12-Day Tour in Hokkaido, Japan (Sapporo - Asahikawa - Wakkanai - Lake Toya - Otaru)

At the beginning of 2024, I Traveled in Japan for 15 days, visiting Tokyo, Kamakura, Otaru, Nara, Kyoto, and Kawaguchiko. Since I couldn't forget Hokkaido, I planned a 12-day Hokkaido itinerary as a graduation Trip for two friends.



The itinerary is as follows:

June 18 Fly from home to Sapporo
June 19 Sapporo
June 20 Sapporo-Asahikawa
June 21 Asahikawa-Wakkanai
June 23 Rebun Island
June 24 Wakkanai-Sapporo
June 25 Sapporo-Toyako
June 26 Toyako-Otaru
June 29 Fly from Sapporo back home

Preparation before the trip:

1. Bought a seven-day Hokkaido Jr Pass in advance for 1,109 yuan, and was given a Hokkaido Enjoy Pass (you can choose three recreational projects within a range to exchange for admission tickets) and a discount coupon for BIC Camera. I didn't expect to use them later.
2. Booked accommodation in advance, but when I booked a month in advance, Wakkanai's accommodation was almost booked out, and the choices were very limited.
3. Regular visas, phone cards, insurance, etc.

6.18

I arrived in Sapporo in the afternoon, and had seafood donburi in the evening. I also visited the Sapporo TV Tower. The TV Tower here can be exchanged for the free pass given by the JR Pass.


Seafood Don! This one is very cheap! And there are not many people


Sapporo TV Tower


Sapporo night view, the weather is not good, you can’t see the distance

6.19

The sun rises in Sapporo before four o'clock, and the sky is bright at five o'clock.
  
Since we decided to walk around Sapporo today, we exchanged the free pass for a Porocle electric bicycle 1-day pass in Sapporo. The bike is power-assisted, making it easy to ride. There are about 60 return points in the city, and you can park your bicycles temporarily wherever you can park them. The one-day pass alone seems to be 1,930 yen. It’s so comfortable to ride on the road when the weather is nice! Sapporo is a small city, so it’s very convenient to go anywhere by bike! The only disadvantage may be that there are basically no dedicated bicycle lanes within 3km around Sapporo Station (I mainly cycle in this area and not elsewhere). You have to ride on the sidewalk and you can't ride very fast.
  
We rode to Hokkaido University in the morning and had a great soup curry at noon. In the afternoon we went to Bic Camera and bought a camera that we have been eyeing for a long time. We also used the discount coupon that we got when we bought the Jr Pass 🥺 so happy!
  

Sapporo is bright at five o'clock in the morning


The TV Tower under a sunny day


The weather is so good
  

Power-assisted bicycles


One-day bicycle pass


Hokkaido University


Twin pony-tailed black bears at the end of the corridor


Very delicious soup curry


Bought Olympus ep7, the stand-alone price is 3512rmb! And it’s the last one! So happy, so happy!
  
6.20

Take a bus from Sapporo to Asahikawa. In the morning, we went to the Asahikawa Museum, where there was some introduction to the history of the Ainu people. At noon, I went to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant with my friends. It was very delicious. I highly recommend it. The restaurant is called toriton. The sashimi is very fresh and sweet, and the price is very reasonable. I rested in the afternoon and walked around the streets of Asahikawa in the evening, which was very comfortable. Because I wasn’t very interested and too lazy to go far, I didn’t go to the popular Asahikawa Zoo.
  


Toriton, a delicious conveyor belt sushi restaurant







6.21

Taking the express train from Asahikawa to Wakkanai takes four hours faster, all the way to the northernmost point of Japan.
  


I arrived in Wakkanai in the afternoon and took the bus to Cape Noshapbu. The weather was bad, rainy and windy. We first rushed to have time to eat at a restaurant near Nohanbu Cape that specializes in sea urchin donburi (called Huatai Cafeteria). We stopped ordering at 14:30 and closed at 15:00. We entered the restaurant at 14:20 and ate. Sea urchin bowl 😭 Then we went to Nosambu Cape. The weather was very cloudy, but the scenery was still beautiful, as if we were at the edge of the world. In the park near Nosampo Cape, a group of deer grazed casually, which was very different from the deer I encountered in Nara before. They won't go near people.
  




The wind is very strong




I couldn’t find the Wakkanai bus line on Google Maps, so we got off at a stop with an unknown stop sign. A bus came, I got on the bus and took it back near Wakkanai Station. I was very lucky! I went to Wakkanai Park again. The mountains were filled with fog, very wet, cold, and windy, but the scenery was very special and gave me a lonely and apocalyptic feeling.
  








I had Wakkanai’s specialty octopus shabu-shabu for dinner, and it tasted amazing. While it was still dark, I went to the north breakwater for a walk.
  




6.22

I originally planned to go to Rishiri Island today, but the weather was too bad, windy💨, raining, so I didn’t go to the island, but walked around Wakkanai. I took a bus to Minami Wakkanai and walked around. It is a very desolate town. Wakkanai milk is very delicious (later I found out that I can also buy it in Wakkanai).
  





Have a rest in the afternoon, go to Wakkanai Station to get the certificate of arrival, and then go to the north The breakwater turned around and walked through the arched breakwater.
  









6.23

The weather was still bad, but we still boarded the ship to Rebun Island. Although it is cloudy, the water is still very blue. There are many hiking routes on Rebun Island, but my friend and I both had no hiking experience, so we took the most conventional route. Unexpectedly, we took a shortcut and ended up on a very muddy path. The higher we go, the foggier and the windier, making it almost impossible to walk. After finally climbing to the Taoyan Observation Deck, I saw the mottled rocks and the looming coastline in the fog, which seemed like the end of the world. It was very beautiful. We took the main road on the way down and it was much easier. But it was a pity that we couldn’t go further due to weather conditions.
  










I really like Wakkanai. It is a lonely town. It receives Tourists with the reputation of being the northernmost place in Japan. It does have its own uniqueness. Beauty. The three days here felt like a lifetime. I froze in the cold wind every day and sighed because there were too few restaurants or they were closed. In the evening, I bought some food at the convenience store and chatted while eating in the hotel. It feels like I've really reached the end of the world. When I stay quietly, time slows down. It’s another place I want to come to again in the future.
  
6.24

I took the bus all the way back to Sapporo early in the morning and had delicious udon noodles for lunch! In the afternoon, I went to visit the Hokkaido Shrine. It was in a natural forest with many crows, and it was very comfortable to walk. There is a confectionery shop called Rikkatei outside the shrine. I bought some fruits and sat in front of the store while drinking tea and eating. It was very comfortable. We went to Mount Moiwa again and took the ropeway all the way to the highest observation deck. We can see the cityscape of Sapporo and the surrounding mountains. The weather today is not good, with clouds and fog, but it is still beautiful. It is said that the night view is even more beautiful. After rest, we went to eat barbecue in the evening, it was delicious😭


The green outside of the shrine


Torii in the greenery




Rokkatei’s June-limited fruit "Mizu no Moon" is delicious!
  









6.25

Lake Toya


We took an early morning train from Sapporo to Lake Toya, and then took the bus from the station to the hotel. Fortunately, the weather was very good today, and we had a dreamy day

We walked around the lake, had lunch, checked into the hotel, and took a tour boat. Standing on the tour boat, you can have a panoramic view of Lake Toya. The sky and lake water are very blue. Mount Yotei in the distance is also looming in the clouds. Many seagulls circle around the boat, which is very interesting. The boat passed by the island in the lake, which was lush and green. We came down on Zhongdao and originally wanted to climb the mountain, but the mountain road stopped at 2:30 in the afternoon. It was a bit regretful. However, we walked around and took pictures on Zhongdao, sat on the lawn for a while, and watched the geese by the lake. Very comfortable and relaxing.
  


On the left is the looming Mount Yotei



The geese by the lake🦢




Island in the lake


The color of the lake is so beautiful


Mount Yotei finally appears!
  


Lake waves


Sunset


Looking out from the room, outside The lake view is like a mural

Take the last tour boat back to the shore, go back to the hotel for dinner, watch the sunset, and then watch the fireworks display at night, very happy☺️












After watching the fireworks display, I soaked in the hot spring again♨️, so comfortable So comfortable😌, Perfect day!

6.26

We finally arrived at the last stop of our trip - Otaru. I came to Otaru when I came to Japan in the winter, and I liked it very much. This time I came to Otaru in the summer. It felt very different and had a different beauty! I still like Otaru very much. I feel very comfortable and happy when I stay here.
  
After arriving at around three in the afternoon, we first went to the Airbnb we booked to put our luggage. This was my first time booking a B&B on Airbnb. When I was looking at it, I was attracted by a B&B in a Buddhist temple. The landlord was a Buddhist and the owner of the temple. It was really interesting after arriving. The first floor was decorated like a temple. Our room was on the second floor. It was decorated in Japanese style and was very clean. The whole house has a faint aroma of burning. My friends and I liked it very much and it was very comfortable to live in😌


In the afternoon, I just walked around Otaru and ate desserts and ramen. Canals and seaside, everything in Otaru is so beautiful.
  











6.27

The weather was cloudy and rainy, but we still went out. After eating at the famous fried chicken restaurant Wakaji Times, I personally felt that it was quite average. Compared with domestic fried chicken, it was not particularly outstanding. Instead, it felt salty (but based on my taste in China, I feel that many Japanese foods Both are salty).
  
In the afternoon, take the bus all the way to the Otaru Aquarium, then climb up for about 20 minutes, and you can walk to the Zhujin Observation Deck. The scenery is endless, and you can see the sea and the mottled coastline in all directions.
  





There is a very dilapidated amusement park next to Otaru Aquarium. I thought it was abandoned, but I didn't expect it to be still in operation. We decisively decided to have some fun and played the Ferris wheel🎡, rail bikes and go-karts. It was quite fun😖







The scenery on the Ferris wheel


Run after the return trip I went to Wagyu Kurosawa to eat sukiyaki, but I felt it was not as appetizing as the domestic ones 🥺The meat is slightly oily




6.28

The Blue Cave I am most looking forward to! I was not disappointed. Taking a speedboat from Seinai, it was very exciting to ride the wind and waves all the way. You can enjoy the scenery of Otaru's coastline, and you were lucky enough to see dolphins🐬. When you arrived at the Blue Cave, the water was a magical blue color.
  







dolphin🐬






In the evening, I went out alone, walked all the way to Asahi Observation Deck, and spent the last dusk in Otaru.
  













Also The flowers and plants I took in Otaru these days are so cute


















6.29

It’s time to leave Hokkaido😭 I chose Hokkaido as my destination for my second trip to Japan. The weather is cool (although I have been experiencing bad weather in Wakkanai, but overall it is a summer escape) Great place!), I was very satisfied eating sashimi, and experienced countless beautiful natural scenery. I was very happy!
  
Go back and face reality! There are still many complicated things to do when preparing to graduate🎓 and study abroad. But the wonderful memories of the 12 days in Hokkaido and the countless photos taken will become the spiritual pillar for a period of time in the future🥺