Howdy Everyone,
In May 2022, thinking about going to Hokkaido for the first time and have a few question. I’ll be in Tokyo for a week, and then traveling up north for another week and likely taking a plane back from Sapporo. I’m interested in pretty much everything, but especially hiking, food and nightlife.
This is may be silly, but my method of getting there may impact which cities I prioritize. I’ve been doing a little bit of research and am intrigued by the Ferry from Tokyo to Tomakomai, Hokkaido and slowly making my way to Sapporo with stops to Daisetsuzan and other parks/trails. Are there any hiking trails in this that are a must-do?
On the other hand, I was thinking of taking the more standard route with the Shinkansen and stopping for a night or two in Hakodate and then going to Sapporo. Is Hakodate worth going to over the other route?
Both methods, I’m also interested in Otaru and perhaps even going up a little bit farther north if there’s something worth traveling for.
Thank you in advance for your suggestions!
16 comments
I would recommend for you to take a route that includes going to “Ainu Mura.” It’s a magical place.
I had planned something similar flying into Tokyo and then going to Hokkaido. If you are wanting to explore more of Hokkaido and not the in between flights were cheaper and faster.
You could always go hybrid and get the train to Hakodate, then onto Tomakomai.
The Seikan Tunnel connecting Hokkaido to Honshu is an experience considering how long it is.
I never stayed in Hakodate, but got a connecting Super Hokuto Express on towards Sapporo. Now the main reason I’m recommending the train is the views you get.
Lake Onuma, Hokkaido Komagatake, Uchiura Bay and its myriad of small fishing villages, Muroran.
The ‘big sky’ feeling of the bay on a clear day made the view feel infinite. A truly arresting sight.
I took the route mainly from a convenience standpoint. When I picked up my JR Pass, I was able to plot the route at the pick up point. Now I may have a rose tinted glasses for 2018 as this was on my honeymoon, but I honestly can’t recommend the train enough… Might take the plane next time though (nearly 4 hours from Hakodate to Sapporo 😅).
Last piece of advice would be to go for the green car tickets from JR on both the Shinkansen and the Super Hokuto. I found that personally it was worth the extra for the comfort.
Either way enjoy your trip. Sapporo and Hokkaido at large captured my heart 😊
The night view from Mt. Hakodate is considered one of the three best night-views of Japan (along with Nagasaki from Inasayama and Kobe/Osaka Bay from Mt. Maya). Goryokaku is an interesting site to visit for military history buffs and the city itself is a good hub for visiting Matsumae castle or Onuma Koen.
Tokyo to Tomakomai ferry does not really make much sense, unless you are visiting either Hitachi Seaside Park or Kairakuen earlier in the day and you want to skip southwestern Hokkaido entirely (Hakodate, Onuma Koen, Lake Toya area and Noboribetsu Onsen). Note that ferry leaves from Oarai, which is about two hours away from central Tokyo (and in shinkansen you would be halfway to Hokkaido at that time).
If you want to use a road less travelled, then making your way to Hachinohe and then up Shimokita Peninsula to Oma, and taking a ferry to Hakodate would make much more sense.
the one time I went from tokyo to hokkaido I flew. the other options are slow
Otaru has really good seafood. super fun day trip. Squid ink / Uni ice cream if you wanna get touristy.
asahikawa is like a mini Sapporo. lots of good affordable hotels with spas inside.
I’m more of a winter sports guy but mt Yotei is beautiful in the spring.
Hakodate is amazing if you like Uni/sushi.
If you like alcohol, you can tour the nikka distillery (unsure if covid has impacted this)
The train rides in this area are super scenic if you don’t mind the slow speeds. Ive rented a car, used the train, or flown. Depends what floats your boat I guess.
Haven’t been to Hakodate, but if you can’t make it there, Otaru has a nice fresh fish market (that has restaurants inside serving sushi) called Nantaru Market. It’s close to Sapporo so if you fly in you can take a train. It’s nice for a half-day, you can check out the glass blowing shops and the pier. Otaru used to be in gold mining, I think, so they have a historical bank / minting museum. Nothing to write home about but there’s enough to entertain for a few hours. Fair amount of good coffee shops too, though I’m not sure what’s survived the pandemic.
edit: I forgot to mention but bring cash. I don’t remember if Nantaru market has credit card machines but I kind of doubt it.
edit 2: Now I see that you specifically asked about Otaru. Sorry. Furano was also a pretty fun time in summer, if you like lavender. I really enjoyed the lavender ice cream.
This is basically my 2017 itinerary.
I spent a few days in Tokyo, started a 1 week Jr pass and stopped at a bunch of places on the way north. Spent a few days in Sapporo, then flew back to Tokyo for a few more days.
The main things I stopped along the way for:
– Nikko – temples
– Sendai – Matsushima Bay ferry tour
– side trip to Yamadera temple and a ryokan in Ginzan
– aomori (not much but the train ferry museum was kinda neat)
– Hakodate – literally the best seafood in all 30 cities I’ve been to in Japan. It’s fish market rivals tsukuji and I would say multitudes better than Otaru. Definitely worth it and I would go to Hokkaido again just to go back to that market. The castle and ropeway are pretty good too, it’s definitely worth a night or two.
– Noboribetsu – great onsen stays also some really fascinating landscapes to walk/hike
– Otaru – some neat historical shops (glassworking and music boxes) overall I thought it was overly tourist centric as it’s a main port for the cruise lines. It’s interesting enough to be worth a day trip, I wouldn’t go again though.
Yeah… I definitely made the most of that JR pass.
Went to Hokkaido in 2019. I enjoyed the most out of Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe. I did not find much value at Hakodate IMO..All the things in Hakodate, you can find in Sapporo. At Sapporo, Check out Lake Shikotsu. Otaru is only worthwhile , IMO, if you do the blue cave cruise. Blue pond Biei and waterfall shiraghe is a must if u go further east of Sapporo. Also wanted to check out Lake SHiretoko but didn’t have time . Also felt that Mt. Moiwa has better views than mt. Hakodate
Went to Hokkaido Winter 2020, and I can give you two recs for live music in Sapporo: Cross Roads and Klub Counter Action. The former was a cool, small bar, with an older crowd that had American classic rock played live (and well) by the house band. Klub Counter Action had a punk concert that kicked ass. Have fun!
I recommend you rent a car. Public transport is spotty in Hokkaido.
Hiking can be spotty in May. Still a lot of snow up high and many roads don’t open until after Golden Week. That said Shioya Maruyama (塩谷丸山) is accessible via train station just west of Otaru and has nice views of the sea.
Food.
Miso ramen is the famous flavor in Sapporo. Lots of variations. Pop down to ramen alley in Susukino and pick one, or Google is your friend. There are literally hundreds.
Soup Curry. A Hokkaido specialty food. Lots of shops. I like Samurai, Yellow and Suage in Sapporo
Jingisukan. Grilled lamb meat. Head up to the Sapporo beer museum north east of the station. Get yourself an all you can eat and drink deal. ( Tabe houdai and Nomi houdai).
Seafood.
Lots of fresh, cheap seafood. Crab is popular, uni bowls, ikura bowls,oysters, sushi. Pretty everything. If you love seafood, eat some in Sapporo.
Stuff with local ingredients. Ice cream. Corn. Potatoes. Berries. Yubari Melon.
Nightlife? I can’t help as much because I’m ‘old’ but Susukino is one of the happening areas. Lots of bars, clubs, red light district, etc.
I start my Hokkaido trip in Jul 19 flying into Hakodate from Tokyo. Worth to go? i think depends on individual, for me once is enough. Uni Murakami at the end of the market is highly recommend though.
You can spend another night at Lake Toya before moving to Sapporo or if you like onsen you can drop by Noboribetsu.
Not sure what Asahikawa has to offer in May, otherwise it is a good base for daytrips to Furano, Biei, Hokuryu, etc during the summer period.
While Otaru is famous for its seafood, you might wanna try out the *famous* fried chicken from Naruto Honten since the main branch is there.
Hakodate mountain climb plus the view/nightview : top 3 best views of Japan
​
https://www.hakodate.travel/en/more-about-hakodate/nightview.html
I lived there for 5 years.
Ferry way : Tomakomai is famous for clam curry rice and Tarako(fish roe)but nothing to do! Lol
If you go to Sapporo after Tomakomai(because Daisetsuzan is opposite way) you definitely visit Otaru! and maybe you can try to go to Yoichi town(known for a whiskey distillery)
But if you can push the date to June, I totally recommend to go to Daisetsuzan and stop by Furano and Biei! You can see beautiful flower fields!
Shinkansen way : YES! Mt.Hakodate’s night view is beautiful and it’s famous for food like squids somen, Lucky Pierrot’s hamburger and Hasegawa store’s yakitori bento…
Then maybe you can head to Muroran for Cape Chikyu(means earth) and Noboribetsu for Onsen(Hot spring) final destination is Sapporo.
And I personally recommend Niseko! It’s famous for rafting because of snow runoff!
By the way I’m from Sapporo so I really hope you will enjoy Hokkaido!
Hi.
In Hokkaido in May, spring has arrived on the plains, but many places on the mountains are still in winter. If snow-covered mountains are too difficult for you, you may want to try hiking in the Kanto area. For example, there are many good hiking trails around Nikko, and it is possible to make a day trip from Tokyo.
​
There used to be a ferry service from Tokyo to Hokkaido from Tokyo Bay, but now it is from Oarai in Ibaraki Prefecture. The journey to Oarai takes a certain amount of time and seems like a waste of time.
Shin-Nihonkai-Ferry(New Japan Sea Ferry) is a famous and the largest ferry service to Hokkaido, but to get there from Kanto, you have to travel to Niigata. This is much farther than Oarai, but the Shinkansen runs from Tokyo to Niigata, so it only takes two hours to get there from Tokyo. Also, you can stop at Tanigawa mountain range or Mimakami Onsen on the way. There are two ferry routes from Niigata to Hokkaido, to Otaru and Tomakomai. Here are the URLs of the ferry companies.
Have a good trip!
https://www.snf.jp/english/