Story Sightseeing in Hokkaido by JNTO on 04 January 2018
Hokkaido may be famous for its natural landscape, but there are plenty of other interesting attractions throughout the island.
Otaru
The small harbor city of Otaru served as a major fishing port in the late 1800s and its canal was the center of the city’s busy port. Today, this beautifully-preserved canal’s iconic brick warehouses have been repurposed into shops and restaurants. It’s particularly charming in the evening, when old-fashioned gas lamps are lit along the towpath.
Nearby Sakaimachi Street is where many trading companies were constructed in the 1800s to 1900s when Otaru thrived as a port city. These impressive Western-style buildings have since been converted into restaurants, cafes, and shops. You can try your hand at creating Otaru Glass at a local workshop – Otaru’s glassware gained notoriety when makers of glass buoys shifted their focus to produce refined glassware when the herring industry declined in the 1950s.
For whisky fans, the beloved Nikka Whisky has its main distillery in Yoichi where you can check out the distillery process, sample some whisky, and visit many of the original stone buildings that were built here in 1934. This site was chosen by Taketsuru Masataka, known as the father of Japanese whisky, for its clear water, brisk air and rich peat.
Akan National Park
The three crater lakes of Akan, Kussharo and Mashu are part of Akan National Park, located roughly in the centre of Hokkaido. Lake Akan is the most popular, and is home to the lakeside hot spring resort of Akan-Kohan which has several ryokan and public baths.
Most visitors come here to see the marimo, a rare species of algae that forms into fuzzy green balls which can grow to the size of soccer balls in a few centuries. There are 1-hour lake cruise boats that stop at the Marimo Exhibition Center on one of the lake’s islands. Designated as a National Special Natural Monument, these marimo also make popular souvenirs.
Akan-Kohan is a good place to learn about the Ainu – the original indigenous inhabitants of Hokkaido – and sample their cuisine. There are also hiking trails to explore, including a forest path to bubbling mud pools known as bokke, as well as two volcanoes you can climb: Oakan and the active Meakan.
Asahiyama Zoo
One of the most popular sites in Hokkaido is the Asahiyama Zoo in Asahikawa. This zoo is unique for its enclosures which allow visitors to observe animals from various angles – there are glass domes in the polar bear and wolf enclosures where you can see them up close, and a glass tube named "Marine Way" where you can see passing seals from all sides.
The most famous attraction at the zoo is the “Penguin Walk”, when the King penguins walk around the zoo for their daily exercise. During this time you can get up close to them as they march outside their enclosures, sometimes twice a day, during the winter season when there is snow.
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