9 Day Hokkaido Tour From Sunlight Express

9 Days Tour of Hokkaido

Cities on this Hokkaido tour:

Hokkaido: Sapporo, Noboribetsu, Otaru Canal, Sounkyo-Gorge, Ainu Village, Abashiri, Shiretoko, Uutoro, Lake Akan & Kushiro

Included in this Hokkaido tour:

Round-trip airfare from San Francisco via Ana Airways (A star alliance member)
First Class/Tourist Class hotel accommodation based on double occupancy.
Meals as in the itinerary (B=Breakfast * L=Lunch * D=Dinner)
Guided Sightseeing & Transportation as mentioned in the itinerary

Scheduled Itinerary for this Hokkaido tour:

Day 1 – San Francisco/Tokyo

Depart San Francisco for a pleasant flight to Tokyo via Ana Airlines.

Day 2 – Tokyo/Sapporo Suzukino – Night Entertainment District

Arrive Tokyo in the late afternoon then immediately connecting a flight to Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido and the 5th largest city in Japan, one with the youngest population Dinner before transfer to Sapporo Park Hotel or similar for rest. (D.)

Day 3 – Sapporo City Tour – Historical Village of Hokkaido – Meiji Clock tower – Odori Park (Snow Festival Site) – Sapporo Beer Brewery – Nijo Seafood Market – Tanukikoji Shopping Alley – Ramen Alley

After breakfast in the hotel, transfer to Historical Village of Hokkaido where you will spend the morning her walk through this huge Park with all the historical buildings and museum. Return to Sapporo city for lunch, then to Sapporo Brewery where you will see how they make the famous Sapporo Beer and Beer tasting at the end of the tour. Then will walk pass the Old Government Quarters – Meiji Clock Tower – Odori Park (the Snow Festival Site) and the Tanukikoji Shopping Alley. After dinner you can walk pass the night entertainment district Suzukino or the under ground shopping district follow by the Ramen Alley to try the famous Sapporo Ramen before returning to Sapporo Park Hotel or similar. (B.L.D.)

Day 4 – Sapporo – Otaru – Old Canal – Glass & Music Museum – Lake Toya – Showa & Usu Volcanoes – Bear Farm – Noboribetsu Onsen.

Breakfast at hotel. Then transfer to Otaru which has developed and prospered as “the sea entrance of Hokkaido” over the last 100 years and it has gained the nickname “Wall Street of the North.” The glassworks shops, coffee shops, restaurants and shopping malls along the canal have been converted from stone-built or brick-built warehouses, which were used for storage in the days when commerce flourished and the canal was crowded with jostling barges. You will visit the Glassware Shops and the Music Boxes Shop and walk the Sushi Alley. Otaru’s nickname is “the town of hills” as there are so many hills, and is a popular ski resort in winter.

After Lunch, will transfer to Then Transfer to Lake Toya-ko, belongs to Shikotsu-Toya National Park. This wide lake lies 200 to 500 meters below the outer rim of the crater. The active volcano that stands proudly near the lake with white smoke rising above it is Mt. Showa Shinzan. The beauty of this ice-free lake can therefore be admired anytime during the year. After viewing the live Volcanoes Mt show & Mt Usu will visit the Bear Farm where you will find over hundred Bears here and can feed them.

Then proceed to Noboribetsu and will see the most impressive scene at the hot spring, it is the Jigoku Valley (hell valley), where yellowy gray volcanic gas seeps from the surface of the rocks. This makes the whole place smell strongly of sulfur, and gives it an image like that of hell. The valley is a 450 – meter – diameter mouth of a volcano, which produces 3,000 liters of hot water a day. Then transfer to Noboribetsu.Onsen for overnight stay. The Noboribetsu-onsen is one of Hokkaido’s best-known hot springs, and is surrounded by a virgin forest 200 meters above sea level. It has over 10 different kinds of water, containing minerals such as hydrogen sulfide, salt, and iron. The quality of these minerals results in the spa being ranked among the world’s most exceptional hot springs. Stay at the Noboribetsu Yumoto Onsen Hotel or similar (B.L.D.)

Day 5 – Nobroibetsu – Furano – Tomida Flower Farm – Bie – Asahigawa – Sounkyo Gorge – Ryusei & Ginga Waterfalls

Breakfast at Hotel, start our journey to visit the Tomita Flower Farm at Furano, a beautiful farm famous for its flower gardens. Here you can see beautiful flowers especially the famed Lavender in July. Will pass by Bie where you find the scenery here is gorgous. Then proceed to Asahigawa visit the Takasagoshuzo Sake Factory then to Sounkyo gorge contains lots of waterfalls, of which the Ryusei-no-taki Falls (shooting star falls) and Ginga-no-taki Falls (Milky Way falls) are especially worth seeing. At both of these waterfalls, the water falls directly over the cliff, giving them a sense of great power. The Obako and Kobako rock formations are said to be the most beautiful places in the gorge. Obako features wide rock faces that resemble ‘byobu’ (folding screens). Stay at Sounkaku Grand Hotel or similar (B.L.D.)

Day 6 – Sounkyu – Abashiri – Prison Museum – Iceberg Museum

Breakfast at Hotel, morning view the spectacular gorge and waterfall sceneries resembling the Milky Way. The giant gorge attracts millions of visitors each year with its high cliffs, plentiful hot springs, powerful waterfalls and fantastic rock formations. Soun Gorge is situated at the foot of Mt. Daisetsu-zan, which is called the “roof of Hokkaido.” The giant gorge, bordered by 100-meter-high cliffs formed by the erosion of tuff, stretches for 24 kilometers and forms the center of Daisetsu-zan National Park. The hot spring area boasts of magnificent scenery and plentiful natural hot water, and attracts three million visitors a year.

Transfer to Abshiri to visit the Iceberg Museum (Okhotsk Ryuhyo Museum) to experience the drift ice all year round. You can actually touch and feel the ice. Okhotsk Ryu-hyo (drift ice) Museum is a science museum adjoinsTentozan Observatory. A permanent display of real drift ice is maintained. One room enables you to experience drift ice and another room features a three-screen super-wide-vision theater displays the four season of Okhotsk. Drift ice also provides some surprising encounters. For instance, you might encounter a Clione limacine, also known as a sea angel. They are attached to the drift ice and when the drift ice disappears they go with it. This is a family of small floating sea slugs. These creatures have a transparent body about 10mm in length, and they swim gracefully as if flapping their wings Also a visit to the Prison Museum. Located halfway up Mt. Tento, is the original Abashiri Prison building–used as a prison until 1984–that has been moved and opened as a museum. Then proceed to Sounkyo and relax yourself in hot spring. Hotel: Abashiri Koso Hotel or similar (B.L.D.)

Day 7 – Abshiri – Oshinkoshinn Waterfall – Utoro -Lake Akan – Ainu Village

Breakfast at Hotel, transfer to Shiretoko National Park. Utoro-the largest and only sizable town along the western coast of Shiretoko Peninsula. Transfer to view Oshinkoshin Waterfall-designated as one of Japan’s top 100 waterfalls, Oshinkoshin Falls (Oshinkoshin no taki) is a spectacular waterfall just next to the coastal main road. We will pass by Lake Kusharo and Lake Mashu before entering Akan National Park. The Ainu people have revered this lake as the “lake of the gods” from ancient times. You cannot go down to the lakeshore, but you can enjoy a splendid view from the 3 observatories. Another special feature of this lake is that it is always covered with mist, thereby also being called “Misty Lake Mashu”. Then Proceed to Lake Akan and visit the Ainu village which is right beside the Lake. Stay at Akan Kanko Hotel or similar. (B.L.D.)

Day 8 – Lake Akan (Short Cruise) – Kushiro / Haneda – Tokyo

After breakfast in the hotel, visit the Lake Akan-a beautiful crate lake to enjoy the great view of Lake Akan from the boat. The boat cruises around a number of tourist sites takes around an hour. Its is home of marimo (moss balls), are algae species that forms itself into beautiful green balls. Left alone for a few centuries, then we travel to T Lake Mashu prides itself as being the world’s most transparent lake. It features the most beautiful transparent emerald-colored surface that changes. Then transfer to Kushiro city and will try our luck on seeing the Red Head Cranes before you take afternoon flight from Kushiroariprot to Haneda airport of Tokyo. Upon arrival, you will have dinner before check-in Hotel Grand Pacific Le Daiba or similar (B.L.D.)