Picture a road that goes up and down until you lose sight of it. Both sides are covered with sunflowers and as the sun sets, the sky goes from clear blue to burnt orange and bright yellow. The wind feels nice, and as you bike your way to the little farm at the end of the road, a fluffy fox looks at you from afar and then runs off before you can snap a picture. When you get to the old wooden cottage a sweet Japanese lady is serving dinner in the garden; salad made from freshly cut veggies from her own patch, steamed fish, rice buns still hot from the oven and lavender ice cream for dessert.
The rest of the guests leave and the couple renting you a room in the cottage say they are going to the traditional hot springs in the nearby mountain; they wonder if you want to go as well, and take you free of charge. You soak into the herb-infused water, which feels wonderful, and the outside pool allows you to watch the night sky with its bright stars shimmering. The girl next to you mentions it looks beautiful when the snow falls into the hot pools as well and you start planning to come back in winter.
That scene comes right out of my book of favorite experiences in Hokkaido, Japan. To give you a better picture, here’s a few more reasons I think you should include Japan’s northernmost island in your itinerary.
image via
1) Nature Wonderland
Regardless of the season you visit, northern Japan is abundant in beautiful natural areas to visit. Fields of colorful flowers that look like a patchwork quilt spread over the hills between the towns of Biei and Furano. Surrounded by mountains covered in snow almost all year round, roads snake past forested areas and flower plantations in all kind of colors.
Many spend their time strolling the lavender fields in Furano, eating ice cream and escaping the heat in the rest of Japan, or taking a trip to the beautiful periwinkle lake/pond, Aoiikke. Northern Japan is lovely all year round, be it with summer’s green foliage, autumn’s coloured trees or the heavy snow and ice that settles during winter.
2) Mouth-Watering Food
With its reputation for having the freshest seafood in Japan, Hokkaido has some pretty big shoes to fill. Tourists travel all the way north to try the famous hearty ramen of Sapporo, Snow Crab delicacies and bowls of steamed rice topped with Sea Urchin or Salmon Roe. I will vouch for this one; you won’t be disappointed, because the hearty soup, organic fruits, obscure flavors of ice cream, local beer and fresh fish are absolutely delicious!
For the best experiences, I suggest you hit Hakodate’s morning fish market, visit Tanuki Street in downtown Sapporo, take a tour of Nikka’s Whiskey Factory and try a relaxing dinner at Landcafé in Biei.
3) Historical Reasons
I think what makes the history of northern Japan most interesting is that it sheds light on things we had never considered about the country. Everyone knows the Japanese island was populated by the Chinese ages ago, but not many people know which were the indigenous tribes that lived in Japan long before that. In the same way, lots of people are aware Japan was isolated from the world because they closed their country for several years, but it is not generally known that only the Dutch were allowed in to commerce with the Japanese.
This is why I think visiting the Ainu (northern Japanese tribe) Museum and Hakodate’s port and war tower should be on your list.
Did you know Hakodate is one of the very few Asian cities where the Europeans built star-shaped fortresses similar to the ones in their own cities?
4) Onsen (Hot Springs)
For many foreigners this one is a no-no. After all, walking around naked can be pretty embarrassing right? Turns out not really. I mean, sure, the first time you can feel a bit uneasy but once you wrap your head around the concept and you notice all the other women are too busy enjoying themselves to pay attention to your shyness you will really appreciate the beauty of Japanese hot springs.
Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take photos inside and I was not able to find myself in a completely empty pool to even try and break this rule. I hope you appreciate the picture I painted you in the introduction though, and if you can check online there are many skilled photographers out there that have conveyed the atmosphere of the onsen better than I.
In addition to the basic hot pool, there are citrus infused pools, herbal sauna rooms, salt saunas, mud baths and sulphate baths. The prices are also amazing compared to western spas and the experience is one of a kind.
5) Relaxing off the beaten track
So this last one is not really a place to go to but it can definitely fall into ‘things to do’. Away from bustling Tokyo and the crowded area of the Osaka-Nara-Kyoto triangle, Hokkaido gives you the opportunity to experience Japan in a less touristy area (hurry before it gets too crowded).
Hokkaido has been discovered by international tourists only recently, but has always been frequented by the Japanese as the ultimate place to take a rest from the busy main island life.
So who’s ready to pack up and walk new grounds?
This is a guest post by Emilia Sánchez.
Nomad since birth, Emilia’s interest in travel, cultures and languages got her to study Tourism in University, where she got her first chance to live abroad doing an Exchange semester and travel around Europe. An avid learner and adventure seeker, after graduating she spent 6 months volunteering in small sustainable businesses in Japan. Back in Mexico she started to share her stories on . Now she’s working a full time job, while saving up for continuing her studies abroad and of course, for a lot more travelling.
