Hokkaido Travel Guide | Sapporo/Shiretoko/Abashiri/Asahikawa/Hoshino | Off-the-beaten-path routes
Let’s enjoy the beautiful scenery of Hokkaido first! If you like my video, remember to follow me and give me a like~The snow there is very thick, but it is also easy to slip. We were walking on a sparsely populated road while supporting each other and pulling our suitcases. Suddenly we saw a car slowly stopping. The female driver threw a series of Japanese words at us. After I was stunned for a few seconds, the other person said in simple words: She asked us in English if we needed help. My instinct of not liking to trouble others made me wave my hand quickly, and she drove away slowly.
This is my first impression of Hokkaido.
Hokkaido, located in northern Japan, is the second largest island in Japan. It faces Honshu Island across the Tsugaru Strait and is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan. It has a vast territory, accounting for approximately 22% of Japan's total area.
It is rich in natural resources, with vast forests, towering mountains and rivers, and a cold climate. It is famous around the world for its cherry blossoms, snow scenes, and lavender flowers. When I think of it, I feel that many adjectives are eclipsed.
Asahikawa Road
Drivers who have never met each other will nod, smile and politely say hello to each other when they stop on the roadside together;
The roar of a cruise ship can be heard in the distance At the sound, the employees of the pier cafe ran out of the room one after another, holding signs saying "I love drift ice", waving and cheering to the passengers on the cruise ship, and the people on the cruise ship also responded with the same courtesy;
On the chartered bus road, the driver kept reading Japanese into the translation software on his mobile phone while driving, and enthusiastically explained to us the customs and customs of Hokkaido. He also observed the tracks of wild animals along the way, for fear that we would miss any wonderful places;
On the chartered road, I met a little fox looking for food in the snow
Seeing deer in the deep forest🦌
The bits and pieces added together constitute all my memories of Hokkaido, this paradise on earth. I liked this place so much that no matter how long it took, I decided to pick up a pen again and record this trip.
Our trip lasted for 8 days, which also included New Year’s Eve and Spring Festival. Winter in Hokkaido is probably the most beautiful and expensive time of the year. The cost of flights and alcohol has increased across the board, but the scenery you can see is definitely unmatched at other times.
The overall route is as follows: Shanghai --> Abashiri --> Shiretoko --> Lake Akan --> Sapporo --> Hoshino --> Asahikawa --> Sapporo. The entire route took New Year's Eve as the midpoint. Before that, I had been traveling and staying in hotels in various cities. After that, I had been staying in a B&B in Sapporo, and arranged day trips to Hoshino and Asahikawa.
Sea of Okhotsk
Objectively speaking, we are very satisfied with our itinerary. It is rich in content, but not too strenuous. . Several of our friends have traveled together several times, and we have always maintained the same view on travel: an overly saturated and tiring itinerary will make the entire trip lose its original meaning. We hope to face each new experience relaxedly and happily. Attractions, new things.
In this article, I am not going to write a running account of DAY1-8, but will divide it into 1) transportation methods 2) recommended hotels 3) recommended restaurants 4) recommended attractions and gameplay 5) precautions. I hope It can give some reference and inspiration to everyone who wants to go to Hokkaido.
Transportation
The reason why I write about transportation first is because the transportation in Hokkaido is really complicated. Intercity transportation basically relies on JR, which is "Japan Railways", which can be understood as our domestic high-speed rail. The following is a very reliable JR map we found (be sure to bookmark it!):
JR tickets can be purchased directly at the station, or you can buy a pass for several days. This is your choice.
In addition, it is important to note that there are many flight options within Hokkaido Province, some of which are even cheaper than JR. For example, we took a flight from New Chitose Airport to Abashiri, which is faster and more affordable.
In the city of Sapporo, if the distance is very close, you can consider taking a taxi; but otherwise, trams, subways or buses are more suitable, because the cost of taxis in Japan is really, really high.
Recommended hotels
a.KIKI Shiretoko Natural Resort
b.Dormy Inn
On this trip, in addition to B&B We stayed in 3 hotels in total. In addition to the above two, there was also the "Akanko Tsuruga Wings" under the famous Tsuruga Group. Why is Heya Wings not recommended? Because we all agreed that it was less cost-effective and the price on that day was relatively high (about 5,000RMB per night), but the room was just a traditional Japanese-style room, the facilities were ordinary, and the restaurant was nothing special. You can look at other hotels of Heya Group, such as Bizhizuo (with private hot spring bath!).
On the contrary, both KIKI and Dormy have the upper hand in terms of cost performance. The former is high price & amazing facilities, services and food, while the latter is low price & just right everything. It’s no exaggeration, it’s been 4 months since this trip, and our group name is still “On the Nth day after leaving KIKI, I miss it”, hahaha.
Experience Kiki’s delicious breakfast
Recommended restaurants
a. Soup Curry
Classmates, promise me, if you go to Sapporo, you must eat soup curry, okay? I had to queue for a full two hours, but the taste was amazing. Even I, who is not a fan of curry, was impressed by their food!
Per capita: ¥106
b. String Bird
This restaurant is also a frequent visitor to Mafengwo. Almost everyone who goes to Hokkaido will mention it. Their skewers are available in two flavors: sauce flavor and salt flavor. We have tried both, and they are very good, fragrant but not greasy, and we are not satisfied.
Per capita: ¥141
c. Nijo Market
Nijo Market is a very representative local seafood market in Sapporo. The reason why I recommend this place comes from the words of the tour guide during a one-day trip to Asahikawa. The tour guide told us that instead of going to the famous crab shop, it is better to go directly to Nijo Market to eat crabs. The shop owner will cook the crabs we selected directly in the pot and serve them to us without adding any seasonings.
After trying it on the spot, we were all amazed that this was the most delicious crab we have ever eaten in our lives. It retains the most original taste of crab and is extremely sweet and delicious (of course, we ate it at Nijo Market Crabs are relatively simple. If you want to take photos and post them on WeChat or try different ways to eat crabs, Crab Benjia may also be a good choice.)
Per capita: ¥151
In addition, we also had paella at a seafood restaurant in Nijo Market. The ingredients included sea urchin, fish roe, salmon, etc. Ah, I can’t think of a suitable adjective, it’s so delicious! !
Per capita: ¥91
d. Ramen Republic
Ramen Republic is also a popular place in Hokkaido on the Little Red Book. In fact, it does not refer to a single restaurant, but the sum of many ramen restaurants. We picked one at random and it tasted good. The ramen in Sapporo is not as salty as other cities in Hokkaido. It has more of a miso soup flavor. I personally think it is more in line with our habits.
Per capita: ¥78
e.711
Convenience stores have always had a strong Japanese style, and 711 should be regarded as the representative of Japanese convenience stores. Japan’s 711 is different from the domestic ones. It has a more complete range of products, which can almost fully meet the needs of daily life, including many basic medicines, etc. (Can you believe it even has cat litter?). At the end of each day's schedule, it has become our routine to visit the nearby 711.
Because KIKI is relatively remote and there are few restaurants, so during the two days at KIKI, we walked one or two kilometers on the snowy road to the nearest 711 to buy food. Thanks to the deliciousness and richness of 711’s food, we never felt like we were settling for less, and each purchase brought us a strong sense of satisfaction. Just look at the picture and you’ll know:
Call for wonderful convenience store food!
Per capita: ¥60
Recommended attractions
Many people go to Hokkaido and choose the Sapporo-Hakodate-Noboribetsu hot springs In comparison, our route is relatively unpopular, but it must be due to our considerations: in fact, almost every hotel in Hokkaido has a hot spring pool, and more advanced hotels have both outdoor and indoor hot spring pools, with great views. Well, you only need to pay a little extra tax to enjoy the hot springs. Therefore, we don’t want to make hot springs the focus of the entire trip, but rather focus more on different scenery.
a.Abashiri-Icebreaker
Abashiri is our first stop, and it is also a perfect stop. We who exclaimed "What a magical place is this" along the way were even more shocked when we took the icebreaker.
Next to the icebreaker boarding location
Abashiri’s icebreaker is the only icebreaker in the world for tourism purposes. Soon after sailing from the departure point, you will come to an ice surface. As the ship continues to move forward, the ice on the sea will break into pieces, and the whole world will change from the same color of water and sky to white and blue. At that moment, I really feel that this is the purest place in the world.
Drinks made from Hokkaido drift ice
Note: The departure point of the icebreaker is only a 5-minute drive from the Dormy Inn where we stayed. The hotel can also help call a taxi. You can store your luggage in the hotel lobby first and then go back and forth. .
Per capita: ¥196
b. Hoshino Ski Resort & Ice Castle
Hoshino Ski Resort is a very well-known and professional ski resort in Japan. In order to serve more For groups, the ski resort has set up routes with different levels of difficulty to choose from. Considering our novice skills, we ended up playing near the children's area... but it is highly recommended for ski enthusiasts.
Ski equipment rental fee per person: ¥330
For us, the Ice City in the ski resort may be more attractive. As the name suggests, the entire Ice City is made of ice. There are bars, cafes, clothing stores, and even bookstores in the ice houses. There are tire slides, ice slides, and skating rinks next to them. Everything is breathtakingly beautiful, and you instantly feel like you are in a fairy tale dreamland.
c. Asahikawa-Zoo & Elf Terrace
Asahikawa, as mentioned earlier, we arranged a one-day tour with a group. Regardless of the service, lunch quality or attraction features, I am very satisfied. Along the way, the tour guide vividly explained a lot of Hokkaido's history and customs to us. The buffet also served the most distinctive local cuisine. Among the various attractions, the zoo and the Elf Terrace were my favorites.
Asahikawa's zoo focuses on "appreciating the charm of winter animals". There are many animals that you don't usually have the opportunity to see, such as polar bears, owls, penguins and foxes. , you can feast your eyes on it here. (The penguin stroll is a little too cute?
The Elf Terrace is a perfect place to take pictures. However, there were too many tourists that day, and I never took a particularly satisfactory portrait photo:
One-day tour cost per person: ¥454
Notes
a. To prevent slipping in the snow, remember to buy anti-slip stickers for shoes at a convenience store;
b. Wear a kimono When wearing it, remember to put the right lapel close to the chest, and the left lapel to cover the right lapel, that is, left and right, "right in front". It is very taboo to wear it backwards;
c. If you don't know how to speak Japanese, bow more often. , it is always right to smile more;
d. When using translation software, if your basic English is passable, it is recommended to use the method of converting English to Japanese, which will be much smoother than Chinese-Japanese translation;
e. If you choose to go to Hoshino, remember to buy a return JR ticket on your way out, because Hoshino Station is an unmanned station and you cannot buy tickets. The flight attendant will check the ticket directly after getting on the bus;
f. When you come to Hokkaido, You must experience the hot springs there. After soaking in the hot springs, eating a bowl of hot ramen is simply blissful. Hot spring bathing in Hokkaido is very strict. Wearing swimsuits is strictly prohibited and you must be naked. In addition, people with tattoos are not allowed to enter. However, if the tattoo is only a small area, you can ask the staff for a tattoo sticker and put it on before entering the hot spring pool;
Life is only a few decades long, and it is advisable to take a broad view. For me, traveling has always been an important necessity in life. This trip to Hokkaido was not only an audio-visual shock to us, but also a heart-touching experience.
I hope that one day in the future, those of us who are rushing for life in the city will have the opportunity to see more of this beautiful world.
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