Hi all, I've been trying to do my research, but I had a few questions and trust crowdsourcing much more than ChatGPT...Traveling with 3 people in mid-May to Hoikkado (sandwiched between Toyko and Kyoto). We're hoping to get a glimpse of what you love most about Hoikkaido. I sadly don't think we'll have enough time for Shiretoko National Park. We're renting a car, love hiking/countryside/spring/unique experiences; we don't mind moving nightly as the car becomes a second home...though I do want to mindful that some of these are a decent drive apart.

My biggest questions are surrounding the middle part - should we try to get to Lake Akan? Is that too far? Should we do Noboribetsu or skip if we see the Tokachidake crater? Spend an extra day in Daisetsuzan? See Lake Toya/Shakotan peninsula? I had initially planned two nights in Sapporo and day trip to Otaru but wondering if we do Shakotan peninsula if we stay in Otaru for the night. Thank you for your time and input!

-          Monday, May 18: fly in mid-day to CTS: Drive to Furano/Biei – some flowers (I know early in season), blue pond, furano cheese/milk

- Tuesday, May 19: Daisetsuzan National park – Sounkyo gorge waterfalls (Ginga and Ryusei), Asahikdake ropeway, Tenninkyo gorge, Shirohige falls, Tokachidake crater

-          Wednesday, May 20: Lake Akan?

-          Thursday, May 21: Drive to Noboribetsu? Then to Lake Toya?

-          Friday, May 22: Lake Toya/Shakotan Peninsula?

-          Saturday, May 23 : Otaru during day

-          Sunday, May 24: Sapporo: Lilac festival in Odori Park, night views from Mount Moiwa

-          Monday, May 25: Sapporo in AM (Nijo market?) – fly-out mid-day to Kyoto

We're in Sapporo right now and have until Saturday, is there *anywhere* that still has snow that we can play in (ie, throw snowballs, make snowmen or smth)? We are okay with long drives too.

We were from Chitose - Lake Toya - Otaru but most of the snow are the melted/muddy ones :(

We're from a tropical country and have never experienced snow before.

Thank you in advance!

こんにちは。道民一筋の52歳です。

海外のみなさん、北海道についての疑問、質問、知りたいこと、などありますか？
できる限り、お答えしたいと思います。

※これはシンプルな質問回答板です。
　旅行日程の相談については他所でお願いします。

良い一日を。

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! :)

Hi! So for my 3rd time in Japan I finally want to see Hokkaido, and

I'm planning to go this autumn for about 3-4 weeks.

It would be mainly by car, as I love road trips and don't mind long drives. I have experience in driving in Japan from my last trip to Kyushu.

- My plan is to arrive in Tokyo, stay here for a few days (I just loved Tokyo on my first 2 trips) and then take a flight to Aomori, as I really want to see this city as well, even if only for a day/night.

- Next day I would take the shinkansen to Hakodate and so on make my entering to Hokkaido! Plan is to stay roughly 3 days in Hakodate, rent a car for one day and make a day trip to Cape Shirakami (I somehow love Capes, you'll find out a bit later lol) and Matsumae (for the castle mainly). I would also love to visit Ōnuma-Quasi nationalpark, probably a day trip as well. Could do that without a car tbh.

- I would then make my way to Lake Toya area (probably by car?) and ultimately Toyako Onsen to stay a night there.

- On the next day I would continue driving to Sapporo and make my base there for the next few days. Here I would probably return the rental car for now. Explore Sapporo, and definitely take a day trip to Otaru, easily doable by public transport (Hakodate Line).

- Next stop: Asahikawa. Would travel there with public transport again (since its only 90 minutes). Stay 2 days here and make a day trip to Furano.

- Next stop: Daisetsuzan nationalpark. Rent a car early in the morning from Asahikawa and make my way to Sounkyo Visitor Center. Take the ropeway and explore the area for the whole day. I would stay the night in Sounkyo Onsen. Maybe continue exploring the nationalpark for a bit on the next day.

--> Now comes the part I'm unsure about: I would LOVE to see Shiretoko Goko nationalpark and do the five lakes hike. It's roughly a 4 hours drive from Daisetsuzan, which I could definitely manage. Any suggestions on where I could stay a night in the Shiretoko area?

And you might call me crazy now BUT I also want to visit Wakkanai and especially it's Cape Soya. I've been to Cape Sata (southernmost point of mainland japan) on my Kyushu trip, and it only makes sense for me now to do the same with the northernmost point of mainland japan :D I checked on Google Maps and it's an almost 7 hour trip from the shiretoko area. Now again, I don't think the driving is the problem for me, but do you guys think this is feasable after all?

- Wakkanai would also be the last stop of my Hokkaido road trip and I would return the car here. Stay a night here and explore a bit (Path of White shells for example) The good part is: I can fly from Wakkanai back to Tokyo and make my way back home to Europe.

So all in all:

What do you guys think of my itinerary? Any additions or advices on what else to do / what rather not to do? I'm open for anything!

Thank you so much for reading!!!

Hi everyone!

I wrote here a couple of months ago, my partner and I (2 adults) are planning a trip through Hokkaido in September 2026.

We decided on renting a car for the entire trip and we’re looking for opinions on our revised itinerary that was based on the feedback we received from this subreddit.

We’re going to stay in 3 main zones:

Day 1-3: Asahikawa-Biei-Furano

Arriving in Asahikawa in the afternoon and going sake tasting.

The next couple of days are for bike riding in Biei, hiking in Asahidake and tasting cheese in Furano and visiting the blue pond.

We still haven’t decided if it’s better to stay in Asahikawa or Biei… What do you think?

Days 4-6: Sapporo

Any recommendations for what to do in Sapporo? We’re thinking of spending one day on a trip to Otaru, with the last day being the opening of the Autumn festival in Sapporo, after which we’ll drive to lake Toya.

Day 7-8: Lake Toya

Mount Yotei Hike, Mount Usu around lake Toya. We thought about going to the Ainu museum.

Any other recommendations?

Day 9-10: Noboribetsu

Onsen stay in Dai-ichi, resting before out trip back, planning to take a walk to the Oyunuma river foot bath.

Would really love to hear your opinions!

Tsunami WARNING! ⚠️

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.

Hi all, I would like to seek some advice on possible things to along the Furano-Obihiro route please. Realized that there will still be snow at Mt Asahidake/Mt Kutodake and we have decided to skip hiking at Daisetsuzan National park altogether. Huge bummer.

After visiting the touristy attractions at Furano, we'll drive downwards to Obihiro. However, we aren't able to extend our accom at Obihiro 1 day earlier and will have to seek accommodation somewhere else.

Things we plan to do at Obihiro: Naitai Highland, Mt Tsurugi, see the racecourse.

We are travelling as a couple and are interested in the outdoors and food. Farming experiences are interesting though it looks like we are not in the harvesting season either.

All suggestions for food and activities are greatly welcome.

Thank you in advance!

My husband and I are coming to Japan for two weeks mid-August (yeah, I know, I wasn't aware of Obon). We'll spend 60% of the trip on Hokkaido and the rest in the Japanese Alps.

For now, we were thinking of landing in Sapporo and going to Biei, Furano and Daisetsuzan. We're not really city people. We like nature, hiking, landscape and villages a lot.

Is there some place in Hokkaido that you really feel we should go? I know we're only exploring a tiny part of the island. I've been told about lake Toya, but it's pretty far. For an unknown reason, my husband really wanted to visit Rishiri island and Rebun island, but I don't really know if it's worth the time it gets to get there.

Also, I have no idea what to do in each of these places besides hike (for the moment). So, if you have suggestions, I'm in.

We'll have a car. Thank you so much for your time. :)

Hiya! Kindly seeking local help/thoughts on our upcoming trip in late May. This will be our fourth trip to Japan and we're renting a camper van from Sapporo specifically to head to the Tokachi Millennium Forest. My partner is a gardener by profession and this is a bucket list garden for him, needless to say he's super excited. We'll have little kids and 4.5 days to make a loop from Sapporo.

Now over to the kind Redditors; Looking for ideas on how to use the remaining 3.5 days on the road. A long time ago (2015), I cycled for a month around Toya and down the Bihiro pass. I'd love to show the kids some beautiful mountainscapes and/or volcanic activity.

Debating the two options; head up the back of Daisetsuzan via 85/273 and back around OR blast back across to Shikotsu/Toya/Noboribetsu. Both are extremely appealing on paper, offering incredible day walks, hotsprings, and great campgrounds.

Kids are used to longish days in the car 3.5-5hr. We prefer not to do many long days but can do a few stints if needed. If there is something completely obvious I'm missing I appreciate the input.

I'm so looking forward to seeing your beautiful Hokkaido soon, it's been too long between visits

Meant to be flying to Sapporo on Wednesday… and then spending some time there + Hakodate.

With the earthquake / tsunami news today… I wanted to check. Gut says it’s fine to go, but wanted to sense check.

Hi everyone,

I’m planning a Hokkaido road trip with my partner and would really appreciate some feedback on our itinerary.

We’ll be traveling from May 19 to June 8, arriving at New Chitose Airport at 11:55. We plan to pick up our rental car around 13:30 on the same day, so the road trip starts immediately after arrival.
At the end of the trip, we’ll return the car at New Chitose on June 8 (09:00) and fly to Tokyo (already booked).

Travel style & preferences:

• We prefer a slow pace and usually stay at least 2 nights per location
• Main focus is nature, wildlife, scenic drives, and national parks
• We’re not big on cities or nightlife
• We enjoy quiet places and small Japanese towns/villages
• I’m interested in trying Japanese food, but my partner doesn’t eat much fish or meat, so food is not a main-priority
• We’ll have a car for the entire Hokkaido portion

Rough itinerary:

• May 19: Arrival at New Chitose (11:55), pick up rental car (~13:30) → drive to Furano / Biei
• May 19–22 (3 nights): Furano / Biei
• May 22–24 (2 nights): Daisetsuzan / Asahikawa
• May 24–26 (2 nights): Abashiri / Okhotsk Coast
• May 26–29 (3 nights): Shiretoko National Park
• May 29–31 (2 nights): Akan / Kushiro region
• May 31–June 2 (2 nights): Tokachi / Obihiro
• June 2–3 (1 night): Noboribetsu
• June 3–5 (2 nights): Lake Toya
• June 5–7 (2 nights): Otaru / coast
• June 7–8 (1 night): Sapporo

Then:

• June 8: Return car (09:00), flight to Tokyo (12:20)
• June 9–11: Tokyo stay

What we’re unsure about:

1. Overall route: Does this itinerary make sense geographically, or are we zig-zagging too much?
2. Order of destinations (important): Would it make more sense to go further northeast (Abashiri / Shiretoko) earlier in the trip due to seasonal conditions, or even start in the southwest instead?
3. Cherry blossoms: Is there any realistic chance to still see late cherry blossoms somewhere in Hokkaido during this period?
4. Nature & wildlife: Are we missing any must-see nature spots, scenic drives, or wildlife areas along this route**?**
5. Nemuro / Kushiro area: Would it be worth adding Nemuro or more of the Kushiro area (I’ve heard great things), and if so, where would you cut time?

Thanks in advance for your help – it’s our first trip to Japan and I really appreciate any advice!

Hi! My mom and I are planning a trip to Hokkaido because she loves flowers and nature. We’ll be there May 30-June 6; first 4 days in Asahikawa then we transfer to Sapporo for the rest of our stay.

With this, I wanted to ask the best place to stay in Sapporo - near Sapporo station or Odori park?

Also, we have a tentative itinerary for both Asahikawa and Sapporo but any suggestions (including restaurants) are very welcome!

Thank you in advance :)

Ps: we already went to Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto so my mom wanted to try Hokkaido for more nature and another Japan experience :)

Hey guys, I’ll be in Hokkaido from Apr 28 – May 2, solo. Asian male, 35 if that matters.

Current plan: 2 nights in Hakodate then up to Sapporo for the rest. Booked La Vista Hakodate Bay and Cross Hotel Sapporo.

Still pretty flexible and open to adjusting things.

Would love recs on:

• Food spots (soup curry, ramen, seafood, anything local that’s a must)

• Cool neighborhoods / cafés / bars to check out solo

• Scenic stuff or easy day trips (not trying to overpack the schedule)

• Anything seasonal around that time (late sakura? festivals?)

Also if anyone’s stayed at Cross Hotel or has better hotel suggestions in Sapporo, I’m all ears.

If anyone happens to be around those dates and wants to grab a meal/drink or explore a bit, feel free to DM. Always down to meet chill people! 😁

Hey Guys, this summer I'm going to japan with 3 friends, it our first time in Hokkaido, we were planning to rent a car but we have doubts now considering the petrol/ gas prices and the possible shortages. Would you advice still renting the car or using public transport. We are staying in Sapporo, Lake Toya and Hakodate for about a week each with trips planned all across Hokkaido. Thanks in advance

Edit: after some comments: We are planning to get the car after Sapporo so we can travel from Hakodate and Toya to various location but we don't expect to go further north east then Furano.