Hello everyone,
Next July, my friend and I will be spending about three weeks at a cabin near Sapporo. I’ve previously been to Hokkaido during the winter, but I hear summers there are also lovely.
We’d like to make it a bit more of an adventure, so we’re thinking of driving northeast up to Furano to view the lavender garden, making our way north into Asahikawa for a night or two, and then finishing all the way up at Monbetsu to see the aquarium there (likely pausing somewhere half-way too).
Both ways added up, it looks like it’ll be approximately 12-13 hours of driving over a combined 372 mi or 600 km.
While we have this rough plan, we prefer to be spontaneous and see where the particular mood of the moment takes us. I believe renting a camper-van would be ideal, so that we can have some comfort at all times on the road and rest at a michi no eki if needed.
Now, I am not super knowledgeable when it comes to choosing vehicles, so I’m wondering what “tier” or “model” or “make” of camper-van you’d recommend for a trip like this, and if there are any particular rental shops in/around Sapporo that I should check out?
Having done some of my own research, I think something like a Nissan Nova looks good. It seems to have good range, decent engine power, and is roomy enough for two people to sleep in. But I’m curious what other travelers might recommend instead.
Some additional information to note: we can both speak Japanese pretty well, cost is not a concern, and we are also open to any recommendations for places to stop at along the way!
