Visit Sapporo, Hokkaido
Hokkaido’s capital, Sapporo, dates back only 120 years, and this bright, cosmopolitan city, well-endowed with gardens and parks, makes the perfect base from which to head out and explore the island.
Hokkaido’s capital, Sapporo, dates back only 120 years, and this bright, cosmopolitan city, well-endowed with gardens and parks, makes the perfect base from which to head out and explore the island.
In recent times it has played host to the Winter Olympics and matches in the 2002 Football World Cup, and each February the city welcomes the world to the wonderful Sapporo Snow Festival, an ice-sculpting extravaganza on an epic scale.
Around Sapporo
Further south, separated from the mainland by the narrow Tsugaru Straits, is the charming port town of Hakodate. There is something of the feel of Nagasaki here, with the intriguing mixture of Japanese and Western architecture giving an unexpectedly cosmopolitan atmosphere. Take a cable-car at dusk to the summit of Mount Hakodate and watch as the sparkling lights of town radiate out into the distance.
Other places within Hokkaido
View place- {6DA8DC09-39E8-44B1-9970-4A7EAD92960F}
- Located on the shore of scenic Lake Akan, the Akan Kohan Hotspring Resort is a good base from which to explore the Akan National Park.
- 43.4489310558777
- 144.099426269531
View place- {5C4C9185-5649-4DBB-A62A-F0DE4EE19C31}
- The small town of Asahikdake Onsen sits at the foot of Daisetsuzan's highest peak, Mt Asahidake, and is the ideal location to base yourself while exploring this beautiful part of Japan.
- 43.6619110572607
- 142.852478027344
View place- {8547FADB-7A1C-4938-8EDC-E8CD5C80F5DB}
- Overlooked by the famous Mt Hakodate, the port city of Hakodate straddles a small peninsula on the southern tip of Hokkaido Island, looking out across the Tsugaru Straits to Aomori Prefecture in northern Honshu.
- 41.7758333
- 140.7366667
View place- {3813321B-AE7F-49C3-A4BD-97AB05FFB32C}
-
The port city of Kushiro is located in the Doto region of eastern Hokkaido and with regular flights south to Tokyo can act as a convenient entry and exit point for visits to...
- 42.9805395475164
- 144.38232421875
View place- {20AF37D5-C973-4253-9327-A2C58B44908D}
- The Shiretoko Peninsula is the dramatic, windswept, easterly tip of Hokkaido, with only Cape Nosappu to the south being further east.
- 44.0244215196593
- 145.01953125
View place- {0F451A21-BC7B-47A8-B283-5EB78E69002D}
- The small collection of hot spring resort hotels and restaurants that make up the Sounkyo Resort offer excellent access into Japan's largest national park, the magnificent Daisetsuzan region.
- 43.726452188547
- 142.945861816406
View place- {FE528094-BBA3-42F9-B8CA-03169246BD65}
- Utoro is a small working fishing port which also doubles as a tourist resort and principle access point for the beautiful Shiretoko Peninsula National Park.
- 44.0597222
- 145.0005556

Sapporo
View place- {AE4AFDDC-A939-484E-BB94-B1989C551A3D}
- Hokkaido’s capital, Sapporo, dates back only 120 years, and this bright, cosmopolitan city, well-endowed with gardens and parks, makes the perfect base from which to head out and explore the island.
- 43.0547222
- 141.3538889
More in Sapporo, Hokkaido