Hokkaido only trip recommended?
My boyfriend and I are flying to Sapporo at the end of August because he’ll be competing in the Gran Fondo World Championships there. We’ll be in Hokkaido for two weeks, and the plan is to stay exclusively on that island. This will be our first time in Japan.
We already know we’ll be renting a car so we can see as much of the island as possible. We’ll also be doing a lot of cycling, since we’ll be bringing our roadbikes anyway.
I’ve read that Hokkaido hasn’t been settled by the Japanese for very long, so there aren’t many “old” buildings or cities, which makes me a bit hesitant. I don’t need the typical tourist experiences, but I’d still like to explore Tori shrines, old buildings (not necessarily colonial structures), and Japanese culture. Is that possible in Hokkaido, or do we have to go to the main island for that?
Our problem is that we have to transport our bikes in large, bulky suitcases. So I don’t think traveling by train (where you eventually have to walk long distances through stations) or taking domestic flights is really an option…
Can anyone relate to my concerns and give me an assessment of whether Hokkaido alone will be enough for a trip to Japan? We probably won’t be coming back since we have to fly for about 20+ hours, so we’d like to experience as much as possible.
I'd be happy for every single response and appreaciate it! :)