Fly between regions.
Learn the places by rail.

Make a circuit, not an airport collection.

Start with two or three regions you want to experience. A domestic flight can bridge a long distance; a short train journey can connect neighbouring bases without returning to the same airport. Compare the full fare and all transfers with a simple return trip before deciding that extra sectors are good value.

The air-and-rail plans on Fumi Tours grew from tested multi-city searches, but an included domestic sector or low historical quote is not a permanent airline offer. Recheck the complete ticket, fare type, baggage allowance and cancellation terms. Rail, airport buses and hotels may be separate purchases.

Use an open-jaw ground segment only when it improves the trip: arrive through one airport, travel to another city by rail, then depart through a different airport. Record which airport belongs to which city and include the bus or train to the terminal.

Hokkaido: New Chitose, Sapporo and Otaru.

New Chitose Airport → Sapporo → Otaru is a useful first regional example. JR Hokkaido’s Airport services link these places; check the destination because some departures do not continue to Otaru. A change at Sapporo can be a normal part of the route.

An optional reserved Airport-train seat requires the corresponding seat ticket. An ordinary IC fare is not that reservation. Check which departure and car you purchased, especially after a flight delay.

Choose between one base with day trips and changing hotels. Otaru and Sapporo have different evening experiences; a hotel move costs packing and transport time even when the ride itself is straightforward. Hakodate is a separate, much longer regional journey, not a nearby Sapporo outing to add casually.

Hokuriku: Toyama and Kanazawa.

Toyama → Kanazawa is a useful short Hokuriku Shinkansen connection. Confirm that the selected train calls at both stations and buy the appropriate ticket through the operator’s service. SmartEX is not the booking system for the Hokuriku Shinkansen.

Toyama Airport uses a ground transfer, including a bus connection to Toyama Station. Komatsu Airport serves a wider area including Kanazawa, with its own bus access. Neither airport name means you have already reached a city’s central railway station.

For an onward route towards Kyoto or Osaka, the current Hokuriku corridor uses the Shinkansen to Tsuruga and a transfer to the Thunderbird limited express. Older advice about taking a through Thunderbird from Kanazawa is out of date. Check the transfer and seat reservations for each selected service.

Protect the important connection.

A flight and a separately purchased train ticket do not automatically protect one another. Leave time for baggage, customs where relevant, terminal changes, buses and the walk to the platform. A journey planner’s minimum interchange is not a comfortable travel margin after an overnight flight.

At Haneda, follow the airline and airport’s current international-to-domestic guidance. Through-tagged baggage does not remove every arrival formality. Verify collection and re-check instructions for the exact ticket rather than relying on a previous trip.

Before committing, write the route as four parts: city → airport → flight → airport → next base. If the ground legs are inconvenient, a different airport or an extra night can be better value than another cheap flight.