Sapporo, Japan
Sea freight in Sapporo
We book FCL and LCL sea freight for shippers and consignees in Sapporo, via Tomakomai. Pre-carriage, on-carriage by road or rail and the customs entries are planned together with the ocean booking.
Airports, seaports and connections in Sapporo
- AirportNew Chitose
CTS - SeaportTomakomai
Sapporo's main airport is New Chitose Airport (CTS), located in Chitose south of the city. It is Hokkaido's principal air gateway, with domestic routes to Tokyo and Osaka and international connections within Asia. Sapporo Okadama Airport (OKD) handles only small domestic flights. Long-haul air freight is usually connected via Haneda or Narita. For sea freight, Tomakomai Port south of Chitose is Hokkaido's main cargo port, with container and ferry services, while Ishikari Bay New Port and Otaru Port serve the Sapporo area directly.
The Hokkaido Expressway links Sapporo with New Chitose Airport and Tomakomai to the south and Asahikawa to the north. The Doo Expressway and local roads connect Tomakomai Port with the airport. Ro-ro and ferry services link Tomakomai with ports on Honshu such as Oarai, Sendai and Hachinohe, and JR Freight connects Sapporo with Honshu through the Seikan Tunnel.
Operational logistics facts for Sapporo
| Hub | Specialisation | Local advantage |
|---|---|---|
| New Chitose Airport (CTS) | Perishables, seafood, dairy, general cargo | Hokkaido's main air gateway, close to food producers |
| Tomakomai Port | Containers, ro-ro and ferries to Honshu | Sea freight gateway for Hokkaido imports and exports |
| Chitose semiconductor site | Advanced chip production, equipment and materials | Urgent spare parts delivered directly to the site |
| Ishikari Bay New Port | Regional cargo for the Sapporo area | Port option close to Sapporo's distribution centres |
Industries in Sapporo and how we support them
Hokkaido is Japan's main source of seafood such as scallops, salmon and crab, and of dairy products and agricultural goods, much of which is processed around Sapporo and shipped through New Chitose. Chitose has also become the site of a new advanced semiconductor fab, drawing equipment and materials suppliers to the area. Ziem Logistics supports these supply chains with temperature-controlled air freight under our own air waybills via CTS and the Tokyo hubs, sea freight FCL/LCL via Tomakomai, On-Board Courier and Next Flight Out for semiconductor equipment parts, and customs clearance by our Japanese network partner team.
From the port to your door in Sapporo
We arrange collection of the container or the LCL cargo at Tomakomai, customs clearance and delivery to your site in the Sapporo area. For exports we organise the pick-up and the delivery to the terminal before the cut-off.
Customs clearance in Japan
Ziem network
Customs clearance in Japan is handled by a partner team in the Ziem network, under the Ziem Logistics brand and to our procedures.
For air freight to and from Japan we issue our own air waybills.
Importers in Japan need an importer code registered in NACCS (recommended) and, for some goods, product-specific notifications.
Frequently asked questions
Which port is used for sea freight to and from Sapporo?
Usually Tomakomai. Depending on the shipping line and the destination, another port can be faster or more economical; we compare the options when quoting.