Best of Hokkaido

Don’t hesitate to contact us. We are an expert team and we are happy to talk to you. Among the Japanese, Hokkaido has become synonymous with sensational food, stunning scenery and some of the best onsens in Japan. Because of this, Hokkaido has become a popular vacation destination for the Japanese. We slow the pace down on this tour to allow you to relax and to really enjoy and appreciate Hokkaido to its fullest. You’ll enjoy Sapporo, Hokkaido’s largest city and host to the 1972 Winter Olympics, with its many fine restaurants. You will tour Sounkyo Gorge in the middle of the beautiful Daisetsuzan National Park with its soaring mountain ranges, visit Noboribetsu Onsen, one of Japan’s largest and most popular hot springs resorts. Learn about Hokkaido’s original inhabitants, the Ainu, whose culture almost disappeared until recent efforts of restoration. You will visit the Akan International Crane Center where research is being done to bring the cranes back from the brink of extinction. And walk through the Kushiro Marshland, the natural habitat of the cranes. You will tour Akan National Park with its numerous caldera lakes. And visit the Furano and Biei areas in the center of Hokkaido known for its pleasant and picturesque landscapes. And you will visit Otaru, once a major herring port in the late 19th century. After clearing customs and immigration, you will be met at Tokyo’s Narita Airport by a Samurai Tours meeting staff member. They will then purchase a limousine bus ticket for you and help you board the bus to the hotel. After checking in, the evening is free. No meals are included. Travel: 1-1/2 Hours; Walking: Light After breakfast, we will travel to Tokyo’s Haneda airport and you will fly to Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport. We will then travel into Sapporo, the largest city on Hokkaido and the host of the 1972 Winter Olympics. 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. Breakfast at the hotel and dinner at a local restaurant included. Travel: 3 1/2 Hours; Walking: Light After breakfast we will visit the Sapporo Botanical Garden to visit a small but excellent Ainu Museum. The garden also has a virgin forest that shows what the surrounding area looked like more than 150 years ago. We will walk along Odori Park, the venue for the world famous Sapporo Snow Festival held annually in early February. At the end of Odori Park, we will visit the observation deck of the Sapporo TV Tower. The observation deck offers nice views of the park and the surrounding city. The tower is just under 150 meters tall, and the observation deck is at an elevation of 90 meters. Next, we will visit the Nijo Fish Market where locals visit to shop for fresh local produce and seafood such as crabs, salmon eggs, sea urchin and various fresh and prepared fish. We will continue with a lunch at a fresh seafood rice bowl (“kaisendon”) lunch. After lunch, you will have free time to explore the Tanuki Shopping Arcade. The unique aspect of this mall is that you will find traditional merchants selling kimonos, tea or incense side-by-side with modern stores specializing in computers, software or state-of-the-art electronics. The evening is free. Breakfast at the hotel and lunch at a local restaurant included. Travel: N/A; Walking: Heavy Today we will take a day trip to Otaru which once thrived as a major trade and fishing port. We will start our tour by visiting the preserved Aoyama family villa, documenting the time when the herring industry played a major role in Otaru and Hokkaido’s history and development. After lunch, you will have some free time to explore the Canal area lined with Meiji period warehouses, and the Sakaimichi street with its Music Box Museum and Glass workshops. Breakfast at the ryokan and lunch at a local restaurant included. Travel: 1 1/2 Hours; Walking: Heavy We travel with all bags only to the city of Abashiri on the northeastern coast of Hokkaido. Today will be a long travel day. But we will be making stops at Michi no Eki (road stations) along the way. Michi no Eki are the ideal way to recharge your batteries and learn about the area you’re passing through on your journey. These roadside stations offer far more than service stations you may be used to, usually showcasing their area with a sampling of delicious regional produce. Breakfast at the hotel and dinner at the ryokan included. Travel: 5 Hours; Walking: Light We start the day by touring the Ice Flow Drift Museum. Every winter, and huge ice flow from a Russian river slams into the northeastern portion of Hokkaido. Next, we will visit the Northern People’s Museum. Here, we will learn more about the Ainu culture as well as other similar indigenous cultures of the northern hemisphere. Next, we will visit the Abashiri Prison Museum. Abashri Prison was initially constructed in the late 19th century, b