Hokkaido travel advice

konbini · (#1 (**permalink**))

I am going to Japan for in Nov. Dec. 35 days, of which I plan to do two 7 day homestays. There is something about Hokkaido that attracts me.
Should I go to there?
Has anyone one been there?
What is it like?

Mortry · (#2 (**permalink**))

No, too bad.. I haven't been in Hokkaido,
I haven't been in Japan for that matter:P
But have fun in Japan!

samurai007 · (#3 (**permalink**))

Konbini, you should give your threads an appropriate name, such as "Should I go to Hokkaido?" MMM renamed your previous thread, and he'll probably have to do the same to this one. A konbini is a conveneince store in Japan, and naming the thread "Konbini" makes people think you want to talk about 7-11 or Lawson's Station...

And I didn't go to Hokkaido either, I'm not a fan of snow and freezing temps.

MMM · (#4 (**permalink**))

Thank you samurai. If everyone named every thread after themselves, this would be chaos, so yes, I changed the title of your thread.

What service are you using to schedule these homestays?

konbini · (#5 (**permalink**))

I am sorry.
How do I change it?

konbini · (#6 (**permalink**))

I am looking at homestayweb. Do you know about them? Are they any good?

knucKles · (#7 (**permalink**))

I spent about 10 days in Hokkaido. Basically we stayed in Sapporo. There's lots to see but the best thing is the Sapporo Beer Factory. But don't make the same mistake as we did the first time and go to the Sapporo Factory. Nearly identical name but this is just some shopping mall. Very confusing.

From Sapporo we made day-trips to Otaru and Noboribetsu. In Noboribetsu you should definitely go for a small hike to this volcanic mountain there (登別地獄谷). You just have to walk straight through the city and you'll find it. It has the only really natural hot foot bath I found in Japan and on top there's a small lake and some hot spring stuff. Definitely a must-see!

We also went to the Historical Village of Hokkaido (開拓の村) which is also very cool. More information here.

In Otaru we wanted to visit the glass museum but we made the mistake and went to a restaurant where they brew german beer. We stayed there for too many Weissbeer and missed the opening hours of the museum. Actually it was not a mistake. The glass souvenir shop was still open.

I hope I could help out a little bit.

Stay tuned!

johnElarue · (#8 (**permalink**))

Hokkaido is totally different from Honshu. Firstly it is cold and dry. The houses are warm . Has a low population density compared to Honshu. Has more wide open spaces.

It is beautiful, but not as wild and wooly as some may think. While there are some stunning backdrops, mostly it is rolling farmland interspersed with larch forests or borders, these are dull grey in winter. Some of the smaller cities and towns are just as drab, concrete as Honshu. There are some places where the scenery is similar to the North American west, but the expanse is not. Stunning volcanic peaks rising snow covered, large beautiful lakes.

I've been chided for saying this before, but for me it is similar to New York State or Maine. Some parts look like Oregon or Washington. But then again I spent most of my time working not travelling.

The people are nice, and you may often be mistaken for a Russian. The seafood is of course fantastic. I'd move back given the chance.

What else do you need to know? More specific questions?

konbini · (#9 (**permalink**))

Thank you for the information.

It sounds similar to what I imagined.
I have 35 days in Japan.
I am planning a fairly layback travel schedule. Do you think I can comfortably fit in time to got to Hokkaido?
Keep in mind that I am spending 5 days in Tokyo, about 5 in Kyoto, a week homestay in the Alps, and I am flying out from Osaka.

Also, what is the temperature like in early December?
Do I need to wear snow clothes?

knucKles · (#10 (**permalink**))

Depending on how you travel you can see if you have enough time. By airplane you're fast, by ferry you're cheap.

I went in february and I came into a snow storm where I couldn't see anything and it just blew me over the streests that I couldn't find back to the hotel. I also went hiking in snowy mountains a lot and the snow in the cities sometimes reached the roof so I would definitely recommend snow clothes, especially good shoes!