Hi all, my wife and I have been to Japan a few years ago and this was an experience I will always remember.
Japan was a life long dream for me and did not disappoint.
We visited Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka at the time (during cherry blossoms season) and it was to die for.
This time around, I’m planning a four weeks trips from mid July to mid August 2022 and I would like to experience Hokkaido in depth.
My choice for the area is based on multiple factors:
– The scenery: we are runners / hikers and it looks like some of the most amazing places to run in.
– The climate: it is not as rainy as the main island, nor is it as hot.
– The tourism: it is not definitely not as popular as Okinawa in the summer
– The food: we’re foodies and Japan has a million things to offer food wise and I’m sure Hokkaido will not disappoint.
We have a fairly consequent budget that can easily be stretched if we feel like it (let’s say 12.000$ for 4 weeks).
We’re in the very stages of planning so here my questions:
– Are my assumptions about climate, food, scenery and popularity correct?
– Are there specific places one must see when in Hokkaido? We’re very curious people so it can be anything really. An artisanal soy sauce company, a katana foundry, a museum about animes…
– Are there ryokan that are known for their luxury? For exemple, I would love to come back from a run, enjoy a traditional dinner before bathing in our private onsen facing a mountain. Something extremely comfortable and romantic basically.
– Any restaurant that one must try? We’re no food snob and will enjoy a 3 michelin star just as much as a good takoyaki stand
– Any special summer festival that’s so amazing that it’s worth a trip?
– Anything special to know about Hokkaido?
– Are there incredible hiking / running paths that offer a unique scenery?
– Anything ultra romantic? A specific temple, a tradition, special foor or anything.
Thank you for taking the time to read, I hope to get tons of ideas to plan that trip in the best possible way.
15 comments
The food is incredible. I’ve only been to some of the typical places, Sapporo, Otaru, Asahikawa, etc but they’re all great and I’m sure if you rented a car, 4 weeks would be a good amount of time to see some more of the island.
I’m not positive how big of a deal this really is, but I’ve seen some stories recently about bear attacks and they’re almost always in Hokkaido so that’s something you’d want look into before hiking/running on the trails there.
I went to Hakodate in the summer a couple years ago. It was quite cool, like long pants cool. We also got the tail end of the typhoon that hit us when we were in Kyushu so that was a bit interesting.
You will find Ryokan everywhere in Japan, just search the normal booking sites and find something that looks good. We did not stay in one in Hakodate but stayed in a luxury onsen hotel on the beach with our own private onsen.
There is a bit of interesting history with Hakodate because it was one of the early ports open to westerners. The fort there is important in the history and some of the western style brick warehouses by the port have been converted into a shopping mall, but still not bad to walk around.
Food was great, but really it’s great across Japan. Milk is a big deal in Hokkaido so special Hokkaido soft cream ice cream is a nice snack. Ikura(salmon roe) is also very popular. At lunch all my wife’s family had big bowls of ikura, even the kids.
Also a random observation, it was the first time I had seen Cyrillic writing on direction signs in an airport but then I remembered Hokkaido is really close to Russia so likely gets it’s fair share of Russian tourists.
Put Hakodate on your list and go to Lucky Pierrot! It’s a local burger chain and it’s very kitschy. Hakodate was my favorite city in Hokkaido. We stayed at Century Marina which had a rooftop open-air public bath. 10/10
Climate: Most of Hokkaido is very warm and fairly humid in summer. It’s of course more livable than areas further south, however, tropical nights are common (late July to early September).
Crowds: Late July to August is peak outdoors season in Japan and Hokkaido is a major destination (especially vicinity of Daisetsuzan and Shikotsu-Toya national park, as well as Biei/Furano area for lavender and sunflower fields and fruit orchards).
Luxurious ryokans: There are some high-rated ryokans in Otaru, or Lake Toya areas, however, high-end accommodation in Hokkaido generally is skewed towards fairly modern (and still nice).
Festivals: Hokkaido is not known for major traditional summer festivals, however, there is Sapporo Summer Festival (which has somewhat western festival) and some specific districts (Susukino) and towns (Hakodate) has specific festivals during first week of August. Yunokawa Onsen fireworks festival (Saturday after the Obon) is fairly nice.
Hiking paths: National parks offer variety of hikes from marshlands to high mountain peaks. Sapporo (Mt. Teine, Mt. Moiwa), Omura-koen also offer fairly nice days out. Note that meeting bears in national parks during summer is fairly common and hiking beyond the typical take a ropeway and climb to the top of the main trail may require fair hiking gear, including cold-weather gear.
Spent two weeks on Hokkaido in the late summer, a couple of years ago. Along with what others have said, my personal recommendation would be Asahidake and all of Daisetsuzan National Park. One of the most memorable sights from my time in Japan. Ten minute ropeway trip and and a short hike to glacier springs surrounded by green hillsides and summer flowers. Perfect temperature, not too humid, not crowded, and absolutely stunning.
Hakodate for the morning market where you can get some of the freshest tastiest crab you’ll ever try. I was there in April of this year and paid 5000¥ for one out of the tank, half barbecued and half sashimi. The fort there is beautiful from the observation tower and makes for great picture taking.
Sapporo is one of my favorite cities on Japan for nightlife and food. Ramen alley is just a few blocks over from the main city center that illuminates at night. Miso butter corn ramen is a Hokkaido staple and can find it with crab legs in it. There is great shopping at large station and in the city center. The Sapporo beer museum is great and you can taste some you can’t get anywhere else and you can make a dinner reservation there.
Noboribetsu (Hell Valley) is beautiful hiking and resorts that have amazing hot springs. Smells strongly of sulfur but it’s worth a night stay.
Can only speak from personal experience.
Super Hokuto from Hakodate to Sapporo is an amazing train ride for scenery. The cool part being with a rail pass you can hop off at any stop, including. Places already mentioned by other replies.
I 2nd the Sapporo beer museum as a really good tourist spot with some cool vintage adverts for Sapporo beer.
The Shiori Koibito sweet factory is a little off the wall (complete with a British double decker bus for some reason). It has a service where you can get a photo of yourselves printed onto a metal tin full of biscuits. It’s what I did with my wife and is quite sentimental.
Ramen alley is quite famous (went 3 times in 2 days). Spicy miso ramen is king.
We stayed in a modern premium hotel with a really nice buffet breakfast in Sapporo. It was called: Hotel Mystays Premier Sapporo Park. If you look on Google images you may even see some pics that I took 😉
Other than that, the people are way more laid back in Sapporo compared to Tokyo. Hopefully you’ll see some of the magic that I saw when I was there.
Your assumptions are not totally wrong. For sure there will be great scenery, but for sure you can find awesome scenery in about any region, same for food, yes there is good things, but there is good things all around Japan. Climate, for sure not as hot, but still hot. About popularity, I think that you could be surprised, I was in small town nobody know like Tsuwano and Kurayoshi and there was busload of tourist, Japanese tourist that is, but still. I would not expect Hokkaido to be empty of tourist.
Just a side note, there is no such thing as katana foundry, because they are not casted, but forged. Just a quick Google search and you can find things like this [https://activity.date-kanko1.jp/en/program/data/p07/](https://activity.date-kanko1.jp/en/program/data/p07/)
For luxury ryokan, for sure just go anywhere that have onsen, like the famous Noboribetsu, and you will find ryokan with a range of price. Personally, I’ve only been to place that are more entry price, so between 12 000 to 15 000 yen, the food was great and it was comfortable. So yes, if you are ok to spend like 50 000 + by person, then yes you can find something more on the luxury side with private bath in the room and such.
One thing to know about Hokkaido is that it have a much more recent history than the rest of Japan, so when it’s question of famous temple of famous matsuri, then it’s much easier to find in other parts of Japan. For example if you are ok to not do Hokkaido only, there is the Kanto Matsuri in Akita and Nebuta Matsuri in Aomori both in early august. Those are really big and famous festival. The big matsuri in Hokkaido is Yuki Matsuri, but it’s winter time. For sure if you search you could find some, but they will not be famous festival.
If you are looking for places with traditions and building that have been there for century, then Hokkaido is not the place.
Definitely climb Mt. Yotei on a clear day. You cannot preplan this because you need a weather window, if it’s socked in with clouds you will miss the view! I’ve only done it in the winter on skis but I believe there are hiking trails to the summit, even if not it would be an easy scramble.
Some of my suggestion based on my trip in 2019.
Must see for summer:
Biei – Blue Pond, Shirahige Waterfall, Shikisai No Oka
Furano – Farm Tomita, Hokkai Heso Matsuri
Hokuryu – Himawari no Sato
I highly recommend to stay at The Lake View Toya Nonokaze Resort though Noboribetsu got plenty of ryokans.
For food, Hakodate Uni Murakami near the morning market is not bad though you got plenty of option at the market as well. Naruto Honten at Otaru for fried chicken.
Hokkaido is one of the most popular spots for domestic and international tourists during the summer. There are tons of Chinese tourists that flood Hokkaido during the summer.
If you want relatively less tourists crowds but want to enjoy a cooler climate during the summer look to the Tohoku region instead.
There’s already been a lot of great suggestions here and I’ll add some more. I was born in Hakodate and live in western Hokkaido so my recommendations are primarily focused on this area.
Somebody mentioned Otaru. If you’re going that way, try to visit the Yoichi whisky distillery.
I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit the Shiroi Koibito Park but it is nice and quaint. The name literally means “white lover”, as in white chocolate so there is some romance attached to it. There’s a lovely garden there with some animatronics. Plan to spend about an hour there if you do go.
If you do go to Lake Toya, I recommend Lake View Toya Nonokaze Resort. It’s somewhat touristy, in the sense that you’ll run into a lot of Taiwanese and Australian tourists there. The resort has a great view of the Lake and this is where we usually stay when we visit in the winter time. If you want to be away from the tourist crowds, I would highly recommend Midorinokaze Resort Kitayuzawa. This probably ranks as my favorite onsen.
Lots of great hiking at Niseko and Yoteizan, plus someone already mentioned Noboribetsu. There is a jigokudani (hell valley) in Noboribetsu but that’s not to be confused with the other jigokudani in Honshu which is more famous for the snow monkeys. The onsens here aren’t as great as the ones in Lake Toya, but still worth a visit.
If you have a bit of free time on your last day in Sapporo, don’t forget to explore around the airport before heading in to secured area. There’s a Royce Chocolate factory there, plus all the neat little shops.
Currently living in Okinawa but just came from a vacation recently in Hokkaido Sept 10-28th. The weather was phenomenal. Beautiful sunshine and barely any humidity. Absolutely loved it
Also my suggestion, visit the town Wakkanai and take the ferry to the island right near it. Perfect place for you to run, hike or bike. That little island also has one of the best ramen shops. Unfortunately when I went it was closed due to Covid 🙁 spent 3 years waiting to finally try it. Fail. Lol
[Asahiyama zoo,](https://www.city.asahikawa.hokkaido.jp/asahiyamazoo/) world class, and with animals in simulated natural habitat the best way zoos can manage. Walking around the zoo is a beautiful experience.
I took the ropeway (cable tram) up to that Hakodate observation tower crammed with thousands of tourists, but I walked down from the top, on a fairly easy trail, using phone flashlight at a few spots, great walk, after eating all that cheese purin-purin.
If you like hiking, try [Usuzan ropewa](http://usuzan.hokkaido.jp/ja/)y to go up, and hike down. It’s pretty.
Same as [Daisetsusan Asahidake ropeway,](http://asahidake.hokkaido.jp/en/) to top of a mountain, with lots of onsen hotels around it.
Been to Japan 3 times right before the pandemic (Tokyo & Yokohoma & Ibaraki, Kansai [Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, & Himeji], and Hokkaido). I will say Hokkaido was my favorite out of them all: food, nature scenery, and lovely weather…not to mention it is fairly inexpensive compared to the others. Sapporo has the food: soup curry, seafood (the clear shrimp, boten? and mackerel), ramen, dairy products, and produce. In terms of nature, I went to Biei to check out the blue pond and shiraghe waterfalls, great views. Would want to go back again for SHiretoko national park. Mt. Moiwa at Sapporo was nice, felt it was better than Mt. Hakodate. At Otaru, definitely check out the blue cave cruise.