Travel Guides

Hokkaido Travel Guide

Winter Sports, Volcanoes and Wilderness

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Second largest and most northern of Japan’s main islands Hokkaido is also the least developed and most attractive for lovers of the great outdoors. It has several national parks, lots of winter snow, making it a favourite of winter sports enthusiasts and is home to Japan's aboriginal Ainu people.

The Sapporo Snow Festival of early February lasts a week and is spectacular. Skiiers and boarders enjoy the resort of Niseko, walkers make for Daisetsuzan, Hokkaido's largest national park with dense forest and unspoiled wilderness a paradise for walkers. Rishiri and Rebun are two small islands near the northern tip of Hokkaido and offer beautiful hiking trails, costal scenery, alpine flowers and small fishing villages.

Akan National Park is located in the east and has beautiful crater lakes, hot springs and mountains, all of volcanic origin whilst Lake Toya is part of the Shikotsu-Toya National Park and offers close up views of one of Japan's most active volcanos, Mount Usu.