12-day Hokkaido and 3-day Tokyo Trip Report for Family of Four

We (family of four with two kids ages 13 and 16) just returned from a terrific two-week trip to Japan.  I’ll try to keep the report as brief as possible, with recommendations noted when appropriate. I’m a big fan of Tabelog (as it has consistently yielded some great recommendations for food), so have included those scores when possible.  In terms of transportation in Hokkaido, we flew into New Chitose Airport and out of Asahikawa Airport, and had a rental car during the entirety of the trip (except for days spent in central Sapporo). 

Days 1-5: Sapporo

We spent five days in Sapporo with one day dedicated to a trip to Otaru and the Shakotan Peninsula.  In short, we loved Sapporo. It had all the amenities of a large metropolis (lots of food options, great public transportation, shops with anything one might want), but was still geographically small enough such that traveling around the city felt manageable and efficient.  

We visited the main sights, including the Sapporo Clock Tower, Nijo Market, Hokkaido Jingu, the Sapporo TV Tower, Odori Park, and Tanuki Koji shopping street.  We also took a tour of the Royce Chocolate Factory and Cacao Town.  Overall quite fun with the kids, especially the “make your own chocolate bar” experience, but I would skip this unless you want a family-oriented activity or are really into chocolate.  The Shakotan Peninsula was gorgeous – we stopped at Shimamui Beach and Cape Kamui.

We stayed at the Sapporo Stream hotel in Susokino.  There is nothing particularly special about the hotel (it’s clean and relatively new), but we really enjoyed its location within the Cocono Susokino, which is a mixed use building consisting of a Lawsons, grocery store, food hall, and cinema.  The kids loved the independence of going downstairs to grab food/snacks whenever they wanted, and we liked that they stayed in the building where we could easily find them.

Days 6-7: Lake Shikotsu

We spent two days at Lake Shikotsu and stayed at the Tsuruga Resort Spa Mizu no Uta.  On one of the days, we took a guided canoe trip of Lake Shikotsu with Kanoa.  This was one of the highlights of our entire trip.  Our guide (Yuya) was friendly and informative, and knew the perfect places to stop along the lake so the kids could catch (and release) fish and shrimp.  The lake was gorgeous, the weather was cool and breezy; truly a perfect outing.  We also very much enjoyed our stay at the Tsuruga resort/hotel.  The property itself is beautiful; we booked a room with an in room onsen, though we ended up using the public onsens throughout our stay because the facilities were really nice.  Although the resort was fully booked (according to the hotel staff), it never felt crowded.  We felt very relaxed and refreshed after our stay here.

Day 8: Noboribetsu

On the way to Noboribetsu, we visited the National Ainu Museum in Upopoy.  We spent the morning and early afternoon here, and could have spent much longer but for scheduling needs.  The exhibits/presentations were very informative about Ainu culture and the history of the Ainu people.  We ate lunch at Amano Family Farm (3.55 – very delicious Wagyu yakiniku lunch in rustic setting; highly recommended).  

In Norboribetsu, we walked through Hell’s Valley, which was picturesque and had dinner Pizzeria Astra Pizzeria (3.30)  (We went in not knowing what to expect from a pizzeria in a small, touristy onsen town and we loved it!  The chef/owner uses caputo flour and local high quality ingredients, and makes each pizza to order.) 

In Noboribetsu, we stayed at the Dai-ichi Takimotikan hotel, which I would hesitate to recommend. While the room was clean, it needed a fresh coat of paint and some updating.  The hotel itself felt like an aging Las Vegas casino (lots of worn carpeting, aging facilities including onsens that needed a refresh, etc.)  

Day 9: Furano 

From Noboribetsu, we drove to Furano.  We saw the flower fields at Tomita Farm (the lavender fields were just beginning to bloom – gorgeous) and ate some perfectly ripened Furano melon at the Tomita Melon House.  We went to Furano Cheese Factory hoping we could sign up for the “cheese making experience” for the kids, but it was entirely sold out.  In the evening, we walked around Ningle Terrace. We stayed at the Dormy Inn La Vista hotel, which was a standard hotel (clean, small rooms, nice reception).  

Days 10-12: Asahikawa

We spent the next three days in Asahikawa.  On the way there, we went to the Shirogane Blue Pond (beautiful, but really only takes about 10 minutes to view the pond).  Over the next three days we took the ropeway to Asahidake and walked the trail leading to Sugatami Pond, went river rafting on the Chubetsu River, and wandered around the central part of Asahikawa.  Overall, I allotted perhaps too much time to Asahikawa.  The city itself is pretty small and we could have combined our visit to Asahidake and river rafting into one day.  But, it was a chance to relax while roaming the food hall and losing our money to the claw machines at Aeon Mall.  

We did have some pretty terrific meals in Asahikawa, including kaiten sushi lunch at Toriton Asahikawa (3.52), tonkatsu dinner at Iseni Ommoru (3.39), and excellent soup curry at Su-Pu Kare Okushiba Shouten (3.53).

We stayed at the Amanek Hotel, which was a standard hotel (clean, small rooms, nice reception).  

Days 13-15: Tokyo

We returned the car at Asahikawa Airport and took a morning flight to Haneda.  On our last trip to Tokyo (in December 2023), we stayed in Shinjuku. This time we stayed in Asakusa, which we preferred for a couple of reasons.  First, our hotel (the Mimaru Asakusa Station) was located right next to the river.  My husband and I took some nice long walks along the river in the evening (so beautiful with the lights of the buildings and the trains crossing over the bridges), and the kids couldn’t get enough of the food near Senso-ji Temple including beef menchi, pounded fried chicken, mochi, and melon pan.  It was definitely crowded, but we embraced the fact that there would be lines everywhere and just went with it.

In terms of activities, we went to teamLab Borderless in Azubadai Hills (we loved it, but we also loved teamLab Planets, YMMV) and spent one fun afternoon buying all sorts of desserts in the food halls of Matsuya and Mitsukoshi in Ginza. Our favorite activity was an afternoon spent learning how to make fake food through an Air BnB experience.  We surprised ourselves by making ramen and sushi that looked very realistic.  The kids had a blast.

That’s it for the report.  We had an amazing trip and feel so grateful (once again) to experience Japan’s natural beauty, the kindness and hospitality of the Japanese people, and the deliciousness of the food!