Hokkaido Travel Guide: Summer Itinerary

Plan a summer trip to Hokkaido with this practical guide to Furano, Biei, Sapporo, Hakodate, transport, driving and a simple itinerary.

Hokkaido feels very different from the Japan most first-time visitors imagine. Instead of dense cities, temples and busy shopping streets, much of the island is defined by farmland, mountains, lakes and volcanic landscapes.

I visited Hokkaido in summer, when the flower fields around Furano are at their most colourful. The flowers were one of the main reasons for my trip, but they are only one part of the experience. Hokkaido is also about exploring the open countryside and discovering places that feel much quieter than Japan’s classic Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka route.

This guide focuses mainly on a summer trip through central and southern Hokkaido. It includes Furano, Hakodate, Biei, Sapporo, Otaru, Noboribetsu and Lake Toya.

Is Hokkaido worth visiting, and for how many days?

Hokkaido is worth visiting if you love nature. It’s also a good choice during summer, when much of central Japan, and generally speaking, Asia, can be extremely hot and humid.

However, if your time is limited, I wouldn’t recommend this island as your destination since many of the most interesting places are spread across rural areas. I would also not add Hokkaido to a short first trip to Japan if doing so means reducing Tokyo, Kyoto, and the rest of the main island to only a few days. Hokkaido works much better as a separate trip or as part of a longer journey.

I recommend spending at least one week on the island. If you have only four or five days, choose one main area. You could combine Sapporo with Otaru, or focus on Furano and Biei. Trying to visit Sapporo, Furano and Hakodate in that amount of time would involve too much travelling.

Seven days are enough for Sapporo, Otaru, Furano, Biei and possibly Asahikawa or Daisetsuzan National Park. For a longer trip that also includes Noboribetsu, Lake Toya and Hakodate, you’d need around 10 days.

Eastern Hokkaido, including Shiretoko, Lake Akan, Lake Mashu and Kushiro, requires even more time. I would visit it on a separate trip rather than adding it to your short central Hokkaido itinerary.

Best Time to Visit

There is no single best time to visit Hokkaido because the island changes completely with the seasons.

How to Get to and Around Hokkaido

Flying is usually the easiest way to reach Hokkaido. New Chitose Airport is the main gateway for Sapporo, Otaru and southern Hokkaido, while Asahikawa Airport is more convenient for Furano, Biei and Daisetsuzan. Hakodate Airport works well for itineraries focused on the south. Depending on your itinerary, you can use different arrival and departure airports

You can also take the Shinkansen from Honshu to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station, outside central Hakodate. This is useful if you are already travelling through northern Honshu, but flying is generally faster from Tokyo or Osaka.

For most summer itineraries, renting a car is the best way to get around. Trains connect major destinations such as Sapporo, Otaru, Asahikawa, Noboribetsu and Hakodate, but public transport is not great in rural areas. Furano and Biei have trains and buses, but visiting several countryside locations in a single day is difficult without a car.

JR Hokkaido offers regional rail passes. Keep in mind that limited express trains require seat reservations, so check the official website before travelling.

To drive in Japan, check the latest regulations. Generally, you may need a paper International Driving Permit or your original licence with an accepted Japanese translation. Digital international permits are not accepted.

Where to Stay

Sapporo is the most convenient base at the beginning or end of a trip. Stay near Sapporo Station for transport or in Susukino for restaurants and nightlife.

Furano is the best option for lavender fields (here is my Provence travel guide) and the surrounding countryside. Two nights are recommended if you want to visit before the day-trip crowds arrive.

Biei is quieter and better for photography, while Asahikawa offers more hotels, restaurants and transport connections for exploring Biei, Furano and Daisetsuzan.

Noboribetsu is the best choice for a traditional ryokan and onsen experience. Lake Toya is quieter and more scenic, with lake views and volcanic landscapes.

In Hakodate, stay near the station for transport and the morning market, or around Motomachi for historical streets and easier access to Mount Hakodate.

In any case, you can find plenty of options on Trip or Booking.

Seven-day Hokkaido itinerary

This route focuses on central Hokkaido and works best between June and September.

Day 1: Arrive in Sapporo

Use the first day to explore central Sapporo. Walk through Odori Park, visit the market and try some of the food for which Hokkaido is known, including seafood, soup curry, ramen and dairy products. Sapporo is a pleasant city, but I would not spend too much of a nature-focused trip here. One full day is enough to see the main sights, unless you are interested in museums, nightlife or food.

Day 2: Day trip to Otaru

Otaru is one of the easiest day trips from Sapporo. Rapid trains normally take around 30 to 35 minutes, so you won’t need to rent a car. The canal area is touristy, but still nice. Walk through the old warehouse district and Sakaimachi Street, then have lunch at the market or one of the seafood restaurants. You can return to Sapporo in the afternoon. With more time and a rental car, continue west to the Shakotan Peninsula rather than spending the whole day in central Otaru.

Day 3: Travel from Sapporo to Furano

Drive to Furano. Depending on your arrival time, visit one of the smaller flower gardens in Kamifurano or Nakafurano before checking into your accommodation. Avoid trying to visit every flower farm. After a few of them, the experience becomes repetitive. Choose the farms according to what is actually blooming during your visit.

Day 4: Furano flower fields

Start early at Farm Tomita, then visit Hinode Park, Flower Land Kamifurano or another nearby garden. Flower Land is a good option outside peak lavender season, with blooms from June to September. Also allow time to explore the rural roads and viewpoints, where the fields and Tokachi mountains are often more scenic than the main attractions.

Day 5: Biei

You can spend a full day exploring Biei. Start with Patchwork Road or Panorama Road, then visit Shikisai-no-Oka for its flower fields and mountain views. In the afternoon, continue to Shirogane Blue Pond and Shirahige Falls.

Day 6: Asahikawa or Daisetsuzan

For mountains and hiking, drive towards Asahidake or another accessible section of Daisetsuzan National Park. Conditions can change quickly, even in summer, so bring proper clothing and check the current trail and ropeway information. If the weather is poor, spend the day in Asahikawa. The city is also a good place to return the car or stay before flying from Asahikawa Airport.

Day 7: Departure

Fly from Asahikawa or return to New Chitose Airport. You can also return to Sapporo by train. With three additional days, continue south rather than trying to add eastern Hokkaido.

Day 7: Sapporo to Noboribetsu

Travel to Noboribetsu and visit Jigokudani, also known as Hell Valley. The volcanic landscape contains steaming vents, mineral-rich pools and trails through the surrounding forest. Noboribetsu is Hokkaido’s best-known hot-spring town, so stay in a ryokan and spend the evening using the onsen.

Day 8: Lake Toya

Continue to Lake Toya, part of Shikotsu-Toya National Park. You can walk along the waterfront, take the Mount Usu Ropeway or simply spend the afternoon at an onsen hotel overlooking the lake. Lake Toya is a good place to relax after several days of driving.

Day 9: Hakodate

Travel to Hakodate and explore the historical Motomachi district, the red-brick warehouses and the waterfront. In the evening, take the ropeway or bus up Mount Hakodate. The view over the city and the two bays is one of Hokkaido’s most recognisable urban landscapes.

Day 10: Hakodate and departure

Visit the morning market and Goryokaku before flying from Hakodate Airport or continuing to Honshu by train. Goryokaku is especially beautiful in Hokkaido’s later cherry-blossom season, but the star-shaped fort is interesting any time of the year.

Hokkaido photography tips

Bring both a wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens. A wide-angle works well for flower fields and mountain landscapes, but a telephoto is often more useful around Biei, where you can compress the rolling farmland and isolate small subjects.

The Blue Pond does not always appear as intensely blue as it does in edited photographs. Its colour depends on light, weather and water conditions. Overcast weather can reduce reflections, while heavy rain may make the water look murkier.

Never enter a field for a better angle. Apart from being private property, shoes can carry organisms that damage crops. Do not block narrow roads, drive onto agricultural tracks or leave your vehicle where it interferes with farm machinery.

Final Thoughts

Hokkaido is not the destination I would choose if you want to discover a more classic side of Japan, but it might still be worth it if you don’t really care about classic itineraries. I give a similar recommendation when people want to visit China for the first time and ask whether places such as Yunnan or rural Guizhou are good options.

I knew Hokkaido was quite famous for its winter landscapes, but I didn’t know it’s actually incredibly beautiful in summer too. The main mistake is trying to see too much. Pick one place and start exploring it. Go for the lavender if you are travelling in July, but do not build the entire trip around one flower field. The most interesting part of Hokkaido is everything surrounding it.

Here are some more pictures I took in Japan. Here is my guide to seeing the Jacaranda trees in Yunnan.