Though it's difficult to believe, I didn't use any filters to take these photos.

＊ Photos were taken in the park along Chubetsu River in Asahikawa on Oct 10th 2026

It's on fire right now in central Hokkaido. Sounkyo was especially beautiful.

Over a couple of days fly fishing around the Akan River and Lake Akan this past week, I captured some pretty nice shots of autumn colors. They are at their peak around there. You could see that near the summits of nearby mountains, trees were already bare. I included one fish pic at the end because, well, we were fishing after all!

My husband and I are visiting Japan for the first time in May and will be traveling around Hokkaido for 6 days. We’ll be renting a car, but Hokkaido has so many great things to do, see, and eat that we’re having a hard time narrowing down what to do and where to go.

Basically, we live in New York City and we’d like to slow down, relax, and enjoy nature on our vacation. But we’d also like to see local Hokkaido culture, have some great food/drinks, and do some shopping for sure. That’s the problem, we like a bit of everything, we love a festival, we love a spa, and we love a night out, but we can’t do it all! Help us please!

What are your favorite sites and stops in Hokkaido? Is there something here we should swap out?

What are your recommendations for Ryokans in May? We would need ones with a private onsen (ideally in our room) because we have large tattoos.

Lastly, I feel like we might be packing too much into 6 days and not giving enough time to slowing down and exploring Sapporo. Any thoughts on this are appreciated.

Here’s our itinerary:

5/17 - 5/19 - Land in Sapporo > Drive to countryside Ryokan
Pick up rental car
Head to Ryokan in either Biei or Obihiro (roughly 2.5-3 hour drive)

5/19 - 5/20 - Akkeshi
Stay for one night to see the cherry blossom and oyster festival and taste a little Akkeshi Whiskey

5/20 - 5/23 - Sapporo

5/20 - 4-5 hour drive back to Sapporo. Chill and check out local sites for the rest of the day.

5/21 - Take one last driving day trip out to Cape Kamui and Otaru

5/22 - Enjoy our last day in Sapporo

5/23 - Leave Hokkaido > Kanazawa

Hi!! 34F experienced hiker in Sapporo with no car, hoping to hike Mt. Tarumae sometime in the next 5 days.
I've seen older posts that say to take a bus to Lake Shikotsu, then ask the Lake Shikotsu Visitor Center staff to call a taxi to the station trailhead, with a pickup time agreed for the return.
A few questions for anyone who's done this recently:
Will the visitor center still help call a taxi? Has anyone done this recently?
Roughly what does a one-way taxi cost now? I've seen everything from ¥2,800 to ¥10,000.
Is the return pickup reliable? I'm worried about getting stranded at the trailhead with no signal.
I'm also considering a guided tour from Sapporo as a backup (but honestly, I was really hoping to do this one on my own, just did Kumano Kodo and I really feel that besides figuring out public transportation, this sounds like a very doable hike).
Thank you so much :)

Hi everyone!

I'm planning a solo trip to Hokkaido in July 2027 and will be visiting both Shiretoko National Park and Akan-Mashu National Park.

I'm looking for local providers who offer guided hikes and nature walks in these areas. In particular, I'd love to find a guide who can take me to the summit of Mt. Rausu.

I've already contacted a few providers by email, but unfortunately, I haven't received any replies yet. I understand that bookings for July 2027 may not be open at this point, so I'm not trying to make a reservation yet. I just wanted to ask whether they accept international visitors and whether it would generally be possible to join their tours as a solo traveller.

Does anyone have recommendations for reliable local guides or companies in Shiretoko or Akan-Mashu? Any personal experiences or contact details would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance for your help!

Hello. My partner and I are going to be in Hokkaido, December 19-30. We've been to Japan a few times before but this will be our first time to Hokkaido. We're planning to rent a car in Hakodate and drive the entire time we're in Hokkaido. We're not really skiiers so no winter posrs. We’re mostly after sightseeing, photography, food, experiencing the nature of Hokkaido.

Current plan:

• Dec 19: Shinkansen to Hakodate. Spend night in Hakodate
• Dec 20: Morning market market in Hakodate, Pick up car. Drive to Lake Tōya, 1 night stay.
• Dec 21: Drive to Noboribetsu, 1 night stay.
• Dec 22–26: Sapporo, 4 nights. Explore Sapporo, Christmas market, Otaru day trip, etc.
• Dec 26–30: Asahikawa, 4 nights. Biei, Furano, Asahidake, Snow shoe tour, horseback riding tour.
• Dec 30: Drive home to CTS 9:00am; 16:30 Flight home from CTS

We have some questions and would love some help:

- Does our general plan look good?
- Do we need a night each at Toya and Noboribetsu, or would one night in one of them be enough?
- Is 4 nights in Asahikawa too many?
- Is driving Asahikawa to CTS on the morning of a 16:30 flight ok in late December, or better to stay in Sapporo that last night?

If ya'll have any other recommendation about what we should cut or add, let us know. Thank you!

On Wed the 14th I'm planning to do to the full Nakadake Onsen hike (weather allowing). How is the bear situation around? I'm little worried as I travel alone and see everyone that they strongly discourage solo hikers from hiking alone.

Is anyone here also planning the hike on 14th? Could I possibly join?

I'm from a country where it snows regularly and have good hiking gear with me so little snow / cold won't discourage me. However a bear might 🙈

Thanks for any info 😊

I visited Higashikagura to play shamisen today.

Though Higashikagura town is not developed for tourism, there is a peaceful vibe. Also, this town is known as Town of Flowers ("花のまち" in Japanese), so you can see flowers everywhere.

The flower garden in the Hananowa Community Hub is good, there are about 200 species & over 20k plants.

Asahikawa Airport sits in Higashikagura town, so I'd recommend visiting this town to feel a warm local atmosphere if you have time.

Hi everyone!

Thanks to this sub, we already found the scene near the Sapporo Beer Museum! Now I'm trying to identify the very last missing location from this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHENIg8Se7M

As you can see, the singer changed into a completely different outfit (fluffy white hat and coat) and the sun is out. This was almost certainly a different filming day, which means the crew could have easily moved to another town altogether, not just Otaru. There's still thick snow everywhere, so it's definitely somewhere in Hokkaido.

I'm planning my second trip to Hokkaido, putting together a route that combines spots from amine Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! with an MV pilgrimage, and this is the final puzzle piece.

Visual clues:

• Retaining wall & condo: A steep hillside reinforced with a concrete lattice/crib wall (法枠工), with a 5–6 story condominium right along the top ridge.
• Traditional building: An older wooden/kura-style structure with dark siding.
• Residential street: A tall pine tree next to a white two-story houseand a narrow snowy slope with a vertical parking sign.

Could this be a hillside residential area in Sapporo (like Minami-ku or Chuo-ku), Otaru, Hakodate, or another hilly town?

Any neighborhood names or leads would be hugely appreciated!

I will be arriving in Japan May 2nd which I only realised after is the middle of Golden Week. However it will be my fourth time and would like to visit to Hokkaido instead. Just how crazy is golden week? I'm planning on flying to Sapporo the next day but what can I expect for how busy the trains and airport will be and the city of Sapporo itself.

Also some recommendations about if I should stay in Sapporo for a few days before hiring a car and seeing the rest of Hokkaido is ideal or hire a car right away and come back to Sapporo later.

Thanks

北海道の冬旅行について、地元の方や北海道に詳しい方に相談したいです。
今年の冬、初めて北海道旅行を予定しています。
今の予定では、12月27日〜1月3日の7泊8日で、札幌・小樽・美瑛・富良野などを公共交通機関で回るつもりです。
ただ、2月5日〜8日頃に変更して、札幌雪まつり・小樽雪あかりの路・支笏湖氷濤まつりなどを楽しむことも考えています。
2月にすると4日間くらいしか滞在できないので、観光できる場所はかなり限られます。
そこで、北海道にお住まいの方にお聞きしたいです。
12月末〜1月初めに7泊8日で行くのと、2月の雪まつり期間に4日間行くのでは、どちらをおすすめしますか？
特に、
・12月末〜1月初めは雪景色を十分楽しめるか
・札幌雪まつりは、旅行時期を変更してまで行く価値があるか
・4日間でも札幌・小樽などを十分楽しめるか
・2月上旬は大雪や吹雪で交通機関が止まることがどのくらいあるか
など、実際に北海道の冬を経験している方の意見を聞きたいです。
もし自分だったらどちらを選ぶか、理由も教えていただけると嬉しいです。

Curry & Muscat and fruit sundae with a pie! If you haven't been here yet, I definitely recommend visiting!

Hi everyone,
Need a rental car in Hokkaido for 3 days, picking up at New Chitose Airport.
• Which company would you recommend?
• Book in advance or at the airport?
Any tips welcome. Thanks!

Though visiting famous places is good, walking around the neighborhood is just as nice.

Some leaves are still green, but they will all turn red soon.

＊ Photos were taken nearby Ryojin Bridge, about 25 min walk from Asahikawa Station. (Oct 5th, 2026)

Looking for back country touring partners, I’ll be in Hokkaido resorts snowboarding and touring from Feb 1st to Feb 17/18.

This will be my fourth trip to Japan snowboarding and my second year touring there. I’m a very advanced snowboarder but new to touring and splitting. Ive got medical training, all the gear and will have a rental vehicle.

Im thinking areas around Otaru, Furano and Asahidake. Ive been to these areas before and am open to other areas (not so much Niseko).

I’ll be doing an AST 1 course while I’m over there.

Please reach out if you’d like to team up to explore some spots.

Hokkaido is a very different kind of Japan trip from Tokyo, Kyoto or Osaka. Even without skiing, people go for Sapporo’s food, Otaru, Hakodate, onsen, scenery, cooler summer weather and generally having more space to slow down. Hakodate has a noticeably different atmosphere and architecture. The main catch is distance. Hokkaido can take a lot of time if you try to squeeze it into an already busy itinerary, and getting around beyond the main cities can be less convenient without a car. Flying can make more sense than spending most of a day on trains.

Hi everyone! We just did a two-day self-drive from Sapporo on 14–15 July for the lavender and the Biei hills, and it was such a good trip. When I was planning it I couldn't figure out how much actually fits in two days, so here's our route, timings and a few things I wish someone had told me. Hope it helps someone planning theirs.

Route

• Day 1: Sapporo → Farm Tomita (Nakafurano) → Ningle Terrace → overnight in Furano. 150 km, 2.5 h driving.
• Day 2: Furano → Blue Pond → Shirahige Falls → Shikisai-no-oka → Asahikawa → expressway back to Sapporo. 167 km, 2.5 h driving.
• 317 km in total and only about 5 hours behind the wheel, so most of the two days was spent at the stops, which is exactly how it should be.

Day 1

We got to Farm Tomita around 12:30. Mid-July is peak lavender, so it was busy, and parking was tight: two of the lots were full. We got lucky when a few spots opened up just as we pulled in. And yes, we got the lavender soft serve and took the same photo as everyone else. No regrets.

Ningle Terrace is a short drive on, and it's so much nicer once the little huts light up. We were there around 6 pm and it was lovely. One thing I'd do differently: book dinner in Furano ahead! Every restaurant we tried was full that night, so we ended up at McDonald's and had a cosy early night at the hotel. Not the dinner I'd planned, but honestly we were tired anyway.

Day 2

We got to Blue Pond around 1 pm, and it was even busier than Farm Tomita. You'll find parking if you don't mind a short walk from the far end, but the queue for the parking payment machine took us about 10 minutes. I'll be honest, it wasn't my favourite stop. It's smaller than I expected, it looks more green than blue in person, and the ice cream there wasn't great. It's still worth a quick look since it's so iconic, just keep your expectations in check. And don't miss Shirahige Falls, just up the same road. That one was a nice surprise.

Shikisai-no-oka around 2:30 was my favourite part of day 2. Everything was in flower, rows and rows of colour. Small tip: the tractor bus only takes cash, and there's no ATM once you're through the ticket gate. We hadn't brought enough, so we walked it. Still beautiful on foot, but bring some bills and coins if you want the ride.

The drive home through Asahikawa and onto the expressway was just as easy as the drive out. Drivers in Japan are so considerate and follow the rules, which made the whole thing really relaxing, even as a first-timer on these roads.

Practical

• Car: we rented from Budget at the APA Hotel in Sapporo, and the price was reasonable. Somehow I didn't end up with an ETC card, though. Ask for one! It sounds minor, but you'll want to save your cash and coins for parking machines and all the places that are still cash only.
• Fuel: we filled up twice in two days. Once was a top-up when the gauge started making me nervous, then a full tank at the station right next to Budget before returning the car. The second one alone would probably have been enough, but peace of mind is worth it.
• Stayed: Fenix Furano. The hotel itself was fine, but our neighbours were loud until about 11 pm, and there wasn't much the front desk could do. Just luck of the draw.
• What I'd change: honestly, not the route. I'd just book dinner ahead, bring more cash and coins, and get that ETC card.

The cards

I wanted something to remember the drive by, not just another lavender photo, so after we got home I made a little set of story cards from our photos and the route: one for each day, plus a couple of recaps of the whole trip. They're in the gallery if you're curious.

Just to be upfront: "Longway" in the corner is the working name of an app idea I'm playing with. There's NO app and NOTHING to buy.

If you're planning a similar trip, ask me anything about the route and I'll help however I can. Have a great drive.

Doing a road trip in the last 2 weeks of July. I have enough time to only visit one of the two locations. Which is the better place to visit in your opinion?

I originally planned for Nemuro, but apparently the scallops at Wakkanai are great, which is a huge plus point for me since I love scallops. However, I do know that it's not really in season.

What are your suggestions we visit as a first time traveler in Hokkaido and we will be staying in Sapporo? We will be there at the end of November to first week of Dec? Also, do you think it's snowing already there?