I have 2 weeks free while in Japan and would like to spend my time exploring the northern part of the country. I would start in Sapporo around May 19th and want to make my way down towards Tokyo and try to be there by June 2nd. Both of these regions seem to be less touristy especially in the summer so I’m not sure which places to visit. Based off of research I saw that Sapporo, Hakodate, Furano, and Sendai somewhat interested me but I feel like they only need a couple of days each and aren’t worth spending too much time in. I also want areas with good nature or with nice guesthouses/ryokans. I don’t have a car so preferably they are places were I can access them via train.
Although it is irrelevant to my question, here is my plan for the 4 cities mentioned. (Only adding it to satisfy the mods annoying rule)
Sendai
Zuihōden Temple
Sendai Castle
Osaki Hachimangu Shrine
Sendai Morning Market
Kotodai Park
Sendai Downtown
Sendai Mediatheque
Hakodate
Goryōkaku
Goryōkaku Tower
Hakodate Morning Market
Hakodate Park
Old Public Hall of Hakodate Ward
Mt. Hakodate
Cape Tachimachi
Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse
Sapporo
Sapporo Beer Museum
Sapporo Clock Tower
Sapporo TV Tower
Maruyama Park
Hokkaido Jingu
Nakajima Park
Tanukikoji Shopping Street
Sapporo Hitsujigaoka Observation Deck
Shiroikoibito Park
Susukino
Odori Park
JR Tower
Nijo Market
Sapporo Dome baseball game?
Furano/Biei overnight trip
Ningle Terrace
Farm Tomita
Furano Lavender Fields
Shikisai No Oka
Shirogane Blue Pond
Shirahige Waterfall
3 comments
Sendai Castle … has a nice view I guess. But the Loople bus can take you to most of the places you listed.
If you are in Sendai, you might want to check out Yamadera. Technically in another prefecture, but it’s really nice and about an hour away by train.
Matsushima is also “next-door” and makes for a nice day trip.
Yamadera as mentioned before is definitely worth it!
Iwate has Hiraizumi with Chusonji, and several other temples that are pretty nice if you’re interested in those. A personal fav are the Ryusendo in Iwaizumi, but it’s probably a bit hard to reach with public transport.
Geibikei gorge in Ichinoseki is also pretty good.
For Hokkaido, Otaru is really great and not too far on the train from Sapporo. Highly recommend.
For Furano it’s a shame you will be missing the full lavender bloom, but that does mean it will be less busy, and there should still be other flowers at the farms and gardens.
And if you’re taking the train down to Hakodate anyway, stop for a night at Noboribetsu or Toyako. Noboribetsu has the most popular hot springs/ryokans in Hokkaido, and Hells Valley is great. Toyako is a beautiful caldera lake with lots of recreational activities and nature.
Hakodate itself is really gorgeous- I love the view from Mt. Hakodate.
I’m not sure where you got the “less touristy in summer” tip for Hokkaido though. There are a lot of tourists that come up to escape the heat. Hokkaido has a later blooming season than the rest of Japan, so mid-late May (when it looks like you’re coming) is fairly popular.