapporo around five hours later. The Hokutosei ran on the following lines: JR East area Tohoku Main Line, Ueno - Morioka Iwate Galaxy Railway Line, Morioka - Metoki Aoimori Railway, Metoki - Aomori JR Hokkaido Tsugaru-Kaikyō Line, Aomori - Hakodate Hakodate Main Line, Hakodate - Oshamambe Muroran Main Line, Oshamambe - Numanohata Chitose Line, Numanohata - Shiroishi Hakodate Main Line, Shiroishi - Sapporo Trains reversed and swapped locomotives at Aomori and Hakodate stations. The Tsugaru-Kaikyō Line consists of the Tsugaru Line, Kaikyō Line, Esashi Line, and Hakodate Main Line. Accommodation and facilities Sleeping accommodation The Hokutosei consisted of type "A" and type "B" accommodation. Users of the Japan Rail Pass were waived the basic track fare, however the limited express fare and accommodations fare still applied. Type A Type A compartments were larger and had more amenities than their type B counterparts. There were two types of type A compartments: "Royal" and "Twin Deluxe". Royal rooms were single-person private compartments, although they could be used by two people with the use of a supplementary bed. There were two Royal rooms in each of cars 9 and 10. Twin Deluxe rooms were private two-person rooms, all eight of which were located in car 8. Type B Type B compartments were smaller and less expensive than type A compartments. There were three types of type B compartments: "Duet", "Solo", and "Two-level Type B". All type B compartments carried an accommodation fare of ¥6,300 per person. Duet compartments were private two-person compartments. There were both upper-level and lower-level types. Solo compartments were private single-person compartments. As with Duet compartments, there were both upper-level and lower-level types. Two-level Type B couchettes had four beds which could be individually enclosed