Going to eastern Hokkaido in late May with a car. Trying to skip Sapporo entirely. Sanity check on the route?
Doing 8 days in Hokkaido in late May, just me and my partner. Renting a car at Chitose and not stopping in Sapporo on the way out, which I know goes against what most travel guides say but every time I see Hokkaido posts here people seem to actually live around the eastern half and the west doesn't sound like the real version of the place.Rough plan right now:Chitose → drive to Lake Akan area (1 night)
Akan → Shiretoko peninsula (3 nights, want to base in Utoro)
Shiretoko → drive back via Lake Mashu and Kussharo (1 night around there)
Then Daisetsuzan / Asahidake area (2 nights) before flying out from either Asahikawa or back to ChitoseThings I'm not sure about:
Late May for Shiretoko, is the road past Utoro to the cape actually open by then or is that still closed for the season? I've seen conflicting info.
Daisetsuzan, are most of the trails accessible in late May or is the snow still too much above 1000m? I'm fine with a snowy hike but don't want to plan a route that's literally closed.
Is it worth detouring south to Erimo or that whole southern coast, or is everyone right that you skip it your first time
Anywhere on this route where staying in a small minshuku or family inn makes more sense than a hotel? Open to less polished places if the location is right.
Have a car the whole time so getting around isn't an issue. Not really interested in onsen resort towns or Furano flower fields (going before lavender anyway). More about the landscape and villages.Any glaring mistakes here? Happy to rework the route based on what people who actually know the area would do.