I’m going to be in Japan in August. I’ve been to Japan a few times but I have never been to Hokkaido, so I thought to use this trip to also do that. I was hoping for an itinerary check to see if I’m in over my head, and suggestions to what places to go visit or if I should be spending more/less time at each city.
The portion in question starts from the 20th – everything else before is pretty much set since I’m also doing a side trip to Taiwan with a couple of friends (and don’t worry, I also have days in Tokyo at a much more relaxed rate). I get back to Japan on the 19th, then will be going to an overnight onsen in Chiba with a few more friends. I also have to get back on Friday, 25th, as I already got tickets to Animelo with friends. So ultimately I’m looking to do something for the 5 days in between.
I’ll be on this leg of the trip on my own and will be traveling lightly. I am a big foodie so I’m hoping to try out the different local delicacies, and I also like to visit historical/nature type of places.
* Aug 20:
* Onsen checkout in the morning.
* Travel to Sendai
* Sightseeing in the afternoon
* Concert at night, havn’t won tickets for yet but not a big deal if I don’t
* Stay overnight
* Aug 21
* Checkout early in the morning, take Shinkansen to Hakodate
* Sightseeing in the afternoon
* Mt. Hakodate for the night view
* Stay overnight
* Aug 22
* More sightseeing (morning market?) in Hakodate
* Leave to go to Sapporo after lunch
* Not sure if I can fit in any sightseeing
* Clock tower
* Odoru Park
* Nijo Market dinner?
* Overnight stay in Sapporo
* Aug 23
* Sightseeing in Sapporo
* Historical Village
* Sapporo Beer museum on the way back?
* Stay another night in Sapporo
* Aug 24
* Go to Tomakomai in the morning, at least the train ride is finally shorter
* Sightseeing
* Board overnight sferry at 7pm
* Aug 25
* Arrive at Sendai in the morning, 10am
* Take Shinkansen to Saitama for concert (I have 6 hours before the concert starts so there should be plenty of time)
* Quick stop on the way in Utsnomiya for gyoza?
* Travel back to Tokyo with friends after
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So I guess the thing is, there’s mainly 3 cities (Sendai/Hakodate/Sapporo) for 4 days, so I’m not sure which one to spend a bit more time at. I know the train ride between those 3 cities are pretty long so I’m taking the overnight ferry back instead of taking the train back all the way, even if JR pass covers all the train fees. It is also possible to flip the plan around by taking the Sendai ferry to Tomakomai but the ferry is half price if pre-booked ahead, for sailings after the 22nd, so it’s more tempting to take the route listed above (but it’s not a deal breaker).
Thanks for reading up to here, and I appreciate any advice/suggestions.
4 comments
Hi!
Have you thought about flying? It might make sense to fly from Sapporo to Tokyo and use the extra time to spend more time going up to Hokkaido.
If you do go with the train, I recommend stopping at the [Sannai Maruyama Jomon site](https://sannaimaruyama.pref.aomori.jp/english/). It’s a short taxi ride from the Aomori station, and you can leave any luggage in a locker at the station. The site has a cafe (with soft serve, yum) and a souvenir shop as well. I spent several hours there and made it to Hakodate by mid-afternoon.
The morning market in Hakodate is fun and I had the most amazing seafood bowl at a random shop.
I really enjoyed the Historical Village of Hokkaido and also the nearby Hokkaido Museum, which has a big section devoted to the Ainu.
The whole family flies every year to Tokyo to visit my wife’s family. This year we want to take a short trip to Hokkaido when we get to Tokyo in July. We will do something similar but we’re flying. We just have to start booking a flight.
I just came back from a trip to Tohoku and spent 3 nights in Sendai alone. I think that arranging itinerary for 50% of your available time and leaving 50% empty for whatever might come up, be suggested, or simply stumble upon, would be the way to go. We went to Nikka distillery, Yamadera, Matsushima, and then Sendai city’s sights, plus time for shopping and Clis Road. I’d say your 5 days covering Sendai, Hakodate and Sapporo would mean you don’t really see much.