A Guide to Hokkaido in Summer
Now that we’re at the tail end of September, summer in Japan is well and truly over (at least that’s the case here in the mountains of Nagano Prefecture!)
This summer, I had an unforgettable trip to Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan, renowned for its fresh produce (especially seafood, meat & dairy), stunning landscapes and powder snow in winter
As many may know, summer is the least popular time to visit Japan because most of the country suffers from extremely humid weather. However, this isn’t the case if you decide go to Hokkaido!
The trip’s participants spanned three generations: my parents who were visiting from Australia, my wife & I, and our children. My mother and my oldest daughter are particularly sensitive to humidity, which was one of the main reasons why we decided to head up north this summer. So think of this post as a summer travel guide for those who are looking for less humid options in Japan, and one that caters to people of all ages :)
Our first stop was Sapporo city, arriving at Okadama airport after departing from Matsumoto airport in Nagano Prefecture. The advantage of flying from Matsumoto airport is that it’s only an hour’s drive from where we live in Tateshina Highlands and the parking is free. The disadvantage, which we found out after the trip, is that flights from Matsumoto airport are about four-times more expensive than those from Haneda! You pay for the convenience, I guess?!
Anyways, we arrived quite late so after picking up our rental car (a roomy eight-seater Mitsubishi Delica) and checking in to our hotel, APA Hotel & Resort Sapporo, we only really had time to have dinner at their seafood restaurant in the lobby (which was two stars out of five, because some of the shrimp dim sums they served were still cold inside and the table we were on was pretty small)
The next day we all headed out to Naka Furano, a two-and-a-half hour drive north-east of Sapporo, and pretty much smack bang in the middle of the island of Hokkaido. We went to see the famous flower fields of Farm Tomita. Lavender blossoms are the main attraction, with an assortment of lavender infused & inspired gifts & treats to enjoy like lavender-flavoured soft-serve ice cream and lavender-flavoured ramune soft drinks.
That night, I had a business dinner with fellow translation-agency owner, Alex, from Bulgaria. He took me to a very classy seafood izakaya-style restaurant, Sapporo Noah’s Ark (Arca di Noe), where the staff cook freshly caught seafood right in front of you at your table! Much better than the seafood restaurant at APA Hotel & Resort Sapporo, this place gets 4.5 stars out of five. It’s conveniently located on the south side of Susukino, Sapporo’s famous downtown nightlife & entertainment district.
The next day we checked out of our hotel and headed towards the coastal city of Otaru, an hour’s drive north-west of Sapporo, to try their famous seafood bowls at one of their fish markets. We ended up visiting Ajidokoro Takeda inside the Sankaku markets, which is located nearby Otaru station. One of the highlights of the trip: five stars!
We then drove down south to our home for the next two nights: Lake Toya. We stayed at Toya Kohantei, located right next to the lake and in the hot-spring district. To be honest, our rooms and facilities overall were a bit shabby, but the million-dollar views, numerous indoor & outdoor hot-spring baths, generous buffet breakfasts & dinners, nightly firework shows, and bingo nights made it a memorable one for all of us. The buffet restaurant gets four stars out of five.
After two nights relaxing at peaceful Lake Toya, we drove another two-and-a-half hour’s to the southernmost city of Hokkaido, Hakodate. We stayed two nights at Heiseikan Shiosaitei, which is located right next to the sea. One thing to note is that the hotel does not have non-smoking rooms, something I only realised after we checked in! However, when I mentioned to the staff at reception that our room smelled pretty strongly of cigarettes, they quickly upgraded our room to a similar ocean-view room on the top floor. And they didn’t need to, but they also upgraded my parents’ room, no questions asked!
Magnificent views can be enjoyed from their hot spring & sauna facilities on the seventh floor and the buffet options for breakfast & dinner were second to none. If I could give it six stars out of five, I would––it was that good! My absolute favourite was the endless supply of raw sweet shrimp (ama-ebi) with roe, which I ate donburi style (heaped on top of a bowl of steamed white rice). Yum!!!
We also visited the Hakodate morning market near Hakodate station to fish for live squid and enjoy their seafood bowls, too. After checking out of the hotel, we also visited the Hakodate Jiyu Ichiba (another seafood market) and tried steamed hairy crab, which was also another culinary highlight. Even my parents, who are staunch mud crab lovers, savoured the sweet & succulent meat & miso (innards) of these signature crabs from Hokkaido.
We then drove five-and-a-half hours back to Sapporo for our last night in Hokkaido, this time at another APA hotel: the APA Hotel Sapporo Odori Ekimae Nishi. After dinner at popular izakaya Imari (3.5 stars out of five), I met up with a former colleague, who works at Hokkaido Prefectural Government, and he showed me around Sapporo’s largest shopping arcade, Tanukikoji Shopping Street, and we enjoyed local cuisine like boiled Hokkai shima ebi (shrimp), Sapporo Classic & Sorachi beers, and Kita no Katsu ‘Houou’ sake. Our last meal before flying back to Nagano was at the hotel’s restaurant, Hotei, which is a popular local Chinese restaurant chain. I tried their famous zangi fried chicken and mapo tofu for breakfast. Another solid 3.5 stars out of five.
Our week spent relaxing in Hokkaido consisted mainly of hot springs, super fresh seafood meals, and long relaxing drives. The weather was sunny most of the time, and yes, it was much less humid than what you’d experience in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto. Happy to share more details if you’d also like to plan a trip to Hokkaido next summer!
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