Travel Guide to Hokkaido

If holidays to Tokyo and Osaka have become mainstream, maybe it's time for you to think about looking for a new tourist destination to Japan. Apart from Okinawa which is a bit western in the South, there is Hokkaido Island in the North which is worth visiting.

Hokkaido's peak season is in the winter season around January to March, where the famous ski resorts (Niseko, Kiroro) become magnets for visitors who want to enjoy the abundance of snow on this famously cold island. Apart from snow, onsen (hot springs) and natural scenery are attractions that can attract tourists in all seasons.

The largest city in Hokkaido is Sapporo, with the nearest airport being New Chitose Airport (CTS), which can be the main destination on Hokkaido Island. Apart from Sapporo, also consider going to the city of Hakodate.

There are 2 ways to get to Sapporo in Hokkaido, assuming you are coming from Osaka or Tokyo.

Hokkaido By Train

The first way is to take the Shinkansen if you have a JR Rail Pass (¥50,000 for 7 days) or JR East South Hokkaido Pass (¥26,000 for flexible 6 days). Without a Rail Pass, it's best not to take the train to Sapporo because it can break the bank, another option is by plane.

You can read an explanation about the Japan Rail Pass on this page.

Travel from Tokyo to Shin-Hakodate by Hayabusa Shinkansen train (257 minutes) then change to the Super Hokuto Limited Express train to go to Sapporo (206 minutes). Total time is around 8 hours.Best holiday package

It is true that this long travel time needs to be taken into consideration, even though we can stretch freely on a moving train, it will take 1 day to travel. If you are bored, you can split the trip by playing first in Hakodate for 1-2 days then continuing on to Sapporo. This route is fully covered (free) if you have a Japan Rail Pass and JR East South Hokkaido Pass. tickets if purchased point-to-point are ¥26,820 one way.

Hokkaido By Plane

But if you don't plan to buy a Rail Pass or have other considerations, then taking a plane is the most recommended because the travel time is relatively faster than taking the train. But people say domestic plane tickets in Japan are expensive... well that means that person hasn't read Javamilk.

In Japan there are several budget airlines also in the style of AirAsia; including Vanilla Air, Peach Air, Skymark, and Jetstar Japan. For the Tokyo to Sapporo route, you can get a ticket price of around ¥6000 one way if you buy it during the promo, not including baggage fees and other fees. Their baggage routes are quite strict so you have to read carefully about the number of pieces allowed in hand-carry and the weight of check-in baggage.

While the full service airlines of Japan are ANA and Japan Airlines, whose normal price is IDR 35000 one-way. Well do not be discouraged.. there are cheap tickets too, This is Javamilk telling you the secret.

For ANA Airlines (Air Nippon Airways) there is a ticket called ANA Experience Japan Fare. It can only be purchased by non-Japanese who can show their international air tickets (out and in Japan) from any airline. The price of this air ticket is IDR 11,000 one way for any route served by ANA. So want from Osaka, from Fukuoka, Okinawa even though it can be to Sapporo with the same rate. Of course, ANA's fare includes baggage check-in and meal service.

Update 2021-2022, Experience Japan Fare is temporarily not on sale anymore. Instead you can buy a Visit JAPAN Fare, sold in the form of segment / leg, at least buy 2 legs, where the price per leg is IDR 13000.

Japan Airlines (JAL) also has a similar ticket type, called oneWorld Yokoso/Visit Japan Fare. The requirement is to have an international flight ticket to Japan using the Oneworld network airline. Update 2019, these tickets are no longer on sale.

Instead in 2022, JAL Japan Explorer Pass, there are 3 types of JPY prices 5,500-7,700-11,000 for all domestic routes JAL.

Plane or Hokkaido Pass?

Well back to your consideration whether you want to use a plane or by train, both have pluses and minuses.

If you choose to fly, and want to visit Sapporo as well as Furano, Asahikawa, or Hakodate, consider also purchasing the JR Hokkaido Pass: 5 days ¥20000. Hokkaido Pass can be purchased in Japan directly (more expensive 1000 yen), so it does not have to be purchased before arriving in Japan. Remember the train in Hokkaido the fare is mahal2 if we buy per trip, this pass is directly behind the capital if we do a round trip trip.

Another option is with a JR Rail Pass that covers all of Japan, it costs ¥50,000 for 7 days. You just set and calculate which is more efficient and save in the pocket.

Hokkaido Bus Pass

If you feel the Hokkaido Train Pass price is too expensive, there may be a cheaper alternative, take the bus! There is a package ticket called Hokkaido Inter City Bus Pass.

The Pass is sold for IDR 4500 for 3 days of bus use, and IDR 7500 for 5 days. Suitable for those of you who want to visit around Sapporo, Chitose, Niseko, Otaru, to Asahikawa and Furano. Bus routes between cities can be seen on the map below.

If you are interested in using this pass, make an online reservation at the link above, then pick it up upon arrival at Chitose Airport Bus Terminal or JR Sapporo Station Bus Terminal. This Pass is only issued for 5000 pcs for the period until March 27, 2017.

Please note that the route to Hakodate is not served by this bus pass.

Hokkaido Sightseeing Itinerary

Many tourist attractions that can be visited on the island of Hokkaido, so you could be special to Japan and only traveled in Hokkaido a week without the need to go to Tokyo Kyoto et al.

The cities that are targeted by tourists in all seasons are mainly Sapporo, Otaru, and Hakodate. Furano is famous for its lavender and sunflower fields that can be visited in the summer. The most famous Hotspring is in Noboribetsu, a few hours by train from Sapporo.

Oh yes, it is actually recommended to rent a car to explore Hokkaido, especially on the east and north sides of the island, including the lavender trail. But unfortunately, Indonesian driver's license (including International Driver's License issued by Korlantas RI) is not recognized in Japan, so Indonesians cannot rent a car in Japan.

Next I will write my itinerary of my trip in Hokkaido, a total of 6 days (actually a connection of my trip from Tokyo and Kanazawa), starting from Hakodate in the far south, then to Sapporo, Otaru, as well as to Furano to see the Lavender Farm. Please click on the links for each of these cities to read the details. If the link is missing, it is still being written.

Hakodate

Otaru

Sapporo

Furano + Asahikawa

There are still more interesting ones such as Lake Toya, Noboribetsu, Obihiro, saved for next trip.