Although I had a JR Hokkaido Regional Pass already I found that I needed to take the subway a few times to reach certain places with ease. The Kitaca card can be used for any JR line and Subway line within Sapporo, Chitose, Otaru and I think all the way to Tomakomai, and not only is it for travelling it can conveniently be used as electronic money for shopping. As long has you see the green Kitaca logo it can be used, also I’ve it many times for vending machine drinks. You can get a Kitaca card from almost any Kitaca operating Station ticket machine / at the airport or Sapporo TV Tower, it will charge a 500 yen deposit.
I found it extremely easy to use, and it was very handy. At the end of your journey you can get a refund on your deposit and remaining balance minus a small processing fee at the JR ticket office. 1 card has a life-span of 10 years from the date it was last used. So you don’t have to get a refund right away if you plan to visit Japan again within the next 10 years. But, good news! Kitaca isn’t only exclusive to Hokkaido but it can be used in some other regions of the country. Since 2013 the 10 major IC cards were made compatible with each other, which will include Kitaca, Suica, Icoca, Pitapa, Toica, Manaca, Hayakaken, Nimoca and Sugoca. I think I still have about 800 Yen left on my card…
—Tofu
The Flying Tofu 
These IC cards are very handy. I got a Suica card when I was in Tokyo and used it in quite a few different cities across Japan. My card has about 1,000 yen left on it and I like to think of that bit of money as a deposit towards whenever I’m next able to go back.
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