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HOKKAIDO
Hokkaido
Japan -
Guide to Hokkaido including Hokkaido map, Hokkaido sightseeing,
Hokkaido Skiing, Hokkaido cities, Hokkaido climate and Hokkaido
hotels.
Understanding Hokkaido
Hokkaido
(北海道) is the northernmost of Japan's four main islands.
Hokkaido is dominated by its climate and geography.
Home to Japan's aboriginal Ainu race, Hokkaido continues to represent
the untamed wilderness with many great national parks. For many
visitors the scenery resembles northern Europe, with rice paddies and
concrete warrens replaced by rolling fields and faux-German cottages.
Hokkaido Map - refer to our more
detailed maps of Hokkaido.
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Alone among the main Japanese islands Hokkaido is not divided into
multiple prefectures. Instead, there are four circuits, imaginatively
named as follows:
Central Circuit, with capital Sapporo
and much of the mountainous interior Eastern Circuit, the largest and remotest part of the island
Northern Circuit, covering the northern peninsula Southern Circuit, centered on Hakodate
Note that the Central Circuit is also sometimes referred to as the
"western part" (西部 seibu) of Hokkaido.
Cities of Hokkaido
Asahikawa, the coldest city in Japan (literally) Hakodate, historical city and the capital of the short-lived Ezo
Republic
Otaru, Hokkaido's largest port Sapporo, the capital and by far the largest
city in Hokkaido
Other destinations Furano - excellent ski destination, but yet
as popular as
Niseko. Niseko, trendy ski destination that is
very popular with Australians. Noboribetsu, Hokkaido's largest hot spring resort
(Goko Five Lakes, Shiretoko National Park)
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Hokkaido National Parks
Akan National Park, known for its mysterious lakes
Onuma Quasi-National Park, peaceful lake in southern Hokkaido
Shiretoko National Park, where bears roam in the wilderness and bathe
in hot waterfalls
Daisetsuzan National Park, the Holy Grail of extreme hikers
Kushiro Marshlands National Park
Shikotsu-Toya National Park, two beautiful caldera lakes with rumbling
volcanoes and mossy canyons
Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu National Park, covering the small islands off
the northern tip
Hokkadio Transport
By plane Hokkaido's sole international gateway of significance is
Sapporo's
New Chitose Airport. The route to
Tokyo is, in terms of capacity and planes flown daily, the busiest in
the world.
By train Hokkaido is not (yet) linked to the
Shinkansen high speed network,
but night sleeper trains from
Tokyo are a popular option.
By ferry Ferries from
Hakodate link to northern ports in
Tohoku, including
the Shimokita Peninsula.
Get around Hokkaido is vast in size, so allow plenty of time to get around
and don't try to do too much if your time is limited. Many Japanese
maps (including the generally excellent Japan Road Atlas) show
Hokkaido with a larger scale than the rest of the country, which may
make distances appear deceptively small.
The train network is (by Japanese standards) limited. Access to many
of the more interesting sites will require either relying on
infrequent and expensive buses, renting your own car, or trying your
luck and hitchhiking.
See & Do For most visitors Hokkaido's many national parks are number one on
the agenda, offering near-unlimited hiking opportunities.
Eat Much of Hokkaido's population lives by the sea, and consequently
seafood figures heavily in Hokkaido fare. Check out the hairy crabs
(毛蟹 kegani) and sushi.
More unexpectedly, Hokkaido produces most of Japan's dairy products
and particularly in the east you will run into many, umm, creative
uses for them. Ever had cream cheese in your curry or butter in your
noodle soup? In Hokkaido, you will.
Drink Hokkaido is home to some of Japan's finest sakes, the most famous
of the bunch being Asahikawa's Otokoyama (男山). Beer is also big in
Hokkaido, the most famous brand being Sapporo Beer (naturally from
Sapporo), but the many microbrews found in
nearly every town are also worth sampling.
Sleep Hokkaido is one of Japan's best places for camping, but beware of
the night-time chill — even in the summer months you'll need a good
sleeping bag.
Many of Hokkaido's cheaper accommodations slap on an extra fee for
winter heating (冬期暖房 tōki danbō), as Japanese houses even here in the
north are notoriously poorly insulated and chew up vast quantities of
fuel when the temperatures fall. This shouldn't be more than ¥500 or
so.
