This is the beginning of my Hokkaido 2018 trip. I wanted to get to Sapporo asap without dealing too much with logistics as well as going for the cheaper option.
A flight from Narita to Sapporo airport was a win/win in this case since the flight was about ~$60 usd which is a lot cheaper than going for the shinkansen without having a JR pass. Flight was about 1.5-2 hours total.
Fascinating and helpful reading about these towns and destinations in Japan, places I would not have known about reading where to go.