Hokkaidō (北海道) is the northernmost of Japan’s four main islands.
Generalities
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.
Regions
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
- Abashiri, northern fishing port home to Japan’s most infamous prison
- 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
- Niseko, trendy ski destination
- Noboribetsu, Hokkaido’s largest hot spring resort
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
Getting there
- By plane
Hokkaido’s sole international gateway of significance is Sapporo’s Chitose Airport. The route to Tokyo is, in terms of capacity and planes flown daily, the busiest in the world.
- By train
Hokkaido is linked to the Shinkansen high speed network, and night sleeper trains from Tokyo are also 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 nighttime 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.
(Source: Wikitravel)
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