Day Trips from SapporoThings to Do in Hokkaido: A Local's Guide by Region and Season
By Chaporo, a Sapporo local Published 
Quick answers
- Top picks: the lakes of eastern Hokkaido, Otaru and Shakotan, Biei and Furano, Noboribetsu and Lake Toya
- Hokkaido is huge: plan one region per day; Sapporo to Hakodate is 4 to 5 hours by car
- 3 days for Sapporo and two day trips, 5 days to add Lake Toya or Biei, 7 to 10 days to add eastern Hokkaido or Hakodate
- Best time: June to September; autumn colors in October; snow, onsen and festivals in winter
Hokkaido is huge, about a fifth of Japan's land, and the places worth seeing are spread across it: a port town with a canal, volcanic valleys full of steam, caldera lakes, flower-covered hills and roads that run to the northern tip of the country. I live in Sapporo and spend my days off driving around the island, and this guide is the list I give friends: the things I think are most worth doing, where they are, which season suits them and how many days you need.
Is Hokkaido worth visiting?
Yes, and especially if you like nature, hot springs and food. Hokkaido feels different from the rest of Japan: the scale is bigger, the roads are wide and quiet, and in one trip you can see sea, volcanoes, lakes and farmland that looks more like Europe than Tokyo. It is also cooler in summer and deep in snow in winter, so it changes completely with the seasons.
The one thing people underestimate is the distance. Sapporo to Hakodate is four to five hours by car, and Sapporo to Kushiro over six. Pick one or two regions rather than trying to see everything, and plan about one region per day.
The best things to do in Hokkaido
These are the experiences I recommend most, with my guide for each one.
1. Drive around Lake Mashu, Lake Kussharo and Lake Akan
Eastern Hokkaido is where the island feels wildest: the deep blue of Lake Mashu inside its crater walls, the huge Lake Kussharo seen from the Bihoro Pass, a volcano roaring with steam, and Japan's largest wetland at Kushiro. Fly into Memanbetsu or Kushiro and spend two nights driving around it.
Lake Mashu, Lake Kussharo and Lake Akan: A Local's Eastern Hokkaido Road TripA two-night road trip around Lake Kussharo, Lake Mashu and Lake Akan to the Kushiro Wetland, from a Sapporo local who drove it: the order that works, what each lake is like, the boat to the marimo, and weather and driving tips.
2. Walk Otaru Canal, then drive to Shakotan's blue sea
Otaru is an old port town an hour from Sapporo, with stone warehouses along its canal and a street full of glass and sweet shops. An hour further along the coast, the Shakotan Peninsula has water so blue it has its own name, Shakotan blue, and the best sea urchin in Hokkaido in summer.
Otaru Day Trip from Sapporo by Car: A Local's Route and Where to ParkDriving to Otaru from Sapporo? A local's one-day route through Yoichi, Shukutsu, the canal and Mt. Tengu, with drive times, tolls and where to park near Otaru Canal.
Shakotan and Cape Kamui Day Trip from Sapporo by Car: A Local's RouteA local's day trip from Sapporo to Shakotan by car: Cape Ogon, Shimamui Coast, a sea urchin bowl, Cape Kamui and a sea-view onsen, with tolls, opening hours, closures and the bus alternative.
3. See the flower fields and hills of Biei and Furano
If you want the Hokkaido from the postcards, this is it: rolling hills patched with fields, lavender in July, and the Blue Pond. With a car you can avoid the crowded main road and find the quiet viewpoints.
Biei and Furano by Car: A Local's Route Around the Summer CrowdsA local's driving loop through Biei and Furano that avoids the summer traffic on Route 237, from Asahikawa or as a day trip from Sapporo: Farm Tomita, the Blue Pond, Tokachidake and the hills of Biei.
4. Soak in Noboribetsu, beside Hell Valley
Noboribetsu is Hokkaido's best-known hot spring town, built around Hell Valley, a volcanic valley of steaming vents. Dai-ichi Takimotokan, at the top of the valley, has five kinds of spring water and a bath looking straight out over it.
Noboribetsu Day Trip from Sapporo by Car: Hell Valley, Onsen and Where to ParkA local's day trip from Sapporo to Noboribetsu by car: Hell Valley, Oyunuma, the bear park and a day bath at Takimotokan, with tolls, parking and winter driving tips.
If you want more hot springs, I compare the day-trip onsen around Sapporo here.
Onsen Near Sapporo: A Local's Guide to Day-Trip Hot SpringsThe best onsen near Sapporo for a day trip, chosen by a local who has bathed at all of them: Jozankei, Lake Shikotsu, Noboribetsu, Shakotan and Lake Toya, with prices, tattoo-friendly and private baths, and shuttle buses.
5. Look over Lake Toya from Mt. Usu
Lake Toya is a round caldera lake with islands in the middle and an active volcano, Mt. Usu, on its shore. Ride the ropeway up the volcano, take the boat out to the islands, and end in a bath looking over the lake.
Lake Toya Day Trip from Sapporo by Car: A Local's Route, Viewpoints and OnsenA local's day trip from Sapporo to Lake Toya by car: Mt. Usu, a lakeside lunch, an onsen with a lake view and the quiet viewpoints on the north shore, with tolls, parking and winter tips.
6. See Mt. Yotei, the Mt. Fuji of Hokkaido
Mt. Yotei is a near-perfect volcanic cone standing alone above the farmland near Niseko. The best way to see it is to drive around its base: down a straight road that points at the summit, at a soba restaurant where it is reflected in a pond, and from an open-air bath.
Where to See Mt. Yotei: A Local's Guide to the Best Viewpoints by CarThe best places to see Mt. Yotei, the Mt. Fuji of Hokkaido, from a Sapporo local who has driven all the way around it: the straight road at Aikawa, its reflection in a pond, the view from an onsen, and a one-day loop from Sapporo.
7. See Hakodate at night
Hakodate, in the far south, is a historic port with sloping streets of Western-style buildings from its early trading days. From the top of Mt. Hakodate, the city lights glow in a narrow strip between two bays, one of the most famous night views in Japan; go just after sunset to catch the blue sky over the lights. In the morning, have a seafood bowl at the morning market, and look down on the star-shaped fort of Goryokaku from its tower; in spring it is filled with cherry blossoms. Hakodate is too far for a day trip from Sapporo, so plan to stay.
8. Ride over clear water at Lake Shikotsu
Lake Shikotsu, an hour from Sapporo and 40 minutes from New Chitose Airport, is one of the clearest lakes in Japan and never freezes. A boat with windows below the waterline shows you the rock columns on the lake bed, and there is a hot spring bath right on the shore. In winter it holds an ice festival.
Lake Shikotsu Day Trip from Sapporo by Car: A Local's RouteA local's day trip to Lake Shikotsu by car: the Okotanpe viewpoint, a lakeside bath at Marukoma Onsen, lake trout for lunch and the underwater boat, plus the ice festival and winter tips.
9. Drive the coast road to Cape Soya
The Ororon Line runs up the Sea of Japan coast from Otaru to Wakkanai, past a line of giant wind turbines and the closest view of Rishiri Island, to the northernmost point of Japan at Cape Soya, where Russia's Sakhalin is 43 kilometers away. It is a long drive, so stay a night in Wakkanai.
Sapporo to Wakkanai by Car: The Ororon Line Coast Road to Cape SoyaDriving from Sapporo to Wakkanai up the Ororon Line, the Sea of Japan coast road, from a Sapporo local who did it: the stops, the closest view of Rishiri Island, sunset at Cape Noshappu, and Cape Soya and the White Road the next morning.
10. Watch ban'ei horse racing in Tokachi
In Obihiro, in the Tokachi plain, huge draft horses weighing over a ton pull iron sleds up sand slopes in ban'ei racing, held nowhere else in the world. Tokachi is also where to eat butadon, grilled pork on rice in a sweet soy glaze; I like Tonta in Obihiro. Stay at Tokachigawa Onsen, whose brown moor water, made from ancient plants, leaves your skin smooth, and drive up to Naitai Highland Farm for a view over the plain that seems to have no end.
Close to Sapporo: Jozankei's hot springs and autumn colors
If you are based in Sapporo with little time, Jozankei, an hour south and still inside the city, has hot springs in a river valley, Hoheikyo Dam in autumn colors and an onsen famous for its Indian curry.
Jozankei Onsen Day Trip from Sapporo by Car: A Local's RouteA local's day trip from Sapporo to Jozankei by car: Hoheikyo Dam in autumn colors, two day-use onsen, Lake Sapporo's viewpoints and a winery café, with bus, parking and seasonal tips.
Things to do in Hokkaido by interest
| If you want | Go to |
|---|---|
| Big landscapes | Lake Mashu and the Bihoro Pass, Biei, Cape Kamui in Shakotan |
| Hot springs | Noboribetsu, Jozankei, Lake Shikotsu, Kawayu Onsen in eastern Hokkaido |
| Seafood | Sea urchin in Shakotan (June to August), seafood in Otaru and Hakodate, octopus shabu-shabu in Wakkanai |
| A great drive | Around Mt. Yotei, the Ororon Line, the Bihoro Pass |
| Night views | Mt. Hakodate, Mt. Tengu in Otaru |
| Travelling with children | Noboribetsu Bear Park, Asahiyama Zoo in Asahikawa, Otaru Aquarium |
Things to do in Hokkaido by season
- Spring (April to June): cherry blossoms in the south, at Goryokaku in Hakodate and Matsumae, then in Sapporo and Otaru in May. Lilacs bloom in Sapporo in late May, and the fields of Biei and Furano turn green.
- Summer (July and August): the best time for most of this list. Lavender peaks in Furano in July, Shakotan's sea urchin season runs from June to August, and it is cooler than the rest of Japan, though you still need a jacket in the evenings.
- Autumn (September and October): the leaves turn first in the mountains and the east, then at Jozankei and Lake Toya in October. It is also harvest time for salmon, potatoes and new soba.
- Winter (November to March): snow, hot springs and festivals: the Sapporo Snow Festival, the Lake Shikotsu Ice Festival and the night views, which are clearest in the cold air. Driving needs care, and some roads close.
How many days do you need in Hokkaido?
Plan on one region per day, plus travel days. These are the combinations I would suggest.
- 3 days: Sapporo as your base, with Otaru one day and Jozankei or Lake Shikotsu another.
- 5 days: add two nights south of Sapporo for Lake Toya and Noboribetsu, or two nights in Biei and Furano in summer.
- 7 to 10 days: add a flight to eastern Hokkaido for the lakes and the wetland, or a night in Hakodate. Ten days is not too long; Hokkaido has more than enough to fill it, and you will still have to leave things out.
Day Trips from Sapporo: A Local's Guide to Where to GoThe best day trips from Sapporo, chosen by a local who drives them: Otaru, Jozankei, Noboribetsu, Shakotan, Lake Toya and Biei, with drive times, train options and the best season for each.
Getting around: you will want a car
Trains and buses link Sapporo with Otaru, Noboribetsu, Hakodate and the main cities, but most of the places in this guide are spread along roads with few buses: the lakes, the capes, the flower farms and the viewpoints. A rental car makes the trip, and Hokkaido is the easiest part of Japan to drive in. All the main airports have rental counters. In winter, stick to main roads, or use trains and tours for the long distances.
Driving in Hokkaido: A Local's Guide to Renting a Car and the RoadsHow to rent a car and drive in Hokkaido, from a Sapporo local who drives every week: the license you need, expressway tolls and the Hokkaido Expressway Pass, road rules, and winter driving.
What to eat in Hokkaido
- Sapporo: miso ramen, soup curry and jingisukan, grilled lamb.
- Otaru and Hakodate: seafood bowls and sushi.
- Shakotan: fresh sea urchin, from June to August.
- Wakkanai: octopus shabu-shabu.
- Obihiro: butadon, grilled pork on rice.
- On the road: roadside stations, which sell local produce, soft-serve ice cream and simple meals.
FAQ about things to do in Hokkaido
These are the questions people most often ask before they go.
Q1. What is the best thing to do in Hokkaido?
For me, driving around the lakes of eastern Hokkaido, Lake Mashu, Lake Kussharo and Lake Akan. Closer to Sapporo, Otaru and Shakotan in summer, or a bath in Noboribetsu beside Hell Valley.
Q2. How many days do you need in Hokkaido?
Three days for Sapporo and one or two day trips, five days to add Lake Toya and Noboribetsu or Biei and Furano, and seven to ten days to add eastern Hokkaido or Hakodate.
Q3. Is 10 days in Hokkaido too long?
No. Hokkaido is big and the distances are long, so ten days lets you see three or four regions without rushing.
Q4. When is the best time to visit Hokkaido?
June to September is the easiest time to travel, with flowers, seafood and easy driving. Come in late September and October for autumn colors, or in winter for snow, hot springs and festivals.
Q5. Do you need a car in Hokkaido?
For Sapporo, Otaru and Hakodate, no. For the lakes, capes, flower fields and viewpoints, a car makes the trip much easier.
Q6. What can you do in Hokkaido in 3 days?
Stay in Sapporo and take two day trips: Otaru one day, and Jozankei or Lake Shikotsu the other. With a car, swap one for Lake Toya or Noboribetsu.