Tourist attractions
Place
We will introduce sightseeing spots in Hokkaido.Let's find places of interest from the map below.
Central Hokkaido
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Odori Park
(Ōdōri Kōen) is a park located in the heart of Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. Ōdōri means "large street" in Japanese. It stretches east to west through and divides the city into north and south sections. Odori Park spans about 1.5 km and covers 78,901 m². During the urban planning of Sapporo, it was originally designated as the main street but it eventually became a park. Throughout the year, many events and ceremonies such as the Sapporo Lilac Festival and the Sapporo Snow Festival are held in the park, and local landmarks including the Sapporo TV Tower and the Sapporo City Archive Museum are located within its boundaries. Many flower gardens have been created by assigning grounds of Odori to garden design companies. Currently, each flower garden is adorned with a nameplate of the company which showcases its garden planning skills in that area throughout the year.
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Former Hokkaidō Government Office
The new government office building was inaugurated in 1888, with red bricks and the octagonal dome on top of the building as the first governor, Michitoshi Iwamura, had suggested The facilities of the former Hokkaidō Government Office in Sapporo, Japan, include a conference room, a museum shop, a tourist information office, and a few historical exhibition rooms and libraries. Visitors can enter the building for free. Flower gardens and a pond are located in front of the building, which occasionally are designated as some event venues.
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Sapporo Beer Museum
The Sapporo Beer Museum (, Sapporo Bīru Hakubutsukan) is a museum located in the Sapporo Garden Park in Higashi-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. Registered as one of the Hokkaidō Heritage sites in 2004, the museum is the only beer museum in Japan. The red-brick building was erected originally as a factory of the Sapporo Sugar Company in 1890, and later opened as a museum in July 1987. The building also houses the Sapporo Beer Garden in the south wing.
The Sapporo Beer Museum has three floors, and is free to enter. A museum tour is available. The panels displaying the history of people involved in beer industry and the Sapporo Brewery Inc. are exhibited. Other exhibited items include beer bottles, signs, posters, miniatures of the building, and instruments for brewing beer. Some of them were actually used in the brewery before World War II.
Since some products of the DaiNippon Beer Company, a predecessor of the Sapporo Brewery, were also housed in the museum, materials related to the Yebisu Beer are exhibited as well as the Sapporo Beer ones. A museum bar is located on the second floor, and visitors can try alcohol products of the Sapporo Beer. The first floor has a restaurant called "Star Hall", and a museum shop. The Sapporo Garden Park also houses the Ario Sapporo, a shopping mall, and the Sapporo Beer Garden, which is connected to the museum -
Sapporo Clock Tower
The tower was built in 1878, and is all that remains of the drill hall of the former Sapporo Agricultural College (now Hokkaido University). The building was one of the earliest to be built in this city. The city itself was chosen as the administrative centre of Hokkaidō in 1868, which is the date currently recognised as the official birth of the city. Currently, this is the oldest building standing in Sapporo The clock tower now houses a museum introducing the history of the Agricultural College and the development of Sapporo. It is open to visitors year round, but is closed on Sundays and over the New Year period. Admission is 200 yen for adults and free for children, with discounts for groups. Viewing and photographing the building is very popular among visitors to Sapporo, and visiting it forms a part of many tours of the city. It is possible for members of the public to rent the large hall upstairs for private functions, which is also occasionally used for concerts.
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Lake Shikotsu
Lake Shikotsu is located in the south-west part of Hokkaidō. It has an average depth of 265 metres (869 ft) and a maximum depth of 363 metres (1,191 ft), making it the second deepest lake in Japan, after Lake Tazawa. It is the 8th-largest lake by surface area in Japan and the second largest of Japan's caldera lakes, surpassed only by Lake Kussharo. It is surrounded by three volcanos: Mount Eniwa to the north and Mount Fuppushi and Mount Tarumae to the south.
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Otaru Canal
(Otaru Unga) was a central part of the city's busy port in the first half of the 20th century. Large vessels were unloaded by smaller ships, which then transported the goods to warehouses along the canal.The canal became obsolete when modern dock facilities allowed for direct unloading of larger vessels. Thanks to a citizens' movement, a part of the canal was beautifully restored in the 1980s instead of being landfilled, while the warehouses were transformed into museums, shops and restaurants.
The canal makes for a pleasant stroll during the day, when artists present their works to passing tourists, and during the evenings when old fashioned gas lamps are lit and provide a romantic atmosphere. The canal also serves as the main site of the town's Snow Light Path Festival.
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The Old Aoyama Villa
The old aoyama villa is a symbol of herring fishing, born out of the dream of a 17- year-old young woman, Masae Aoyama. Imagine how many people enjoyed grand parties nightly in this villa during its prosperous days. As you can see, this mansion was built regardless of expense and was furnished with every luxury during the golden age of herring fishing in Shukutsu. Otaru City has recognized the importance of this building by designating it as one of registered tangible cultural property. We hope that it will make you too feel nostalgic for the spirit of earlier days and the fine arts of those times.
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Kitaichi Glass
Kitaichi glass is a long-established handmade glassware shop. Kitaichi Glass consists of 18 shopping stores and each store has its featured products. It also has a workshop where the manufacturing process can be observed and visitors can experience glass creation.
Otaru City is well known for the glass manufacturing so glassware is one of the main tourist attractions of the city. This began with the production of kerosene lamps and floating balls used in herring fishery (an industry that brought the city its prosperity during the Meiji and Taisho eras). Today, there are many stores selling glassware in Otaru. Among them, the one with the oldest history is Kitaichi Glass which was founded in 1901.
Kitaichi Glass used to manufacture oil lamps before the electricity came into use, and then moved into making the glass buoys for fishing during the great fishing period of the city. With the changes in lifestyle, the company has come to make products to enrich our lives.
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Nikka Whisky Hokkaido Yoichi distillery
Yoichi distillery, is a Japanese whisky distillery. It is located at Yoichi (,Yoichi-chō), a town in the Yoichi District, Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. The distillery is owned by Nikka Whisky Distilling, and was opened in 1934. It is the older of the two distilleries owned by Nikka Whisky, the other being the company’s Miyagikyo distillery near Sendai.
Visit the home of Nikka Whiskey' Single Malt Yoichi, a bold and distinctive single malt whisky brewed by skilled craftsman whose techniques have developed over long years of experience. View the distillery's coal-fired pot stills, a practice that is now rarely seen even in Scotland. Enjoy sampling some products at the tasting corner and shopping for souvenirs at the gift store. -
Kyogoku Spring Park
In 1985, the Yotei Fukidashi Spring was selected by the Environmental Agency as one of Japan’s Best 100 Water Attractions. It spurts out 80,000 tons of water each day and maintains a temperature of around 6.5ﾟC all year round, and great care is taken with the nature around it to maintain the quality of the water. Crowds of people come from far away to try the water. There is even a big playground, rafts and a barbecue area.
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Shakotan Peninsula Cape Kamui
Kamui rock stands directly below the edge of Cape Kamui in the clear blue waters and is said to be the incarnation of a young maiden transformed into stone. During the walk along the path around the cape, you can marvel at Tateiwa of Mizunashi, a large stone which towers over the sea, and other formations on the way.
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Shimamui Coast
Selected as one of the best 100 beaches (coasts) of Japan, Shimamui Coast in Shakotan Cape is renowned for its majestic translucent blue sea and beautiful scenery. Gaze upon the numerous rock formations which peer out from the clear ocean waters and relax to the peaceful sound of waves lapping against the shore.
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Oyunuma-Oku no Yu
Oyunuma is a thermal lake located in the Niseko highlands on the outskirts of Rankoshi Town. The lake is approximately 50 meters in diameter, and features an extremely hot bubbling center with thick mud around the edges. There is a wooden walkway surrounding the lake allowing you to enjoy the strong smell of sulfur and touch the mud. Interestingly enough, you can view insects buzzing around and living on the surface of the lake despite it being 60º Celcius plus. On the other side of the walkway is a small clear water pool with a "blue hole" in the middle, pumping out extremely cold, clear water, right beside the extremely hot, mud pool.
Oku no Yu-Grayish black sulfurous hot spring water violently bubbles out of the vent formed by the conical base of this pond, an explosion crater of Mt. Hiyori. The surface temperature of it varies from 75°c to over 85°c. Hot spring activity is especially dramatic in the area in front of the pond and around its center, giving the place the appearance of a kettle on the boil. -
Jigokudani
Jigokudani or "Hell Valley" is a spectacular, appropriately named valley just above the town of Noboribetsu Onsen, which displays hot steam vents, sulfurous streams and other volcanic activity. It is a main source of Noboribetsu's hot spring waters.
From the valley, there are attractive walking trails through the wooded hills above Noboribetsu. If you follow them for about 20 to 30 minutes, you will get to Oyunuma, a sulfurous pond with a surface temperature of 50 degrees Celsius and a smaller, even hotter, mud pond Flowing out of Oyunuma is a river called Oyunumagawa. Still hot, the river flows through the forest, making for an out-of-this-world sight. It is possible to follow the river for several hundred meters and enjoy a natural foot bath (ashiyu) along the way.
The autumn color season in Noboribetsu usually reaches its peak in mid October, adding further colors to the already spectacular scenery. During winter, some of the walking trails in the hills above the Jigokudani might not always be passable.
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Showa Shinzan
Showa Shinzan is one of Japan's youngest mountains.
Accompanied by earthquakes, the mountain suddenly rose from a flat wheat field to its current height of 290 meters between 1943 and 1945. The mountain was named "Showa New Mountain" according to the contemporary reign of Emperor Showa (1926-1989).
Still venting sulfurous fumes today, Showa Shinzan stands directly next to Mount Usu, which bears responsibility for the new mountain's birth. You can get good views of the young volcano by taking the Usuzan Ropeway. -
Lake Toya
Lake Toya is part of the Shikotsu-Toya National Park. In addition to the lake itself, the Toyako region features hot springs and an active volcano, Mount Usu, which last erupted in the year 2000. The area also offers many fishing, hiking, and camping opportunities.
The picturesque lake was chosen as the location of the G8 summit which Japan hosted in July 2008. The leaders of the world's eight major industrialized democracies met at the Windsor Hotel Toya Resort & Spa.
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Usuzan West Crater Trails
See A Volcano's Destruction. I'm not sure if there are any other places in the world that allow visitors to see the destruction caused by a volcano so close up. The March and April 2000 eruption of Mount Usu created about 60 new craters on the mountain. The changes in the landscape and smoke thrown high into the air caused a lot of damage to buildings and roads.
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Hakuchō Bridge
The Hakuchō Bridge (Hakuchō Ō-hashi) is a suspension bridge in Muroran, Hokkaido, Japan. Opened April 17, 1998, it has a main span of 720 meters and is signed as part of Japan National Route 37. It is the first section of Hakuchō new road.Several windmills line the bridge which provide lighting at night to the park golf link nearby. The winds are extremely high on the bridge, so pedestrians, bikes, and motorbikes are prohibited from crossing.
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Cape Earth(Chikyu Misaki)
Chikyu Misaki, translated as Cape Earth, is a popular spot for locals to come and view the first dawn of every new year. And once you are here, it’s easy to see why. Rising more than 100 meters above the Pacific Ocean, this cliffside location offers an unparalleled majestic view of the ocean from sunrise to sunset.
Southern Hokkaido
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Onuma Quasi National Park
Onuma Quasi-National Park is on Mount Oshima-Komagatake, a currently-active stratovolcano, and around Lake Onuma and Lake Konuma located on the west base of the mountain. The park was designated as a quasi-national park on July 1st, 1958. The park has 9083 hectares inhabited by a wide diversity of animals and plants. There are also many restaurants, souvenir shops and facilities that visitors can enjoy inside the park. In addition, running and walking events, a stamp rally (collecting series of stamps from designated places), and fireworks shows are regularly held.
The park has abundant nature and there are many ways you can enjoy a whole day there. In summer, you can enjoy cycling, horse-back riding, climbing Mount Komagatake, camping, taking a cruise, canoeing, and fishing in the lake. As the lake surface freezes in the winter, you can enjoy winter activities such as fishing for lake smelt, snowmobile-riding on the ice, sleighing, and skiing. You can stroll along the walking trails to enjoy the varying views from season to season. The park has four nature walking courses: Oshima no Michi (path of Oshima) - fifteen minutes to loop on bright and open path; Mori-no-Komichi (a forest path) - twenty-minute long walking path surrounded by dense forest; Shima-meguri-no-Michi (path around an island) - you can walk around in roughly 50 minutes, whilst enjoying an island on the lake and a walk on a bridge; and, Yuhi-no-Konuma-Michi (path of Konuma at sunset) - you can walk around in 25 minutes while enjoying quiet nature. -
Old Public Hall of Hakodate Ward
Kyu-Hakodateku-Kokaido. This is a notable historic building in Hakodate, designated as important cultural property. It has a magnificent main hall and rooms reserved for special guests. When members of the Imperial family visited Hakodate, they stayed and rested in the rooms.
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Goryōkaku
Goryōkaku was designed in 1855 by Takeda Hisaburō. His plan was based on the work of the French architect Vauban. It is shaped like a five-pointed star. This allowed for greater numbers of gun emplacements on its walls than a traditional Japanese fortress, and reduced the number of blind spots where a cannon could not fire.
The fort was built by the Tokugawa shogunate to protect the Tsugaru Strait against a possible invasion by the Russian fleet.
Goryōkaku is famous as the site of the last battle of the Boshin War (Goryōkaku no Tatakai). The fighting lasted for a week (June 20–27, 1869).Today, Goryōkaku is a park. It has been declared a Special Historical Site and is home to the Hakodate city museum. The grounds are a favorite spot for in spring cherry-blossom viewing. -
Tachimachi Cape
Cape Tachimachi-misaki is famous for its panoramic view of Omorihama coastline and splendid striped cliffs at the base of Mt. Hakodate. You can also see the Tsugaru-hanto Peninsula beyond the Tsugaru-kaikyo Strait in a find day. The cape with a view used to be a lookout point for ships approaching to hakodate in the Edo Period (1603-1868). On the way to the tip of the cape, you can find the family tomb of Ishikawa Takuboku and a monument with Yosano Tekkan (hiroshi) and Akiko’s poem.
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Trappistine Monasteries
One of the few monasteries in Japan. It located in Hakodate. The Convent was established in 1898 and reconstructed in 1927 after fire of 1925. From outside, it looked picturesque. This is a french nunnery with a nice and calm environment. Entrance is free. The first thing you notice is a statue of Saint Michael. They even have a quaint shop that sells cookies and other Christian items.
Northern Hokkaido
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Lavender Flower Field
Hokkaido, the second largest island of Japan is very famous for its lavender season. Usually this season starts in late June in summer. Unlike cherry blossom season that stays less than a week at a particular hanami spot, lavender season stays for more than a month from early July to late August. In fact, Hokkaido’s weather is quite favorable to cultivate lavender. Most of the lavender cultivation can be seen in a small city named Furano. Hokkaido’s lavender season depends on this city. Small towns: Nakafurano and Kamifurano host some lavender and flower festivals every year in July. So, visiting Hokkaido in summer to see the beautiful lavender fields would be a perfect destination for you
Furano and Biei – Two Most Famous Places to View Lavender in Summer -
Sounkyo Gorge
This gorge located in Daisetsuzan National Park, Japan’s largest national park, is known for its magnificent beauty, including huge columnar joint cliffs and powerful waterfalls.
Sounkyo is a touristy hot spring resort town in the north of Daisetsuzan National Park. It is located in a scenic, narrow gorge that is flanked by 100 meter high, forested cliffs. Sounkyo offers a pleasant village center, onsen baths and two beautiful waterfalls nearby. It is also a good base for hiking tours into the national park with ropeway access to nearby Mount Kurodake.
Sounkyo offers several hot spring baths to soak in, including one public bath house, the Kurodake no Yu, located in the town center. This bath house has gender segregated indoor and outdoor baths with limited views of the surrounding landscape. More hot spring bathing is available at the town's many ryokan, several of which open their baths to non-staying guests during daytime for an admission fee of typically around 1000 yen.
About three kilometers east of the village center further up the valley, there are two beautiful waterfalls, Ginga no Taki (Milky Way Falls) and Ryusei no Taki (Shooting Star Falls), which cascade down the 100 meter high cliffside. Both waterfalls can be viewed from a large parking lot across the river or from a small observation deck that can be reached via a steep walking trail in about 15-20 minutes from the parking lot outside of winter.
Sounkyo is also a popular autumn leaf viewing spot, and one of the first places in Japan to see the seasonal spectacle. The colors typically start to appear around the summit of Mount Kurodake in mid September and then gradually move down the mountain slopes until they reach the valley floor around mid October.
From late January to late March (January 25 to March 20, 2017), the town holds the Sounkyo Ice Waterfall Festival (Sounkyo Onsen Hyobaku Matsuri), featuring large, multi-story ice and snow structures with interior caverns and maze-like tunnels running through them. Although the layout of the festival changes from year to year, it usually includes large snow domes, ice sculptures, a snow tubing run (small fee required to rent tubes) and an event stage.
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Patchwork Road
Biei is famous for its views of wide fields and hills, and is used as a backdrop for many Japanese commercials and TV programmes. The bright colours of its fields attract thousands of visitors in July and August.
The town also houses the Shinzo Maeda Photo Art Gallery.
Since 1992 Biei has held the "Biei Healthy Marathon", which attracts runners from all around Japan.
Eastern Hokkaido
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Abashiri Prison Museum
Abashiri Prison Museum is originally the Abashiri Prison, which was one of Japan's first-ever maximum security prisons, has been holding Japan’s most dangerous criminals since the 1890s. Abashiri Prison was established with a mandate to use the prisoners as laborers in the expansion and development of land in Hokkaido.
Abashiri Prison was constructed to hold more than one thousand dangerous criminals. The prison gained national fame through a popular yakuza movie series by director Ishii Teruo in the 1960s. Following a major modernization of the Abashiri Prison in 1984, the prison's old buildings were moved into the Abashiri Prison Museum, which opened its doors to the public in 1985 as an open air museum. Note that the modernized Abashiri Prison is still in operation at the foot of Mount Tento-zan. -
Lake Saroma
Lake Saroma (Saroma-ko) also Saroma Lagoon is a body of brackish water in Saroma, Kitami, and Yūbetsu, Hokkaidō, Japan. It is located in Abashiri Quasi-National Park. By area, the lake is the third largest in Japan and the largest in Hokkaidō. The name comes from the Ainu place name saruomahetsu, meaning place of many Miscanthus reeds and rushes.
Saroma Lake central mountainous region in (Naniwa-cho Saroma) is the only mountain "Horoiwayama" overlooking the Saroma, Saroma lake views from the summit of Lake Saroma observatory, spring, summer, fall and winter, a solemn and majestic you create a superb view
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Lake Notoro
Lake Notoro located in Abashiri Quai-National Park, Abashiri. Since 1973, the lake has been fill with many colonies of coral grass growing at its sides, the whole area turns red during the fall. Visitors can enjoy shellfish gathering between mid-April and mid-October. The coral grass reaches its peak in September.
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Shiretoko
Shiretoko National Park ( Shiretoko Kokuritsu Kōen), located on the Shiretoko Peninsula in eastern Hokkaido, is one of Japan's most beautiful and unspoiled national parks. No roads lead further than about three fourths up the peninsula, and the northern tip can only be viewed from boats or be reached on multi day trekking tours.
The peninsula is home to a variety of wildlife, including brown bears, deer and foxes. In winter, the peninsula's coast along the Sea of Okhotsk becomes one of the northern hemisphere's southernmost regions to see drift ice. In 2005, Shiretoko was added to the list of world heritage sites for the irreplaceable value of the peninsula's ecosystem and biodiversity.
Top attractions in Shiretoko include Drift Ice (Ryuhyo), Five Lakes, Furepe Waterfall, Kamuiwakkayu Fall, Oshinkoshin Falls, Utoro.
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Kōfuku Station
Kofuku station is a closed railway station on the defunct Hiroo Line in Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan. Now owned by the Kofuku town residents' association, even after its closure in 1987, it remains a popular sightseeing spot due its name, which means "happiness" in Japanese.
The station opened on 1 November 1956. It closed in 1987 when the entire line closed just before privatization of Japanese National Railways (JNR).
The station become famous after it was featured on a Japanese NHK TV travel documentary programme in 1973. In fiscal 2012, it was visited by about 175,000 people, making it one of the top tourist attractions in the area.
The ageing station structure was scheduled to be renovated by Obihiro city government between September and November 2013, at a cost of 33 million yen.
The original station building remains standing, and many people paste business cards and messages on the walls of the waiting room, hoping for happiness. -
Ikeda Wine Castle
The official name of this "Wine Castle" is "Ikeda Town Grape & Vine Wine Institute".
Europe Because it resembles the old castle in medieval times, it is named "Wine castle" from anyone, and it is familiar.
In the underground maturing room, there are French oak barrels and Old Vintage quietly where the wine sleeps quietly, on the first floor there is a shopping area where you can buy specialties from Ikeda Town including Tokachi wine and a restaurant on the 4th floor, where you can enjoy a full of fun wine castle is.
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Kushiro Wetland
Kushiro Wetland is located in Hokkaido Prefecture’s Kushiro-heiya 、was designated as a national park in 1987 in order to preserve the country's largest wetland and marsh habitat which supports the only known population of endangered Japanese Cranes in Japan.M
The park is located between Kushiro City and Akan National Park and is easily visited when traveling between the two. The park does not receive much snowfall, even in winter, and offers bird watching, nature viewing, and walking trails. Japanese Cranes can be viewed there year round and attract hundreds of photographers.
A vast number of animals and plants inhibit the area around Kushiro River, which snakes across the wetlands. In particular, the area is known for cranes, a specially protected species, and there are special facilities for protection. The center of the wetland is registered under the Ramsar Convention has attracted attention worldwide.
There are 5 observatories where visitors can view Kushiro Wetland as well as Kushiro River: Hosooka Tenbodai (Observatory) and Business Lounge in the east of the wetlands, Sarubo Tenbodai near Toro Station of the JR Senmo-honsen Line, Kottaro Tenbodai located along Hokkaido Road 1060, and Kushiro Wetland Tenbodai in the west.
It is possible to observe the wetlands up-close from the boardwalk of the wetlands as well as by canoe along the river. -
Kushiro Japanese Crane Reserve
Japanese Cranes (Tancho, lit. "red head") were thought to be extinct in Japan due to overhunting and habitat destruction. However, in 1926 a group of about 20 birds was discovered in the marshes around Kushiro. With conservation efforts they have since made a dramatic recovery and now number more than 1000 birds.
The cranes are most spectacular to watch as they dance, often in pairs, with seemingly choreographed dips and jumps. The cranes are best seen in the winter as they gather at winter feeding sites. These sites are best accessed by car, but they can also be reached by public transportation.
Currently (2005), 16 Japanese cranes live in this park. In August 1958, The Japanese Crane Reserve opened with five Japanese Cranes in Tsuruoka, Kushiro, with the purpose to protect and breed the endangered Japanese Cranes. The ecology of the crane was unknown in early years. After 10 years of attempting to have the cranes reproduce, natural hatching succeeded. Artificial hatching also succeeded, in 1970. Since then, many cranes have reproduced. At present, 18 Japanese Cranes freely move throughout the reserve.
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Akan National Park
Akan National Park ( Akan Kokuritsu Kōen) is located in eastern Hokkaido. The park is well known for its three beautiful lakes: Lake Akan, Lake Mashu and Lake Kussharo. Lake Mashu is of particular fame. Although often covered by fog, its waters are some of the clearest in the world.
Akan National Park is composed of two separate parts. The smaller, western portion contains Lake Akan with the lakeside hot spring resort of Akankohan Onsen. The larger, eastern part contains Lake Mashu, Lake Kussharo, Iozan (Sulfur Mountain) and centrally located Kawayu Onsen.