Together with various snow festivals and light-up events, next to summer winter from Dec to Mar is the most popular time for a trip to Hokkaido. For spring late April is cherry blossom season in southern Hokkaido around Sapporo and Hakodate whereas tulip and pink moss can be seen in eastern Hokkaido from May to June.
What to expect in autumn in Hokkaido: With intense colours bursting throughout the island, fall is one of best times to visit Hokkaido. Temperatures are still pleasant throughout September and October with the truly chilly days not hitting until late autumn in November.
Diving into some of the best day trips from Sapporo, you'll discover everything Hokkaido is famous for from its swoon-worthy mountain scenery to its relaxing onsen towns. Although it might seem like a lot, give yourself at least 4 days in Sapporo.
Driving around Hokkaido is great and getting your own wheels is highly recommended on this wild Japanese island. Particularly if you are into hiking like me, having a car makes it much easier to reach the many hiking trails you can find on Hokkaido. In general, driving in Hokkaido is very easy and straightforward.
While Hokkaido's train network is not very extensive, the buses go everywhere. It's the best way to travel around Hokkaido, explore its many smaller cities and towns, and visit scenic attractions. Buses are also a cheaper way to travel, and you get to enjoy the many surprises waiting along Hokkaido's backroads.
We recommended spending 4 days driving around Hokkaido and 3 days in Sapporo city.
You should plan to spend around ¥11,310 ($109) per day on your vacation in Hokkaido, which is the average daily price based on the expenses of other visitors. Past travelers have spent, on average, ¥2,899 ($28) on meals for one day and ¥3,200 ($31) on local transportation.
Typical rental fees are around 5000 yen per 24-hour period for a sub-compact car, 7500 yen for compact cars, 10,000 yen for mid sized cars, 15,000 yen for full sized cars and 20,000 yen for vans. Rates are sometimes increased during peak seasons, especially in Hokkaido.
HOKKAIDO RAIL PASS can be used toward on all JR Hokkaido train lines with the exception of Hokkaido Shinkansen. HOKKAIDO RAIL PASS cannot be used on lines of other companies such as South Hokkaido Railway, Sapporo Municipal Subway, etc.
Asahikawa is about a 90-120 minute drive drive from Sapporo, using the Doo Expressway (3380 yen one way). By toll free roads, driving time increases by over an hour.
From SapporoThere are multiple trains per hour between Sapporo and Otaru along the JR Hakodate Main Line. The one way trip costs 750 yen and takes 30 minutes by rapid train or 45 minutes by local train. About two trains per hour continue on to New Chitose Airport (70 minutes, 1910 yen one way).
Hakodate - Reccomended Places to VisitFor many years, this city flourished as a trade port and remains lined with buildings that combine European and other international cultures together with Japanese culture. Hakodate is a charming city, known for the beauty of its stunning night views and fresh seafood.
New Chitose Airport and Sapporo Station are connected by frequently departing JR rapid trains (35 minutes, 1150 yen one way). Seat reservations are optional and cost an additional 530 yen. The trains are covered by the Japan Rail Pass and Hokkaido Rail Pass.
By train. There are infrequent local and rapid train connections between Sapporo and Kutchan Stations, most of which require a transfer of trains at Otaru. With a direct "Niseko Liner" rapid train or a favorable transfer at Otaru, the one way trip takes about 100 minutes and costs 2100 yen.
You can take a train from Hakodate to Niseko via Oshamambe in around 3h 52m. Alternatively, Hakodate Teisan Bus operates a bus from Hakodate Station to Hirafu Welcome Center once daily. Tickets cost ¥8000 and the journey takes 3h 5m.
SAPPORO – The aurora borealis has been photographed by an astronomical observatory in Hokkaido — the first time in 11 years the northern lights have been observed in Japan. The last time the aurora was observed in Japan was in November 2004, in the nearby town of Shimokawa, Hokkaido.
Definitely worth it. I would recommend flying though, the shinkansen only goes to Hakodate at the moment which is still quite a ways from Sapporo. Peach and Vanilla airlines are both good budget airlines.
Sapporo (??, "important river flowing through a plain" in Ainu language) is the capital of Hokkaido and Japan's fifth largest city. Sapporo became world famous in 1972 when the Olympic Winter Games were held there. Today, the city is well known for its ramen, beer, and the annual snow festival held in February.
Agree with above--costs won't differ greatly but Hokkaido does tend to offer cheaper car rental. However, if budget is a real concern, then stick with Tokyo. Also, airfare to Hokkaido from an international destination might cost more than Tokyo.
In Sapporo, the summers are comfortable, wet, and partly cloudy and the winters are freezing, snowy, windy, and mostly cloudy. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 10°F to 78°F and is rarely below -1°F or above 86°F.
Hokkaido is renowned for the high quality and freshness of its seafood, as the cold waters surrounding Japan's northernmost prefecture are ideal for fish and sea vegetation. Within the prefecture some areas are particularly famous for a certain product, such as the uni (sea urchin) of Rishiri and Rebun.
27 Hokkaido Food Souvenirs You'll Gladly Buy Extra Luggage For
- 1.Yubari Melon Steam Cake. Source: global.rakuten.com.
- Sapporo Okaki Oh! Yakitokibi.
- Shiroi Koibito. Probably one of the most iconic, if not the most iconic food souvenir in Hokkaido is Shiroi Koibito.
- Sanpouroku.
- Sweet Potato.
- Yubari Melon Kit Kat.
- Hokkaido Milk Castella.
- Sapporo Kinako Yaki Chocora.
Even in downtown Sapporo, you may find around 70-80cm of snow accumulating. There's even more snow in the mountain areas. The locals say that during winter, it snows somewhere in Hokkaido every day. But in some cities, such as Sapporo and Asahikawa, there are sunny days in winter without any snowfall.
May is just barely the time when snow is completely gone from the lowlands in most areas of Hokkaido.
It is much cheaper, and liveable, I think. Tokyo is overwhelmingly busy, even when it isn't. Sapporo is never that crazy. If you have to wear a summer suit, believe me, it's much easier to do in Sapporo than in Tokyo.
Here are our suggested ones.
- Hachinohe. This is an easy stop over to make, about 3 hours away from Tokyo it is directly on the route to Hokkaido.
- Lake Towada.
- Hirosaki.
- Hakodate.
- On to Sapporo.
- Otaru.
- Furano flower fields.
- Daisetsuzan.
Japan Rail Pass covers the new Hokkaido Shinkansen route, including the super fast Hayabusa train. The JR Pass is really worth it if you are taking this route: as a normal ticket would cost 23,120 yen for the round-trip.
Japan's 53.85km Seikan railway tunnel passes beneath the Tsugaru Strait and connects the Aomori Prefecture on Honshu Island and the Hokkaido Island. With its track located 140m below the seabed, the Seikan tunnel is the world's deepest and longest railway tunnel.
The Hokkaido Shinkansen route is connected Honshu (the main island of Japan) to Hokkaido, allowing direct access from Tokyo Station to Shin-Hakodate Hokuto Station. The bullet train journey takes approximately four hours and costs 23,210 yen.
The Cassiopeia Overnight Train was a famous night train in Japan between Tokyo and Hokkaido.
Flight time from Tokyo to Sapporo is 1 hour 30 minutes.
Stay in Hokkaido's best hotels!
- Randor Residential Hotel Sapporo Suites. Hotel in Susukino, Sapporo.
- HakoBA Hakodate by THE SHARE HOTELS. Hotel in Hakodate.
- JR Inn Asahikawa. Hotel in Asahikawa.
- Hotel Hanafuji Inn. Hotel in Furano.
- Hotel Classe Stay Sapporo.
- Super Hotel Premier Obihiro Ekimae.
- U5R.
- Hotel Munin Furano.
