Originally Posted by
evergrn
Why is that? According to hyperdia, you get an itinerary where you leave Beppu at 11.20a (via comfortable transfers at Kokura, Himeji and Tokyo, taking shinkansens that are not Nozomi or Mizuho) and arrive Fukushima at 22.16p where you can transfer to a sleeper train that gets into Hakodate the next day at 6.35a.
Why is it? Because sleepers can have be booked out solid. Some are extremely hard to buy tickets for