Back Door to Hokkaido
16 Days/14 Nights
- Introduction •
- Itinerary •
- Map •
- Inclusions •
- Gallery
- 2010 Dates & Prices •
- 2011 Dates & Prices •
- Download Tour PDF
- Optional Cultural Activities
Back Door to Hokkaido Tour Detailed Itinerary
| Walking Level | Distance |
|---|---|
| Light | 0-2 miles in flat areas or 0-1 miles in hilly areas or with many stairs |
| Medium | 2-4 miles in flat areas or 1-3 miles in hilly areas or with many stairs |
| Heavy | 4-6 miles in flat areas or 3-5 miles in hilly areas or with many stairs |
Day 1: To Tokyo
Depart Home for Tokyo's Narita Airport
(Travel: 12 Hours; Walking: Light)
Day 2: Arrive Tokyo
You lose a day flying to Japan due to crossing the International Dateline, and gain the day back when you fly home. You will be met at Tokyo's Narita airport by a Samurai Tours guide, who will escort you to the hotel near the airport where we will be staying for the evening (Since there are no ryokans near the airport, we will be staying at a western-style hotel.) After checking into the hotel we will have our welcome/orientation dinner. Dinner at a local restaurant included.
(Travel: 15 Minutes; Walking: Light)
Day 3: Fly to Sapporo
After breakfast we fly to Sapporo's Chitose Airport, and then take an express train into Sapporo. After checking in, we visit the JR Sapporo Tower where you will be able to get a bird's eye view of Sapporo, the largest city on Hokkaido and the host of the 1972 Winter Olympics, while getting your bearings at the same time. In the evening, we will have dinner at the Sapporo Beer Garden, located next to the original Sapporo Beer brewery, where you can try the local specialty of grilled lamb, cooked yourself at the table. Before leaving in the morning, you will need to prepare your luggage to be transferred to Sapporo, and you will be traveling to Sapporo with your overnight bag only. Breakfast at the hotel and dinner at a local restaurant included.
(Travel: 3 Hours; Walking: Light)
Day 4: Sapporo
We start the day by taking a train and bus to the Hokkaido Historical Museum, where you can discover the rich history of Hokkaido, including Hokkaido's original inhabitants, the Ainu. Here you will discover how the taming of the wilds of Hokkaido was very similar to the settling of the American West. In the afternoon, we visit the Hokkaido Historical Village open air museum where many buildings from around Hokkaido, both modern and traditional, have been relocated. A local, English-speaking guide will be joining us for the day. The evening is free. Breakfast at the ryokan included.
(Travel: 1 1/2 Hours; Walking: Heavy)
Day 5: Sapporo
The entire day is free to explore Sapporo. Tour the original Sapporo Beer brewery, and sample the many freshly-brewed beers. Take the short train ride to Otaru where you will many trendy shops and restaurants. Visit the Sapporo Botanical Garden, established in 1886 by Hokkaido University, and a wonderful place for a picnic lunch. In the garden, you will find a small, preserved virgin forest which shows how Sapporo once looked, as well as a small alpine garden and greenhouse. Before leaving in the morning, you will need to prepare your main luggage to send ahead to Abashiri. Breakfast at the ryokan included.
(Travel: To be determined; Walking: To be determined)
Day 6: Sapporo, Abashiri
We travel by express train with overnight bags only to the city of Abashiri on the northeastern coast of Hokkaido. After dropping off our luggage at the ryokan, we visit the Abashiri Prison Museum. This prison was known as the "Alcatraz" of Japan. Only the most hardened criminals were sent here, including many Yakuza, the organized crime families of Japan. Here you can discover the harsh conditions they were forced to endure, and how the inmates were used to help tame the wilds of Hokkaido. Breakfast on the train and kaiseki-style dinner at the ryokan included.
(Travel: 6 Hours; Walking: Medium)
Day 7: Abashiri, Shiretoko
We travel by bus to the city of Uturo on the edge of the Shiretoko National Park. Shiretoko is an ancient Ainu word meaning 'edge of the world'. Here we board a sightseeing boat for a scenic cruise along the coast of the Shiretoko peninsula, where you will see the 300 foot rocky cliffs bordering the ocean, with waterfalls cascading over the cliffs and a snowy mountain range as a backdrop. Before returning to Abashiri by bus, we will take another bus to the Shiretoko-Go-Ko area located in the Shiretoko National Park. Here you will have some free time to walk around the area with its five scenic lakes and abundant wildlife including deer, bear and foxes. Breakfast and kaiseki-style dinner at the ryokan included.
(Travel: 4 Hours; Walking: Medium)
Day 8: Travel to Akan-ko
After breakfast, you will need to prepare your main luggage to send ahead to Sounkyo. We will travel to Akan-ko by sightseeing bus with our overnight bags only. Along the way we stop at the Gottoro Overlook where you can get a bird's eye view of a large caldera lake (weather permitting, of course). We also stop at Lake Kussharo, where you can dig down into the sandy beach to find thermally-heated sand, or just relax in one of the hot, mineral water foot baths. After that, we visit Iozan, with its many sulfur vents coated yellow from the many years of exposure to the steam. We will also stop at Lake Masshu, considered by many to be one of Japan's most beautiful lakes because of its clear, deep blue water. After arriving at Akan-ko and checking-in, we will attend an authentic Ainu Dance Demonstration at the Ainu Village. Breakfast and buffet-style dinner at the ryokan included.
(Travel: 5 Hours; Walking: Light)
Day 9: Travel to Sounkyo Onsen
The day is free to enjoy scenic Akan-ko. Take a sightseeing boat cruise around Akan-ko where you will stop to see Marimo, the unique globe-shaped algae that only grows in Akan-ko. Visit the Ainu Village with its many souvenir shops and restaurant selling authentic Ainu cuisine. Go hiking in the medeival forests surrounding the lake, or take a bus to the nearby Crane Preserve and Museum in the Kushiro Marshland. Cranes are thought to live a thousand years, so they hold a special place in Japanese culture. Early in the evening, we will travel by bus to Sounkyo. Buffet-style breakfast at the ryokan and dinner on the bus included.
(Travel: 3 Hours; Walking: Light)
Day 10: Sounkyo Onsen
The entire day is free to enjoy the natural beauty of Sounkyo. Rent bicycles and ride to the nearby waterfalls cascading down the cliffs. Ride the nearby gondola and chairlift to the top where you will get an excellent view of Kurodake, an old volcano, and the surrounding mountain peaks and ranges. If you have the energy, you can climb Kurodake and other nearby mountain peaks. In the treeless areas between the peaks, you will find many alpine flowers. Enjoy the village that feels like a Swiss village and enjoy the Ashi-yu (foot bath) with naturally-heated mineral water located in the center of the village. Or just walk along the river and enjoy the solitude and beauty of the area. Breakfast and dinner at the ryokan included.
(Trave: To be determined; Walking: To be determined)
Day 11: Travel to Noboribetsu
In the morning, we travel by bus through the scenic Sounkyo Gorge to the city of Kamkikawa, where we will catch a train to Noboribetsu Onsen, one of the most popular and famous hot spring resorts in Japan. After checking into the ryokan, you are free to enjoy the many hot springs or walk around the Jigokudani (Hell Valley) where you will find many steam vents and thermally heated pools and small geysers. Before leaving Sounkyo, you will need to prepare your main luggage to send ahead to Toya-ko. We will travel to Noboribetsu with overnight bags only. Breakfast and buffet-style dinner at the ryokan included.
(Travel: 5 Hours; Walking: Light.)
Day 12: Noboribetsu Onsen, Poroto Kotan Ainu Village
The morning is free to continue your exploration of the Noboribetsu area. Or visit the nearby Jidai Mura, a touristy, but fun village built to look like an Edo period village. After lunch we travel to the city of Shiraoi, where the Poroto Kotan Ainu Village and Museum is located. Here you will see a traditional Ainu dance demonstration, as well as a demonstration of traditional Ainu musical instruments. In the museum, you will learn about the history of the original inhabitants of Hokkaido, as well as their every-day life and how they lived. A local, English-speaking guide will be joining us at the Poroto Kotan Ainu Village and Museum. Buffet-style breakfast and buffet-style dinner at the ryokan included.
(Travel: 3 Hours; Walking: Heavy)
Day 13: Travel to Toya-ko
After sending our luggage ahead to our hotel at Narita Airport, we travel by train to Toya-ko, one of the largest and deepest volcanic caldera lakes in Japan. After checking in, we will visit Usu-zan and Showa-shin-zan, both active volcanoes located at Toya-ko. We will take a cable car to the top of Usu-zan, which last erupted in 2000. Here you can walk around the rim of the volcano through the barren, moon-like landscape. Afterwards, we visit Showa-shin-zan. In 1944, a surprised wheat farmer found Showa-shin-zan growing out of his field instead of wheat, and it has been growing larger ever since then. We will also visit the nearby Toya-ko Volcanic Museum. Amazingly, when Usu-zan last erupted in 2000, no one was killed. But there was a lot of damage from the eruption, and much of it is preserved at the museum, and illustrates the sheer power of geo-thermal activity and documents the volcano's turbulent history. Buffet syle breakfast and dinner at the ryokan included.
(Travel: 2 Hours; Walking: Medium)
Day 14: Toya-ko, Travel to Hakodate
After breakfast, we travel to Hakodate. Hakodate was one of the first cities in Japan open to foreigners after the Meiji Restoration. After arriving in Hakodate, we will visit the Goryo-Kaku, Japan:s first western-style fort. Built in 1864 by the Tokugawa Shogunate in the shape of a five-pointed star, it was designed to trap attackers in a deadly crossfire. We will go to top of the Goryo-kaku tower next door to the fort, providing a view of the fort and the surrounding city. You will then have free time in the Moto-machi historic area. Overlooking the western bay at the foot of Mount Hakodate, there are numerous sloping streets lined with 19th century churches, consulates, shops and homes of the foreigners who first opened this area of Japan to commerce. In the evening, we take a cable car to the top of Mt. Hakodate, where we will enjoy a panoramic view of Hakodate's night lights. Breakfast at the ryokan included.
(Travel: 3 Hours; Walking: Medium)
Day 15: Travel to Tokyo
In the morning, we visit the Hakodate Morning Market, where the sellers can prepare the specialties of Hakodate (crab, sea urchin and squid) fresh from their stalls for breakfast. Later in the morning, we take the bus to Hakodate's Airport to fly to Tokyo's Haneda Airport, where we will board a bus to take us to Narita Airport. In the evening, we will have our Sayonara dinner. Breakfast at the ryokan and dinner at the hotel included.
(Travel: 6 Hours; Walking: Light)
Day 16: Home
It's time to say Sayonara (Goodbye). Breakfast at the hotel included.
(Travel: N/A; Walking: Light)