Hi all,
My Japanese fiancé and I are going to be going to Southern Hokkaido (Sapporo, Otaru, etc.) in January for approximately 1 week.
Where are some places that are less known or unique that aren’t recommended on most travel websites? This includes stuff like small family run businesses that you may have just wandered across and found genuinely enjoyable/interesting.
Also, any romantic or couple based experiences would be great as we will be handing in our marriage documents at the beginning of our Japan trip.
Thanks in advance.
7 comments
I would say Toyako is you can drive out there. The caldera is nice. Probably would be pretty in the snow in Jan. also Niseko and Kombu are good. Niseko for skiing and Kombu is a small stop that has an onsen close to the station. And Hakodate if you can get down there as well.
We went to Hakodate and had a wonderful time! We stayed at a hotel where we did have a onsen on our room and that was so nice! We ate at L’oiseau par Matsunaga for lunch. The chef and the team were wonderful! There is a morning market that was great as well as the red brick warehouses. We wanted to do the ropeway but it was too foggy at night but that would have been nice. I can’t say much for other parts of Hokkaido but we did enjoy our couple days in Hakodate.
Lake Hill Farm next to Lake Toya. Delicious pizza, cheese, and ice cream.
Saturday’s Chocolate Factory & Café in Sapporo. Lovely little chocolate shop.
I enjoyed my time in Noboribetsu and at the Upopoy National Ainu Museum. The former if you enjoy strange natural scenery and a good walk; the latter if you want to learn about the indigenous peoples of the island.
First and foremost be sure to take the train further south to Yoichi, and visit the Nikka distillery there. The story of the owner and his Scottish wife is very interesting and a testament to love, and good Scotch, or something, or everything. There is a museum on premises which is just crazy good. I salute you for visiting my favorite Japanese prefecture. And I’ve lived in Japan for 40 years.
Will you have a car or just public transit?
Go to upopoy!! Great outdoor experience learning about traditional ainu culture. Also I loved hakodate!