Hokkaido — nature's paradise.
Enjoy the whole of this extensive land to your heart's content — its mountains,
highlands, rivers, lakes, the sea, and its azure skies.
Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island, was aggressively settled
from the 18th century on, and today, as in olden times, still abounds in
natural splendor.
Sapporo is
the aerial gateway to Hokkaido from Tokyo and Osaka and is the island's
cultural, economic, and political center. The city is marked by its neatly laid
out checkerboard-like streets.
The city's main thoroughfare is the flower-adorned Odori Park, where the internationally popular Sapporo Snow Festival
attracts viewers every February. Sapporo's historical monument, the Clock Tower Building, adjoins a museum exhibiting the city's history. The
popular hot spring resort Jozankei
Spa, is only a short trip from
Sapporo. It is a popular haven for many day visitors as well.
Lake Shikotsu, 1 hr. 20 min. by bus from Sapporo, is a beautiful caldera lake
tucked among soaring cliffs. The water is deep blue, and never freezes over.
The circular caldera Lake Toya is
another highlight. Four thickly wooded islets, dubbed the Nakanoshima Islands,
grace the lake's center.
Hakodate,
accessible by train from Aomori, is another popular Hokkaido tourist spot.
Hakodate is a port town noted for its splendid night view. The starshaped Goryokaku
fortress is a principal attraction in the city along with scenic Mt. Hakodate. Well worth a visit is the morning market with buyers and
onlookers alike thronging its 360 small shops and stalls filled with fresh fish
and vegetables. Simply watching the market's lively hustle and bustle is a
great attraction in itself.
Asahikawa in
central Hokkaido can be reached in 1 hr. 30 min. by limited express from
Sapporo.
Another 1 hr. trip by local train brings you to Furano celebrated for its lavender fields in early summer. A vast
undulating expanse of fields form exquisite flowery belts of narcissi, lavender
and cosmos.
Driving through the flowering fields of Furano in this grand
natural setting is highly popular among visitors of all generations and a truly
unforgettable experience.
Kushiro,
the largest city in eastern Hokkaido, is 4 hrs. by limited express from
Sapporo. In eastern Hokkaido area you find a world of pristine nature, dotted
with crystalline lakes. The greatest highlight here is the Kushiro Marshland which is a wildlife sanctuary. Canoeing down the
Kushiro River, which weaves its way through this spectacular marshland, will
remain a lifelong memory.
Hokkaido, a land of verdant nature, provides the nature lover
with an extensive array of outdoor activities. Attractions include dolphin and
whale watching, white-water rafting, horseback riding, woodland trekking,
hot-air ballooning, and so much, much more.
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