Highlights of Hokkaido Tour: A Paradise in All Seasons

This morning, you are off by local train to Otaru, once a mining city when Japan was reliant on coal to power its lights. Otaru is no stranger to wealth either, as the great fortunes made from fishing over 100 years ago are still reflected in the city’s stunning mansions and the Victorian-style street lamps that line the canals.

A century ago, Otaru’s fisherman relied on the city’s glass makers to produce the floats necessary to keep their nets from sinking. With the decline of Otaru’s fishing industry, glass blowing became a purely artistic profession. Today, glass artisans throughout the city produce everything from small figurines to massive chandeliers. No matter your budget, you can take home a piece of Otaru’s history and culture.

Though Otaru may no longer be the center of the Japanese fishing industry, its seafood is still second to none. The city’s restaurants offer a variety of cooked and uncooked seafood options. One specialty is King Crab. Caught right offshore, the crab legs are guaranteed to be the largest and most flavorful you’ve ever eaten.

In the afternoon, your visit to Otaru continues with a walking tour of the city. Depending on your preferences, you can stop at the Otaru Museum. Once the city’s bank, the museum’s interactive exhibits have displays on the indigenous Ainu people, the migration of Japanese into the area, and how the industrial revolution transformed the city. Touring the museum, you gain an appreciation not only for Otaru but for the rest of the Hokkaido countryside you will see over the next few days.

In the early evening, take a local train back to Sapporo. Dinner is at your leisure.

You leave Sapporo behind today as you take a local train to Furano, the geographic center of Hokkaido. Furano’s name comes from an Ainu word for “odorous place,” a reference to nearby sulfuric geysers.

If traveling to Furano in the summer, you’ll be hard pressed to find anything ‘odorous’ other than the fragrant fields of lavender that seem to blanket the town. In the winter, the city turns into a winter wonderland.

Furano is home to some of the best skiing in Japan. At the Furano Ski Area, full and half-day passes are available, along with equipment rental. The Ski Area has slopes of varying levels of difficulty, so even beginners should have an excellent time learning to ski.

For a more relaxed experience, take advantage of Furano’s cheese factory or winery. The cheese factory is famous for its camembert, along with a special cheese colored black with squid ink. Consider experiencing the tour and tasting, followed by the factory’s hands-on classes in cheese making.

Over forty years ago, Japanese farmers discovered that Furano’s climate was similar to that found of France’s Loire Valley, a region known for its wine. Since that time, the city has operated a winery on the city’s edge. Discover how the Japanese have adapted traditional winemaking techniques to Hokkaido’s unique environment. A tasting is included with the tour, but for a greater wine experience, a restaurant adjacent to the winery makes for a perfect lunch spot.

Your hotel for these two nights in Furano is western style. Lunches and dinners are at your discretion.

Today you travel to Abashiri, Hokkaido’s eastern tip situated on the Sea of Okhotsk. If traveling between January and March, take a bay cruise to gain a first-hand look at the thick sea ice that clogs the bay each year. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, rent a wetsuit and take a walk on the sea ice that comes close to shore.

Like Alcatraz in San Francisco Bay, Abashiri’s old prison was meant to isolate some of the country’s most dangerous criminals. Hokkaido used prison labor to construct much of the early infrastructure the island lacked in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, the sprawling prison is an open air museum, offering visitors an intimate look into what day to day life was like for prisoners and the men who guarded them.

Two days in Abashiri give you the opportunity for a day trip outside the city. In the spring and summer, Shiretoko National Park has stunning vistas of unspoiled nature rivaling anything found in the Swiss Alps. The scenery is perfect for a nature hike or just a lunch date with a million-dollar view.

Your two nights in Abashiri are a special treat: a ryokan, a Japanese style inn. Your room features futons and tatami mat floors. Dinner for both nights is at the hotel, Japanese style kaiseki ryori. This cuisine features many small dishes containing the finest seafood, beef, and vegetables from across Hokkaido. After dinner, take a relaxing soak in the hotel onsen, public baths featuring a variety of indoor and outdoor soaking pools/tubs. The outdoor onsens are a particular delight in the wintertime when the hot water wraps around you like a warm blanket in contrast to the snowy surroundings.

Nestled in the center of Akan National Park, the small town of Kawayu Onsen has historically offered travelers a respite from Hokkaido’s cold winters. The many natural hot springs make for an excellent day of soaking in warm waters. If traveling in the spring or summer, gentle nature paths are an intimate way to experience Japan’s natural beauty up close. Just outside of Kawayu Onsen is Lake Kussharo, where travelers can rent a paddleboat and picnic on the lake.

This evening, your accommodation is another Japanese ryokan. Dinner is traditional Japanese cuisine, and you have the option of dining in your room or a communal dining room.

Due to its location on Hokkaido’s eastern shore, Kushiro is protected from much of the snow and ice that covers Hokkaido in the wintertime. Even so, the mix of warm and cold waters that mix off of the city’s shores produce a daily fog which is similar to the common occurrence in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Kushiro Fisherman’s Wharf is an iconic part of the city, offering locals and travelers an opportunity to relax and unwind. Walking along the wooden boardwalk, the scent of sea air is accented by the food from multiple outdoor vendors selling a variety of local delicacies. Don’t forget to bring your camera, as the wharf is the best spot in the city for photographs.

If the weather should turn cold or foggy, explore MOO, a multi-story complex offering shopping and a variety of dining options. While there, be sure to try zangi, Kushiro’s take on fried chicken that incorporates sake and ginger into the recipe. MOO also offers produce and other crafts from around Hokkaido, so it is a perfect place to pick up a souvenir for friends and loved ones back home.

Besides shopping and dining, Kushiro is the premier city for nature lovers. At the Japanese Crane Reserve just outside the city, take a private tour or simply wander around the grounds. Fall is an especially important time for the Reserve, as that is when young chicks hatch. Besides wildlife, Kushiro has a variety of walking paths around an observatory that overlooks the city and surrounding plains.

Your last full day is in Sapporo, Hokkaido’s prefectural capital, and largest city. For seven days in February, there is no greater sight than the Sapporo Snow Festival. Started over 50 years ago as a competition between high school students, the festival now attracts snow artists from around Japan and the world. These artists use the snow covering the city to produce magnificent (and massive) works of art for the public’s enjoyment. Even in years when the snow around Sapporo is light, the festival continues due to the efforts of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, who use heavy machinery to bring in snow from other parts of Hokkaido. You might find that you spend your entire day admiring the over 400 pieces of snow art.

For food, Ganso Sapporo Ramen Street is described as a ‘ramen lover’s heaven.’ With many types of ramen to choose from, it is impossible to have a bad meal in one of the street’s small ramen shops. For a more relaxed dining experience, the Sapporo Beer Garden pairs the city’s iconic beer with Genghis Kahn, a grilled lamb dish that cooks right at your table. If traveling to Hokkaido during the summer, this meal is ideal comfort food, a perfect way to end your journey.

Though you are leaving Hokkaido today, the thought of departure is not on your mind. All you can think about is returning, perhaps in a different season when Hokkaido will reveal a whole new set of treasures for you to explore.