North Japan: Hokkaido Discovery

Fly to Sapporo

Fly to Sapporo, Japan. (N) 

Meal basis: As per itinerary – B: Breakfast, L: Lunch, D: Dinner, N: No meals

Sapporo

Arrive in Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, and transfer to your hotel by shared car. Stay 2 nights at JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo. (N) 

Sapporo

Explore Sapporo on a guided cycling tour with an English-speaking guide. Highlights include leafy Odori Park; the landmark Sapporo TV Tower; Sapporo Clock Tower, the oldest clock tower in Japan; the 19th-century Red Brick Office; the Nijo Fish Market; and the Sapporo Factory entertainment complex. Sapporo is famous for its eponymous beer, and this afternoon you visit the Sapporo Beer Museum for insight into the city’s brewing heritage. Return to your hotel by train, stopping en route for a self-guided tour of Otaru city. (B)  

Hakodate

Make your way to Sapporo Station to catch the express train to Hakodate, a port city that looks across the water to Japan’s largest island, Honshu. Upon arrival, check into your hotel and enjoy the rest of the day at leisure. Stay 2 nights at Hakodate International Hotel. (B) 

Hakodate

Meet your English-speaking guide for a tour of Hakodate by public transport. Visit Goryokaku Park, the 19th-century star fort that is famous for its springtime cherry blossom, landmark viewing tower, and the Hakodate Bugyosho – a handsome historical building established by the shogunate. You also visit the Motomachi District, home to an eclectic mix of heritage buildings, including the Old British Consulate and Hakodate Public Hall. Your afternoon is at leisure. (B) 

Lake Toya

Join your English-speaking guide on an excursion by private car to the scenic lakes and heritage sites of Hakodate. Begin at the Jomon Culture Centre and the nearby Ofune ruins to learn about the ancient inhabitants of this region. Continue to Lake Onuma for canoeing on its peaceful waters, then transfer to Lake Toya and your lake-view hotel room. Stay 1 night at Toya Kohantei Hotel. (B, D).  

Mount Usu

Privately transfer by car to Mount Usu along with your English-speaking guide. Part of the Toya-Usu Geo Park, this volcanic mountain juts out of thick greenery between Lake Toya and Uchiura Bay, and the Usuzan Ropeway can carry you to its summit. Afterwards, transfer to Shiraoi to visit the Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park, learning about the indigenous Ainu people and witnessing a traditional Ainu dance. Return to Sapporo and stay 1 night at JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo. (B) 

Biei

Make your way to Sapporo Station and take the express train to Asahikawa city for time at leisure. Transfer to your hotel in the town of Biei by shuttle bus. Stay 1 night at Mori-no-Shizuku RIN Hotel. (B, D) 

Biei

Enjoy a full-day guided excursion by private car into the picturesque landscape surrounding Biei. Visit the Shirahige Waterfalls, Shirogane Blue Pond, and the flower garden of Shikisai no Oka, where flowers cascade down a hill in neat 300-metre rows arranged by colour. This afternoon, traverse the undulating Roller Coaster Road to Farm Tomita, famed for its own fields of flowers, especially purple lavender. Return to Sapporo and stay 1 night at JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo. (B) 

Fly home

Transfer from your hotel to the airport by shared car for your flight home. (B) 

Arrive home

(N)