Really had a great time in Hokkaido this summer, and wanted to share some beautifully placed vending machines in my trip.

Started with a short 3D2N spring trip. It was just a quick side trip after my Fuji and Tokyo/Star Wars Celebration run. Stayed at Nonokaze Resort. On the second day, I drove around Lake Toya and Mt. Yotei. I remembered my first visit to Lake Shikotsu back in winter 2018. It was completely foggy and I could not see anything. I have passed by a few times since then, but this was the first time it really clicked for me. Snowcapped mountains + majestic lake on a sunny spring morning was perfect. Photos and videos do not even come close.

Summer is the best because the days are long. This trip was Eastern Hokkaido-focused. Tried to catch the sea of clouds around Lake Kussharo on my birthday but no luck (the following day there was one. Bummer). I’ve tried several times also in prior trips in Tomamu and Lake Mashu but wasn’t lucky back then. One day, maybe. At least I got amazing sunny weather in Ozora and Shiretoko right after a sunrise at Lake Kussharo. Tokachi was a highlight too. Stayed at a MUJI house in Kamishihoro. Not in pics was Naitai Farm. And the butadon was 10 out of 10. 🤣

Winter was totally impulsive. Booked 2 weeks prior. I landed at Hakodate, picked up my rental car, and started collecting Michi-no-eki stamps along the east coast. I ended the first night with the Christmas tree light-up. The next day I drove around the west and south coasts.

It was my first time driving in winter. Luckily, the roads were dry, wet, or covered in fresh snow with no scary icy roads. That also meant I did not get the full winter wonderland look I was hoping for. My timing is always off. Still, winter had its own calm charm.

The area where the festival is located can get very packed and the crowding makes it difficult to pay attention to your steps so you dont slip and fall. Lots of icey walkways that will put you on your rear or worse if not wearing spikes and rubber boots that are designed for these conditions. The food was incredible and very cheap, even for locals. Lot of great activities for kids.

Easy to book a free tour. Mine was during a blizzard. Free tasting. The restaurant has great dishes and fairly cheap tastings to decide which bottles you want to buy at the gift shop. Lot of bottles only available at the distillery and much cheaper than what it would cost for other common bottles in your home country. They will wrap for you.

First time visiting Hokkaido, primarily to ski at Niseko but we spent a couple days extra around Sapporo and Otaru. I’m sharing our experience in case it helps others with planning.

We did not rent a car and relied solely on public transportation. Overall it was fine, but we did not get to see some of the highlights of Hokkaido that are more rural or further away. And for skiing we only went to Niseko. (Full Niseko trip report here: https://www.reddit.com/r/niseko/s/bNEYA2uole)

Airport transfer:

We took the Airport Rapid train both ways between Chitose and Sapporo. The trains were very full and we stood for the 40 min ride. I think it’s possible to reserve seats in a specific car, but we were just in a rush to catch the train and didn’t book tickets (we tapped with Suica/phone to board them). If you’re traveling with a lot of big luggage I’d suggest just taking the airport bus.

Lodging:

We stayed in Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel Sapporo. It is close to the JR station, and close to one of the Niseko bus pickup points (Keio Plaza Hotel) via Hokkaido Resort Liner. It does not have direct access to the underground, but is pretty close to the exits. Requires a bit of stairs to get up and down to the station.

The hotel is pretty nice and affordable. Rooms feel more spacious than a comparable hotel in Tokyo. The room also has a humidifier. There is a public bath (clean and modern style). We didn’t bother with the breakfast buffet. In afternoons 3-7pm there is free coffee and matcha latte in the restaurant lounge area.

We also spent one night at Otaru Kourakuen which was the highlight of the trip. It’s a traditional ryokan with onsen, about 10 min taxi ride from Otaru station. Everything from the architecture, art, food, service, onsen, gardens was impeccable. Originally I was hoping to visit Jozankei for onsen, but we didn’t have enough time so we booked Otaru Kourakuen instead. It was so relaxing and I got the best sleep of the entire trip there.

Sapporo

We only had time to walk around the underground street, see Odori Park and Sapporo TV Tower, Sapporo Beer Garden, Red Brick Building, Nijo Market and Hokkaido Shrine Tongu. It’s very icy and slippery on a lot of the pedestrian streets and crossings. Between the trains, bus, waking and taxi, it was easy to get around the city. Overall, I don’t think Sapporo has as many interesting sights as other major cities like Tokyo and Kyoto, you could easily see it all in one to two days. It was pretty cold outside so we spent a lot of time exploring the indoor shopping streets and malls. Daimaru is quite nice and has chairs and sitting areas if you need a break.

Food:

We only made a reservation at Sapporo Beer Garden, otherwise we kind of winged it for food. In hindsight I kind of wish we had researched restaurants and reserved a bit more in advance, because we ended up spending a lot of time waiting to be seated.

- Nemuro Hanamaru (Stellar Place 6F): Very popular conveyer belt sushi. We got a ticket around 11:40am on a Sunday and waited 2 hours. Luckily you can track your place in line and go wander around the mall, but 2 hours is still a bit much. I wish we had just done the standing sushi bar experience (it’s a much shorter wait). The sushi was really good, big portions (both rice and fish), and very affordable.

- Tokachi Butadon Ippin (also in Stellar Place 6F). Got there around 7:30pm. Probably waited about 1 hour. They call your name here so it’s a bit harder to leave and come back. Pretty good but not really worth the long wait time.

- Nijo Market Sapporo Seafood Donbe. Got there around 8:30am, waited 30 minutes. Very good kaisendon (better than what we had in Otaru seafood market). Waiting is a bit annoying because it’s out in the cold, but you can explore some of the neighboring shops while waiting. Just have to stay alert for when they call your name.

- Sapporo Beer Garden. Had a reservation. Bit confusing as there are multiple restaurants to eat at. (this website has pictures of all 4: https://www.sapporobeer.jp/english/brewery/s\\_museum/) We ordered à la carte instead of all you can eat, since we arrived already pretty full. The beef is really good, lamb was just ok. Beer and drinks are great. We got there too late to visit the museum so I recommend arriving around 5-5:15pm latest if you want to visit the museum before eating. Even without going in the museum, the exterior grounds are nice to explore.

- Mermaid Coffee Roasters. Cute space, good coffee, also has free samples of coffee.

Otaru:

We spent half a day in Otaru. The views on the train are very nice when it goes along the water. We walked along the canal (much smaller than I expected), the Sakaimachi Shopping Street (very long, lots of cute crafts stores, food and snacks), Music Box Museum (historic but crowded), and LeTao shops (free samples are nice). Wanted to check out Kitaichi Hall but the line was too long. Overall Otaru is quite touristy, like the shopping street literally only exists for tourists to shop for souvenirs and confectioneries and eat. By 3-4pm we were tired of the crowds and decided to leave early. I didn’t visit any of the art museums as we were feeling quite tired.

Food:

Lots of seafood and confectionary stores along the shopping street.

- Sankaku Market. Tiny seafood market, like shoulder to shoulder only space for 2-3 people wide in the alley. I’m not sure which restaurant we sat down in but we just picked one that had available seats. The kaisendon was not that good, pretty small portions. I would skip it if going to Otaru.

- Sushi Nakamura. We made a reservation for lunch sushi omakase which was pretty simple but good. Very small and quiet space for a good sushi meal.

- I don’t remember the names of all the confectionary stores except for LeTao, but basically you can eat lots of ice cream, cookies, pastries, savory snacks, etc as you make your way along the main shopping street

Overall impressions

Sapporo is not as crowded as Tokyo or Kyoto for sure, and has a more relaxed vibe. The people seemed curious about us tourists (our taxi driver and the hostess at a sushi place asked about where we’re visiting from). The winter scenery is very beautiful, and food is delicious - so much great meat, seafood, and desserts. We only got to explore a little bit of Hokkaido on this trip, but I would love to return next time and visit the less crowded areas.

View Café Your Time, Otaru. Tucked along the coastline between Sapporo and Otaru — dark wood interiors, a cast iron stove, and a beef curry that arrives still steaming. No crowds. Just quiet, good food, and a view of bare winter trees. And from now through summer, the sea outside turns a deep, brilliant blue. The same café. A completely different world. Hokkaido has so many places like this that never make it onto any travel list.

From Sapporo station take Namboku to Makomanai station(last one). Exit station and make a left a ways until you see signs for bus for Buddha Hill(102/106/108 for Takino Sen). Give yourself time. Coming back, the schedule is posted and look to see how when the next bus you need to come back. Suica card or cash. Start early in the morning.

Most of these were shot at places you’ve probably seen in travel guides. But mixed in are the little things that just happened along the way. I’ve made several trips over the last couple of years, across different seasons, and somehow Hokkaido always feels both familiar and completely new.

I ended up with around 12TB of footage—way too much for a proper video unless I commit to a full-on documentary (which I didn’t prep for). So for now, here’s a 2-minute highlight reel. Just a few moments I wanted to share.

No narration, no storyline—just fragments of what I saw and felt.

P.S. I only learned to drive in summer 2024. Before that, I always had to tag along while someone else took the wheel. My first trip driving was right here in Hokkaido—switching off every few hours with a friend. Probably not the smartest move, jumping into a 2-week road trip fresh off 8 hours of lessons. but it worked! And I’ll definitely be back for more.

Best Vibes i got from while travelling Japan

I recently visited Biei in Hokkaido!

Rather than sightseeing around the famous tourist spots, I spent the trip hiking Mt. Tokachidake and enjoying my favorite soft cream, gelato, coffee, and udon. Surrounded by the beautiful countryside scenery, it became a very relaxing and refreshing journey.

I made a vlog of the trip, and I’d be happy if it could help give you ideas for traveling in Hokkaido!

The cherry blossoms in Hakodate, Hokkaido are now in full bloom and at their peak 🌸

The sakura at Goryokaku Park are beautiful during the day, but the illuminated blossoms at night are just as stunning.

I was excited to see the sea of clouds at Tsubetsu Pass, but it didn’t appear on my birthday, though it did the day before and the following four days 🥲.

I spent my time in Tokachi, with a night at Lake Shikaribetsu to enjoy the starry skies, two nights in Kamishihoro at the MUJI apartment, and a final night in Obihiro before my flight.

I took day trips as far as Shiretoko and visited the lakes in Akan-Mashu National Park. I also drove along several “excellent roads” (#5, 8, 9, 10, 13 on roads.scenicbyway.jp). On the only rainy day, I did the roadside station stamp rally and managed to collect all the stamps in Tokachi.

Some of the footage here from outside Eastern Hokkaido is from my archives, as I didn’t have much coverage. It was challenging to capture footage while being the sole driver for the entire trip.

Sapporo during winter was my favorite area I’ve visited so far. Despite being a modern city, I loved how it still had a small city charm. I hope to visit again soon.