My Memorable Hokkaido Trip
With nice and friendly people, excellent public transportation system, and amazing food, Japan, without a doubt, ranks as my favorite country of all time.
But my Hokkaido trip was special on a whole different level. I went there with my girlfriend, who came back as my fiancee!
One of the most memorable experiences we shared was seeing snow for the first time. After touching down at the airport, we felt like little kids looking at our wintry surroundings.
As we were traveling in a group of four, we decided to rent a car. We traveled from New Chitose Airport to Noboribetsu, Lake Toya, Otaru (passing by Mt. Yotei), Sapporo, and finally back to New Chitose, for a total of six days and five nights.
Driving in Hokkaido during winter was an amazing experience; however, do be careful as the roads can be dangerous. The scenery was outstanding yet surreal. En route from Lake Toya to Otaru, we passed by the magnificent Mt. Yotei. It was the most beautiful road that I’ve ever driven on–I felt like I was in a movie!
Noboribetsu is known for its onsen (hot spring) and I highly recommend it. It has multiple types of hot spring water with different contents and temperatures for different benefits. Aside from that, there’s Hell Valley (which got its name for emitting hot sulfurous steam all year round) and Ninja Village (a recreation of a feudal town during the Edo period) for sightseeing.
I highly recommend booking a hotel facing Lake Toya. Waking up to the calm waters with mountains in the far background and the cool breeze to boot is simply magical. Slurping warm ramen and udon during the cold weather is another must-do!
As a seafood lover, I found the seafood at Otaru a personal highlight. Here, a multitude of markets and sushi bars sell fresh seafood and Omakase (chef’s recommended dishes).
Sapporo is the city center where you can do all your shopping and eating. If you’d like to have a view of the entire city at night, head to Mt. Moiwa Ropeway.
We also gave snowboarding and skiing a go. As first-timers, we discovered it was not easy. But once you get the hang of it, the activity is really fun and fulfilling. Pro tip: Do your own research on the basic techniques before going.
Do take note of the attractions’ operating hours during winter. Some of them start closing as early as 4 p.m.
Driving around the beautiful island of Hokkaido was really enjoyable. Warm people, unique culture, beautiful scenery, and awesome food–I can’t wait to go back to Hokkaido again!
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