Fileds with lines of different brighly coloured flowers and snow capped mountains in distance.

Hokkaido and Sapporo

Hokkaido is the second largest, northernmost and least developed of Japan’s four main islands.

With its unspoiled nature, Hokkaido attracts many outdoor lovers, including skiers and snowboarders in the colder seasons and hikers, cyclists and campers from June to September. For those travelling to Japan in search of breath-taking scenery with National Parks, wetlands, volcanoes and mountains, Hokkaido should certainly be high on your list.

Snow sculpture of a traditional Japanese building against a black sky.
Snow sculpture, Sapporo
Flower farmers, Hokkaido, Japan
Flower farmers
Sapporo, Japan
Sapporo

Highlights of Hokkaido

The capital city, Sapporo is famous for hosting the 1972 Olympic Winter Games and is today well known for its ramen (noodles), beer, and the annual snow festival held every February.

The slopes of Furano and Biei transform into Lavender fields in July and August and the hot spring resort of Noboribetsu surrounded by forested hills is home to a steaming volcanic landscape. Unspoilt landscapes offer opportunities for skiing in the winter and hiking, cycling and walking from June to September.

Steller's sea eagle in flight with prey on a background of the frozen sea, Shiretoko Peninsula. Shiretoko National Park, Japan, Hakkaydo
Steller sea eagle

National Parks and Wildlife

Shiretoko National Park, a peninsula off eastern Hokkaido, is one of Japan’s most beautiful and unspoilt national parks. With few roads the northern tip can only be viewed from boats or via multi-day trekking tours. Home to a variety of wildlife, in winter, the peninsula’s coast becomes one of the northern hemisphere’s southernmost regions to see drift ice. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site due to the irreplaceable value of the peninsula’s ecosystem and biodiversity.

Another larger National Park, Daisetsuzan, preserves a vast, densely forested, mountainous area of wilderness – a paradise for hikers, outdoor lovers, deer and brown bears.

Experiences

Below are a selection of experiences you could consider including in your holiday to Hokkaido.

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Paul is the Conde Nast Traveller chosen Specialist for Central Asia and the Silk Route.

I first travelled to Vietnam in 1988, when tourism was barely a concept, and have been visiting Central Asia since it was still behind the Iron Curtain. Such first-hand experience makes all the difference when talking to clients. I know the importance of asking questions, not taking the first answer as gospel, and matching the right destination to the right person.

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My love for Asia began with living there. Based in Vietnam and then Malaysia, I also explored the surrounding regions before eventually finding my way back home via China and the Trans-Siberian railway. At Steppes Travel, I get to share that love for Asia every day, helping clients experience the places I know best as if they were locals themselves.

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