Currently I’m in Kobe and thinking of moving to Hokkaido, specifically in or very close to Sapporo. But first I would like some input from you folks up there.
What are the pros and cons for you? Any big issues to be aware of?
My wife was born and raised there, I lived there off and on for the past 20 years, and love skiing, biking, the mountains, fly fishing, and other outdoor activities. However, after living in Tokyo for the past several years, I would never go back. The weather, food, and cultural activities are second to none.
As much as I liked skiing and the outdoors, one is always fighting the weather: rain and cold in spring and fall, tonnes of snow in winter (very little snow plowing and really icy roads) and maybe a few days of T-shirt weather on the day summer arrives. I really wasn’t aware of it until moving to Tokyo, where it reminds me of SF Bay Area weather most of the year, and so nice not to fight the weather all the time. Best place ever! (But, I said that when we lived in Hokkaido too)
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The Winters are long and cold and dark. If you aren’t looking forward to that because you ski or snowboard or some other winter activity then it probably isn’t for you. If you’re not a snow person then you’ll probably go crazy mid way through your first Winter. Sapporo is nice but nothing amazing. You’ll really need a car to get the best of Hokkaido. It’s big and public transport outside of Sapporo and the main routes is patchy. If you don’t have lots of Winter driving experience then you’ll likely get into a car accident your first Winter. Lived here around 20 years and love it.
I am living in Sapporo and have visited Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Himeji, Okayama, Hiroshima, Fukuoka. I like the Jazz scene in Kobe and Fukuoka. Also, Kobe is close to Osaka, my favorite and very “un-Japanese” city.
Sapporo is good if you like winter sports, very cold weather, and extreme snow (600+ cm). Meat, vegetables, and fruits are fresh, more variety and cheaper. Weather and people are colder. Visible foreigners are fewer. As most young people move to Tokyo and Honshu after graduation, only leftover remain though young people from other parts of Hokkaido migrate to Sapporo.
According to my friend who moved to Tokyo from Sapporo last month, Tokyo has much smaller supermarkets with much less variety. Hokkaido is considered back-office for Tokyo. You need to know Japanese language, much more than in Tokyo and Sapporo is sleepy town, according to my friends who moved from Tokyo to Sapporo.
Hokkaido should only be considered if you truly, truly enjoy winter weather.
Every day will be a struggle against the weather, so unless you are in love with winter sports, then be careful with moving there.
Sapporo is great. I love it, wouldn’t ever choose to move to Tokyo unless I absolutely had no choice. The people here are great and there is plenty to do here imho. Speaking some Japanese is definitely required imho to make the most of things here. People don’t speak much English here.
I live in very rural Hokkaido and moving here was the best decision I ever made. It’s easy to escape into nature, the food is delicious, the people welcoming and friendly (once you get to know them— I admit that making friends here takes some time). The cool summers are also wonderful, I would trade metres of snow for Honshu’s endless humidity any day.
However, agreed that the winters are not for the faint of heart. -20C mornings in Jan-Feb are no joke… I however find the winters quite beautiful. Rime ice and diamond dust are common winter phenomena and they’re stunning. As long as you have sensible winter clothes (thermals, insulated jackets etc) you won’t feel the cold all that much except on the few bits of skin that are exposed (face, fingers if you forgot your gloves at the office… it happens!)
Transport can be an issue. If you want to go anywhere outside of central Sapporo, you will 100% need a car. Trains are not reliable here, neither are most public buses. If you don’t or can’t drive, I wouldn’t recommend anywhere other than Sapporo.
I’d also add that there isn’t much English language support, even within Sapporo. You’ll want to have a decent grasp of the Japanese language if you plan on moving to Hokkaido.
But as I said, for me the pros vastly outweighed the cons. Came here just to see what it was like, three years later I am soon-to-be married and still living here. 🙂
8 comments
Too cold in Hokkaido I guess
My wife was born and raised there, I lived there off and on for the past 20 years, and love skiing, biking, the mountains, fly fishing, and other outdoor activities. However, after living in Tokyo for the past several years, I would never go back. The weather, food, and cultural activities are second to none.
As much as I liked skiing and the outdoors, one is always fighting the weather: rain and cold in spring and fall, tonnes of snow in winter (very little snow plowing and really icy roads) and maybe a few days of T-shirt weather on the day summer arrives. I really wasn’t aware of it until moving to Tokyo, where it reminds me of SF Bay Area weather most of the year, and so nice not to fight the weather all the time. Best place ever! (But, I said that when we lived in Hokkaido too)
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The Winters are long and cold and dark. If you aren’t looking forward to that because you ski or snowboard or some other winter activity then it probably isn’t for you. If you’re not a snow person then you’ll probably go crazy mid way through your first Winter. Sapporo is nice but nothing amazing. You’ll really need a car to get the best of Hokkaido. It’s big and public transport outside of Sapporo and the main routes is patchy. If you don’t have lots of Winter driving experience then you’ll likely get into a car accident your first Winter. Lived here around 20 years and love it.
I am living in Sapporo and have visited Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto, Nara, Himeji, Okayama, Hiroshima, Fukuoka. I like the Jazz scene in Kobe and Fukuoka. Also, Kobe is close to Osaka, my favorite and very “un-Japanese” city.
Sapporo is good if you like winter sports, very cold weather, and extreme snow (600+ cm). Meat, vegetables, and fruits are fresh, more variety and cheaper. Weather and people are colder. Visible foreigners are fewer. As most young people move to Tokyo and Honshu after graduation, only leftover remain though young people from other parts of Hokkaido migrate to Sapporo.
According to my friend who moved to Tokyo from Sapporo last month, Tokyo has much smaller supermarkets with much less variety. Hokkaido is considered back-office for Tokyo. You need to know Japanese language, much more than in Tokyo and Sapporo is sleepy town, according to my friends who moved from Tokyo to Sapporo.
Hokkaido should only be considered if you truly, truly enjoy winter weather.
Every day will be a struggle against the weather, so unless you are in love with winter sports, then be careful with moving there.
Sapporo is great. I love it, wouldn’t ever choose to move to Tokyo unless I absolutely had no choice. The people here are great and there is plenty to do here imho. Speaking some Japanese is definitely required imho to make the most of things here. People don’t speak much English here.
I live in very rural Hokkaido and moving here was the best decision I ever made. It’s easy to escape into nature, the food is delicious, the people welcoming and friendly (once you get to know them— I admit that making friends here takes some time). The cool summers are also wonderful, I would trade metres of snow for Honshu’s endless humidity any day.
However, agreed that the winters are not for the faint of heart. -20C mornings in Jan-Feb are no joke… I however find the winters quite beautiful. Rime ice and diamond dust are common winter phenomena and they’re stunning. As long as you have sensible winter clothes (thermals, insulated jackets etc) you won’t feel the cold all that much except on the few bits of skin that are exposed (face, fingers if you forgot your gloves at the office… it happens!)
Transport can be an issue. If you want to go anywhere outside of central Sapporo, you will 100% need a car. Trains are not reliable here, neither are most public buses. If you don’t or can’t drive, I wouldn’t recommend anywhere other than Sapporo.
I’d also add that there isn’t much English language support, even within Sapporo. You’ll want to have a decent grasp of the Japanese language if you plan on moving to Hokkaido.
But as I said, for me the pros vastly outweighed the cons. Came here just to see what it was like, three years later I am soon-to-be married and still living here. 🙂