5 or 6 nights in Hokkaido in July -- where to go?
#1
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5 or 6 nights in Hokkaido in July -- where to go?
Picked Hokkaido because I've never been there and also because I am hoping it will be cooler in summer than going south.
So far I was thinking of two nights in Sapporo and two nights in Asahidaki to allow for a leisurely day hike up and down Mt. Daisetsu, or at least partway. No idea if that's a good start or where to go with the remaining night or two.
OK with renting a car for some or all of the time. JR pass is OK too. I plan right now to fly into Sapporo.
I'd appreciate any travel ideas you folks might have as well as hotel suggestions, preferably good hotels as my budget travelling days are long past.
Thanks in advance!
So far I was thinking of two nights in Sapporo and two nights in Asahidaki to allow for a leisurely day hike up and down Mt. Daisetsu, or at least partway. No idea if that's a good start or where to go with the remaining night or two.
OK with renting a car for some or all of the time. JR pass is OK too. I plan right now to fly into Sapporo.
I'd appreciate any travel ideas you folks might have as well as hotel suggestions, preferably good hotels as my budget travelling days are long past.
Thanks in advance!
#2
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I don't know if you saw my earlier thread on my own visit to Hokkaido this year, it is here in the Japan Forum somewhere under the thread title "Kushiro." I was there in September/October, so it will be a bit different for you in summer.
Sapporo gets all the press and it is pretty nice but I really enjoyed Hakodate. It has more history, some nice Victorian architecture and a great morning market right at the waterfront where you can find nice souvenirs and a very nice seafood breakfast.
I took the bus up to Asahidake Onsen from Asahikawa and then took the ropeway up to the top. I was there for fall color photos and it was pretty cold but a number of younger folks were using the trailhead at the upper station as the start of what looked to be some pretty nice hikes. The lower station at road's end has a restaurant, a snack bar, a gift shop and a pretty big parking lot but with all the ryokans and lodges in the immediate vicinity, I suspect it will fill up in summer. Still worth the very pretty drive. I was glad I was on the excursion bus with big windows so I could shoot photos while someone else did the driving.
I think you are aware of my hotel preferences so I can't help you there.
Sapporo gets all the press and it is pretty nice but I really enjoyed Hakodate. It has more history, some nice Victorian architecture and a great morning market right at the waterfront where you can find nice souvenirs and a very nice seafood breakfast.
I took the bus up to Asahidake Onsen from Asahikawa and then took the ropeway up to the top. I was there for fall color photos and it was pretty cold but a number of younger folks were using the trailhead at the upper station as the start of what looked to be some pretty nice hikes. The lower station at road's end has a restaurant, a snack bar, a gift shop and a pretty big parking lot but with all the ryokans and lodges in the immediate vicinity, I suspect it will fill up in summer. Still worth the very pretty drive. I was glad I was on the excursion bus with big windows so I could shoot photos while someone else did the driving.
I think you are aware of my hotel preferences so I can't help you there.
#3
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#4
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July is Lavender season in Furano. Other than the blooming lavender which could be seen in other parts of the world, there is lavender flavor soft serve. I forget which farm had the best except I remember it wasn't Farm Tomita, possibly the most crowded "farm" when I visited a few years ago.
Food tastes are subjective, of course, but Hokkaido milk pudding, lavender soft serve, and Cheesecake seemed popular in Furano. My favorite is Hokkaido pudding and aside from seafood, it would easily be the food item I'd go back to Hokkaido for.
If you like onsen ryokans, Takinoya in Noboribetsu is on my radar. Would appreciate your take on it if you stay since my hotel budget runs lower than yours except for a luxury splurge now and then.
Food tastes are subjective, of course, but Hokkaido milk pudding, lavender soft serve, and Cheesecake seemed popular in Furano. My favorite is Hokkaido pudding and aside from seafood, it would easily be the food item I'd go back to Hokkaido for.
If you like onsen ryokans, Takinoya in Noboribetsu is on my radar. Would appreciate your take on it if you stay since my hotel budget runs lower than yours except for a luxury splurge now and then.
#5
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#6
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It is a hotel review site that seems to suggest several 4.5 to 5 star facilities in and around Sapporo. The best they list is the "Grand-in-Grand" at the Grand Hotel Sapporo. I found an English website for the Grand Hotel but no apparent reference to the "Grand-in-Grand." http://www.grand1934.com/english/
If you are using the Chrome browser, you can set it to always translate Japanese to English, which is how I do this with my execrable Japanese.
EDIT: Oops. If you look at the "Accommodations" page on their website, it shows the "Grand-in-Grand" as one of the classes of accommodation.
If you are using the Chrome browser, you can set it to always translate Japanese to English, which is how I do this with my execrable Japanese.
EDIT: Oops. If you look at the "Accommodations" page on their website, it shows the "Grand-in-Grand" as one of the classes of accommodation.
#7
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It is a hotel review site that seems to suggest several 4.5 to 5 star facilities in and around Sapporo. The best they list is the "Grand-in-Grand" at the Grand Hotel Sapporo. I found an English website for the Grand Hotel but no apparent reference to the "Grand-in-Grand." http://www.grand1934.com/english/
If you are using the Chrome browser, you can set it to always translate Japanese to English, which is how I do this with my execrable Japanese.
EDIT: Oops. If you look at the "Accommodations" page on their website, it shows the "Grand-in-Grand" as one of the classes of accommodation.
If you are using the Chrome browser, you can set it to always translate Japanese to English, which is how I do this with my execrable Japanese.
EDIT: Oops. If you look at the "Accommodations" page on their website, it shows the "Grand-in-Grand" as one of the classes of accommodation.
#8
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Now to ikkyu - It's a travel agency focused on high end hotels and ryokans. I find that it's a good place to start exploring the sort of deluxe properties that pamper their guests in any given location - It's occasionally also a place to find some really good deals. Hence my link to ikyu's Hokkaido page. As abmj points out, you can get a translation of the list from Google. IIWY, I'd start there and search for the hotel's English webpages.
My favorite Hokkaido spot is probably the Shiretoko peninsula. It's wild. A place to take your hiking boots and hit the trails. Not really a location for deluxe hotels. When I was there, I stayed at "Hotel Kifu Club Shiretoko" (which was lovely in a boutiquey sort of way), and a rather down-market ryokan in Rausu, which would certainly not meet your expectations for a high-end property.
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#11
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My favorite Hokkaido spot is probably the Shiretoko peninsula. It's wild. A place to take your hiking boots and hit the trails. Not really a location for deluxe hotels. When I was there, I stayed at "Hotel Kifu Club Shiretoko" (which was lovely in a boutiquey sort of way), and a rather down-market ryokan in Rausu, which would certainly not meet your expectations for a high-end property.
#12
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Hmm, so maybe start at Memanbetsu, visit Shiretoko, and then work my way south would be a possibility? Sounds like it could be fun if there was a one-way car rental possible at a reasonable price -- Times has one-way rentals but rental prices are fairly high. Nissan rental doesn't specify.
#13
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Hmm, so maybe start at Memanbetsu, visit Shiretoko, and then work my way south would be a possibility? Sounds like it could be fun if there was a one-way car rental possible at a reasonable price -- Times has one-way rentals but rental prices are fairly high. Nissan rental doesn't specify.
Just look out for speed traps ... It's too easy to exceed the limit and the Hokkaido cops lie in wait.
#14
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I avoided car rentals and used trains and buses. From Abashiri (near Memenbetsu Airport,) there is a train to Shiretoko-Shari where I could catch a bus out to Utoro and onto the peninsula but I wasn't feeling well that day and skipped it in favor of a sleep-in. The train from Abashiri to Kushiro via Shiretoko-Shari was a delightful old rattle-trap that wound through the farm belt, up through the mountains and past the various lakes in the national parks. The scenery was fabulous!
Kushiro has a reputation as the fog capitol of Japan but when I was there in early October, it was gloriously clear and photos were everywhere. You can catch a flight from Kushiro Airport but I really enjoyed the scenery and the Kushiro specialty eki-ben on the express train to Sapporo. YMMV.
Kushiro has a reputation as the fog capitol of Japan but when I was there in early October, it was gloriously clear and photos were everywhere. You can catch a flight from Kushiro Airport but I really enjoyed the scenery and the Kushiro specialty eki-ben on the express train to Sapporo. YMMV.
#15
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Hey jlb, you mean the traditional 30km/hr or so over the limit (on expressways at least) that most folks do isn't the case in Hokkaido? Or maybe there are no expressways?
This is beginning to sound like a fun trip even if I have to stick to the speed limit. And yes, I would use trains but my Aomori experience is that out in the sticks, a car adds a lot of flexibility.
This is beginning to sound like a fun trip even if I have to stick to the speed limit. And yes, I would use trains but my Aomori experience is that out in the sticks, a car adds a lot of flexibility.