Hokkaido: Japan’s Northern Frontier
SNA Travel (Tokyo) — Hokkaido brims with opportunity for any traveler. The modern city of Sapporo gives way to immaculate countryside, a visual delight in any season. The Sapporo Snow Festival and the powdery slopes of winter resorts in Japan’s northernmost prefecture offer adventure and warm refuge from the cold, while its mild summers and flower festivals make it an equally enticing summer escape. Finally, an unique food culture and superb seafood are not to be missed.
Hokkaido boasts over a dozen airports, some of which offer international flights, but for most travelers their entry into Hokkaido will be through a domestic flight from main island Japan. Flying into New Chitose Airport places travelers near Sapporo, Hokkaido’s largest and most diverse city.
Here travelers can begin their visit at Sapporo TV Tower. This 147-meter construction boasts an observation deck where visitors can enjoy a stunning view of the surrounding city and the mountains beyond, as well as Odori Park which stretches out below.
Odori Park is lush and vibrant green in the summer–a wonderful contrast to the high rises encircling it as it cuts through the heart of the city.
In the winter, travelers can enjoy the Sapporo Snow Festival. Snow sculptors rendering all manner of subjects fill Odori Park, and the evening lights only enhance an already singular experience.
If the cold or heat should ever prove too much, however, the Sapporo Underground Shopping Center Aurora Town is a sprawling mall that should offer sufficient sanctuary and entertainment during a visit.
Within walking distance from Sapporo TV Tower, there is plenty for the keen-eyed shopper, including the gourmet. Hokkaido’s best-known fare is its seafood, of which there are myriad options. Sapporo’s Nijo Fish Market does not disappoint. With fresh seafood aplenty, hungry visitors can expect to find plenty of sushi, grilled seafood, and kaisendon (seafood-topped rice bowls).
Sapporo makes for an excellent introduction to contemporary Hokkaido, but traveling a mere two hours south from this city, one soon finds themselves in an entirely foreign and perhaps even alien environment.
The city of Noboribetsu, famous for its resorts, and built alongside an active volcano, charms visitors with its onsens (hot springs) and excites with its singular vistas of sulfur and steam-shrouded valleys. Appropriately named Jigokudani, or Hell’s Valley, Noboribetsu proves that even the haunting desolation of rocky valleys are not without great beauty.
After a dip in an onsen and a stroll through the alien underworld, seeking out a plate of Zangi fried chicken–a Hokkaido original–at a local izakaya (pub) is sure to satiate. Those familiar with karaage (Japanese chicken nuggets) will discover Zangi chicken, despite its lack of sauce, to be more flavorful and possessing a thicker breading with uncompromising crispiness.
Heading northeast from Sapporo, one can visit the city of Asahikawa. Sitting northwest of the Daisetsuzan mountain range, it offers plenty of powdery snow for skiers and snowboarders alike during the winter months.
Asahikawa even boasts its own smaller snow festival, and the lighter crowds are sure to appeal to travelers seeking a quieter affair.
Asahikawa Zoo is arguably the highlight of Hokkaido’s second city. As Japan’s northernmost zoo, it offers an unique chance to observe the indigenous fauna. Feeding times are announced daily, allowing travelers to make the most of their visits.
When hunger beckons, Asahikawa offers its own regional ramen dish. Asahikawa ramen, or “double-soup” noodles, is a familiar shoyu (soy sauce)-based ramen. However, it takes advantage of its regional ingredients, combining fish broth with pork and chicken, creating a complex taste on the palate. The dish is served with a layer of fat insulating the broth below, and the noodles are thicker than might be found on the mainland. When temperatures reach as low as -10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit), little else satisfies quite as well.
About an hour south of Asahikawa, one arrives at the rolling hills of Furano city. In the winter, it is a skiers’ and snowboarders’ delight, but come summer, the expanse which leads to Mt. Tokachi bursts open with lavender flowers. Strolling through Furano Lavender no Mori (Furano Lavender Forest) is a singular experience, but for those seeking a birds-eye view of the beauty, then no better option exists than a ride in a hot air balloon.
When one finally tires of flowers, the local winery is sure to keep spirits high, with free wine tastings open to the public.
With foreign tourism set to resume in the near future, Hokkaido can be expected to become a major draw for foreign visitors once again.
