Originally Posted by
redleader74
... I'll also look into the book Japan by Rail recommended in an earlier post, along with various weblinks that were shared.
...
I also did a fair amount of my advanced planning using "Japan Solo" but I think that is out of print now. Any good guide book for Japan will be helpful in finding things to do in the various locations. Since I speak a moderate amount of Japanese, I could free-wheel it when I got places. Without that, it might pay to know a bit more in advance. English is still common at hotels and such out in the sticks but much less so than places like Tokyo or Kyoto. Having things like destinations and tourist site written out will be helpful once you get outside Sapporo and Hakodate.