The Cassiopeia (カシオペア) is considered to be the most luxurious overnight train service in Japan. Operated by East Japan Railway Company, it runs between Ueno station in Tokyo and the city of Sapporo in the northern island of Hokkaido. The one-way journey lasts approximately 16 1/2 hours. Yamanote Line, Tokyo JR Yamanote Line train in Tokyo, Japan Above Yurakucho in Tokyo East Japan Railway Company (東日本旅客鉄道 Higashi-Nihon Ryokyaku Tetsudo or JR東日本; JR Higashi-Nihon) (TYO: 9020) is a Japanese private railroad company, the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven JR companies. ... Ueno Station was the destination of thousands of laborers from the Tohoku region who came to Tokyo seeking employment. ... The modern skyline of Tokyo is highly decentralized. ... Sapporo scene Sapporo White Illumination Sapporo (札幌市; -shi) is the fifth-largest city in Japan and it is the capital of Hokkaido Prefecture. ... Hokkaido   listen? (北海道 Hokkaidō, literal meaning: North Sea Route, Ainu: Mosir), formerly known as Ezo, is the second largest island of Japan. ...

Going from Ueno to Sapporo, trains call at Omiya, Utsunomiya, Koriyama, Fukushima, Sendai, Ichinoseki and Morioka. The first stop in Hokkaido is at Hakodate between 4 and 4:30 am the following day, with arrival in Sapporo just before nine. Omiya (大宮区; -ku) is a ward of Saitama. ... Utsunomiya (Japanese: 宇都宮市; -shi) is a city located in Tochigi, Japan. ... Kōriyama (郡山市; -shi) is a city located in Fukushima, Japan. ... Fukushima may refer to: Fukushima, Fukushima Fukushima Prefecture Fukushima, Hokkaido Fukushima, Matsumae, Hokkaido This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... See Sendai (disambiguation) for other places whose name is Sendai Sendai (仙台市; -shi) is the capital city of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan and the largest city in the Tohoku region. ... Ichinoseki (一関市; -shi) is a city located in Iwate, Japan. ... Morioka (盛岡市; -shi) is the capital city of Iwate prefecture, Japan. ... View of Hakodate from Mountain Hakodate (函館市; -shi) is a city and port located in Oshima, Hokkaido, Japan. ...

On the return trip from Sapporo, the first stop after leaving Hokkaido is at Sendai, around 4:30 am the following day. The arrival time at Ueno station is around 9:30 am.

The Cassiopeia consists of all type "A" accommodation, all specific to this particular train. A flat fee is charged for all rooms, regardless of starting or ending location. Currently, accommodation rates range from about ¥27,000 for a Cassiopeia Twin room to ¥51,000 for a Cassiopeia Suite.

The other fares, the basic fare and limited express fare, are based on distance. For foreign tourists using the Japan Rail Pass, the basic fare does not have to be paid. However there will be a charge of about ¥3,000 each way for travelling on a section of railroad not owned by Japan Railways.

Trains depart three times per week, with more departures during holiday periods. Hokutosei trains make two daily round-trip runs between Ueno and Sapporo. The Hokutosei (北斗星) is an overnight train service in Japan operated by Japan Railways. ...