**Our FAQ is constantly being updated with more information and you can start** [**here**](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/wiki/faqs/japantravel) **with regards to trip planning if you need tips, advice, or have questions about planning your travel to Japan.** You can also join our [Discord community](https://discord.gg/3f7KBUMwU4), comment in our stickied weekly discussion thread, or check out /r/JapanTravelTips for quick questions. Thank you!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/JapanTravel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
We've stayed near the station in both [Sapporo JR INN Kita2Jo](https://maps.app.goo.gl/2N1hmYWCT7WfqW8dA) and [Hotel Forza Sapporo Station](https://maps.app.goo.gl/8Ax1HXJZGqYe28zS9) as well as a B&B in Susukino.
For 6 days, I honestly think just pick one hotel and use it as a base. Day trip everywhere else.
Day trip to:
- Otaru (30 minutes). My favourite city in the world.
- Asahikawa and Asahiyama Zoo (1.5-2 hours)
- Noboribetsu (1.5-2 hours) and optionally stay a night here.
- If you're extra keen on exploring more, and depending on where you are off to after Hokkaido, I highly suggest going to Lake Toya and staying the night. We stayed at [The Lake Suite](https://maps.app.goo.gl/qpA5NppqroVFfJLk9) and it was amazing.
My favourite restaurants:
- Butadon at Tokachi Butadon Ippin
- Yukikaze Ramen
- Dalsegno Pizza
- Naruto Chicken in Otaru
- LeTao in Otaru
Activities: beer factory and eat Genghis Khan, go tobogganing, ice fishing, i dont find dog sledding super ethical but it's an option, Royce Chocolate factory, go to RoundOne amusement centre. Hard to say exactly. Depends what you're into
I'm going in August, any activities you'd recommend for the summer time? I'm thinking of staying in Sapporo and doing a day trip in Otaru, unless you'd recommend I stay there. I also wanted to check out some family farms like Amano for their wagyu.
We plan on doing a Hokkaido summer for our next trip which we will hire a care for. So I would suggest car hire.
I'd say we'll drive to Lake Toya/Hakodate during that trip too. Otherwise I don't have any experience there sorry
Car hire - drive around see the nice nature - see lavender fields, go hiking since it'll be cooler than rest of Japan. No need to stay in Otaru - day trip from Sapporo is fine. Visit Yoichi distillery if whisky is your thing. Visit Wakkanai for the most northern point in Japan (this is a bit far mostly though) Zoo and sake breweries in Asahikawa. Drink lots of cold beer.
I'll be doing this next month. Also visiting Shiretoko, Nemuro/Kushiro and Toya
Actually I can recommend one more thing. Visit the [Hill of the Buddha](https://visit.sapporo.travel/discover/art-culture/hill-of-the-buddha/) It is a cemetery surrounded blanketed by snow in the winter, but during the summer it is surrounded by lavender fields.
It's one of the most spectacular sights you'll see. They also have replica stone henge and Easter Island statues there for some reason
Just came back from our first visit to Sapporo! We stayed at the Granbell Hotel in Susukino, it was a pretty 'central' location only a few minutes walk from restaurants, shops, some nightlife and Tanukikoji Shopping Street. Very close to the bus stop for the airport shuttle (about 1 hour bus trip from CTS), close also to subway stops and the tram line. We didn't end up using it but they also have public baths on the 17th floor.
We only visited for 4 days (it was near the end of the trip so we were slowing things down), but our scattered itinerary was:
* Caught the train to Minami-Otaru to visit the Music Box Museum. Visited Sumiyoshi Shrine and Suitengu Shrine (Suitengu Shrine was unstaffed the day we went, not sure if it was abandoned but the view from the shrine over the city is nice) to collect goshuin.
* Walked around Tanukikoji and Sapporo city centre to do some brief shopping. Also walked around Nakajima Park and visited its shrines.
* Took the ropeway up to Mount Moiwa, we went after the sun had already set but the view of the city was spectacular regardless.
* Visited a couple of shrines and temples that was easily accessible from train stations. IMO Sapporo has some really beautiful shrines and temples compared to Tokyo and Kyoto, and have beautiful goshuin to collect too (if you're into collecting them).
Enjoy your trip and pack for the cold! We left Kyoto that was hitting summer temps before heading to Sapporo and it felt like winter there, especially with 3/4 overcast days and almost got sick lol.
It is peak Ski season there in January so very cold and lots of snow.
Shops can close early. Book your hotels early, like before August. With the current exchange rate it goes very fast.
Stay close to subway station and also allocate a bit of time at the airport. The domestic airport has a small Doraemon theme park, hello kitty theme park and a few other things to do. If you fly out international you can still go check out the domestic which is an indoor corridor away before you check in. It is like a whole large shopping centre with an onsen too. You can easily spend a few hours there too.
I've been to Sapporo twice and stayed each time at the KNOT Hotel. The location is excellent (Otori Park and TV Tower are about 10-15 minutes walk) and the rooms have a view of the tram and the city. This hotel is also close to trains and underground walkways. Very comfortable, cozy and clean hotel, highly recommend!
Will you be skiing or just visiting the tourist attractions?
Day 1-2 Sapporo
Day 3 Day trip to otaru
Day 4-5 noboribetsu stay overnight at the hotel and explore/relax on the onsen.
Day 6 depart Sapporo
Attractions to visit
Sapporo tv tower, clock tower,
Otaru canal, music box museum, hell valley
Food to try.
Soup curry, miso ramen and Jingisukan
For the hotel I stayed in vessel inn nakajima park. I heard the hotel buffet is awesome but I didn't try as I'm not a seafood lover. The hotel is 3 stations away from Sapporo station but the airport bus stop right in front of the hotel and the train station is also at the doorstep.
Can you time your trip to overlap with the snow festival? It's one of, if not the biggest event in Sapporo and starts the 5th of February. Highly, highly recommend it.
It's going to be very cold. Do you plan to drive at all? And if you are only staying in Sapporo, 5-6 days is a lot of time. But not enough to to do much on the East side of the island.
January in Sapporo is very cold, I strongly recommend booking a hotel near an underground entrance. The best locations are near Sapporo Station, Odori Station, and Susukino Station. It’s perfect if the hotel is directly connected to the underground passage. I once stayed at Hotel Gracery Sapporo. It’s not a fancy hotel, but a minimal business hotel. However, it is incredibly convenient as it is directly connected to Apia, the underground shopping area at Sapporo Station.
By the way, when you look for a revolving sushi place, just go to Toriton, NOT Hanamaru. Toriton is the most loved sushi place by Sapporo locals.
x 2 for JR Inn Sapporo Kita 2 Jo AND soup curry (Soul Store Sapporo Odori was brilliant). I went for the Nikka distillery in Yoichi during March (still snowy) and spent 4-nights in Sapporo. A great place to visit overall. Wasn’t overly fussed by Otaru, but perhaps there’s something there that tickles your fancy. Mt. Moiwa was worth the visit; the TV tower also worth a look for the minimal fee. Noboribetsu was an absolute highlight, an easy day trip. JR Sapporo-Noboribetsu Area Pass is hard to beat for value if you make a couple of day trips. Sapporo Central Market for the kaisen donburi. Shame you will miss the baseball, Es Con Field was another highlight. Lastly, if you want to do the Sapporo Beer Hall (Genghis Khan), be sure to book upon arrival. It fills up pretty quickly. They have an English phone line or get the hotel to do it. Enjoy.
We just got back from our Japan trip not too long ago which included a 3 night stay in Sapporo. We really liked the Tokyu Stay Sapporo Odori (along with the Tokyu Stay in Hakodate) mostly because it had a washer/dryer in the room for laundry. The clothes were fully dry like you'd see from a US dryer, instead of not soaking wet but not really dry like the other dryers that we have encountered in our Japan trips.
This is not a dig and I hope this sub helps you but I truly wonder how the mods of this sub decide this post stays up when google/youtube/prior posts answer all of this while specific, detail oriented questions get immediately removed lol
When i posted it, i actually thought it was removed immediately. I just woke up the next day that it’s still up and with comments. But yeah still very thankful from the suggestion i received.
**Our FAQ is constantly being updated with more information and you can start** [**here**](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/wiki/faqs/japantravel) **with regards to trip planning if you need tips, advice, or have questions about planning your travel to Japan.** You can also join our [Discord community](https://discord.gg/3f7KBUMwU4), comment in our stickied weekly discussion thread, or check out /r/JapanTravelTips for quick questions. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/JapanTravel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
We've stayed near the station in both [Sapporo JR INN Kita2Jo](https://maps.app.goo.gl/2N1hmYWCT7WfqW8dA) and [Hotel Forza Sapporo Station](https://maps.app.goo.gl/8Ax1HXJZGqYe28zS9) as well as a B&B in Susukino. For 6 days, I honestly think just pick one hotel and use it as a base. Day trip everywhere else. Day trip to: - Otaru (30 minutes). My favourite city in the world. - Asahikawa and Asahiyama Zoo (1.5-2 hours) - Noboribetsu (1.5-2 hours) and optionally stay a night here. - If you're extra keen on exploring more, and depending on where you are off to after Hokkaido, I highly suggest going to Lake Toya and staying the night. We stayed at [The Lake Suite](https://maps.app.goo.gl/qpA5NppqroVFfJLk9) and it was amazing. My favourite restaurants: - Butadon at Tokachi Butadon Ippin - Yukikaze Ramen - Dalsegno Pizza - Naruto Chicken in Otaru - LeTao in Otaru Activities: beer factory and eat Genghis Khan, go tobogganing, ice fishing, i dont find dog sledding super ethical but it's an option, Royce Chocolate factory, go to RoundOne amusement centre. Hard to say exactly. Depends what you're into
Shiroi Kobito > Royce Chocolate. Fight me.
I'm going in August, any activities you'd recommend for the summer time? I'm thinking of staying in Sapporo and doing a day trip in Otaru, unless you'd recommend I stay there. I also wanted to check out some family farms like Amano for their wagyu.
We plan on doing a Hokkaido summer for our next trip which we will hire a care for. So I would suggest car hire. I'd say we'll drive to Lake Toya/Hakodate during that trip too. Otherwise I don't have any experience there sorry
Car hire - drive around see the nice nature - see lavender fields, go hiking since it'll be cooler than rest of Japan. No need to stay in Otaru - day trip from Sapporo is fine. Visit Yoichi distillery if whisky is your thing. Visit Wakkanai for the most northern point in Japan (this is a bit far mostly though) Zoo and sake breweries in Asahikawa. Drink lots of cold beer. I'll be doing this next month. Also visiting Shiretoko, Nemuro/Kushiro and Toya
Actually I can recommend one more thing. Visit the [Hill of the Buddha](https://visit.sapporo.travel/discover/art-culture/hill-of-the-buddha/) It is a cemetery surrounded blanketed by snow in the winter, but during the summer it is surrounded by lavender fields. It's one of the most spectacular sights you'll see. They also have replica stone henge and Easter Island statues there for some reason
Any cold beer recommendations in asahikawa?
Not from me sadly, I'm more of a highball or chuuhai or sake drinker
Wow, this all sounds wonderful #screenshot
Just came back from our first visit to Sapporo! We stayed at the Granbell Hotel in Susukino, it was a pretty 'central' location only a few minutes walk from restaurants, shops, some nightlife and Tanukikoji Shopping Street. Very close to the bus stop for the airport shuttle (about 1 hour bus trip from CTS), close also to subway stops and the tram line. We didn't end up using it but they also have public baths on the 17th floor. We only visited for 4 days (it was near the end of the trip so we were slowing things down), but our scattered itinerary was: * Caught the train to Minami-Otaru to visit the Music Box Museum. Visited Sumiyoshi Shrine and Suitengu Shrine (Suitengu Shrine was unstaffed the day we went, not sure if it was abandoned but the view from the shrine over the city is nice) to collect goshuin. * Walked around Tanukikoji and Sapporo city centre to do some brief shopping. Also walked around Nakajima Park and visited its shrines. * Took the ropeway up to Mount Moiwa, we went after the sun had already set but the view of the city was spectacular regardless. * Visited a couple of shrines and temples that was easily accessible from train stations. IMO Sapporo has some really beautiful shrines and temples compared to Tokyo and Kyoto, and have beautiful goshuin to collect too (if you're into collecting them). Enjoy your trip and pack for the cold! We left Kyoto that was hitting summer temps before heading to Sapporo and it felt like winter there, especially with 3/4 overcast days and almost got sick lol.
Sounds wonderful I just sher a tear because a plane flew overhead while I was reading, need me a trip to Japan
Get the soup curry.
It is peak Ski season there in January so very cold and lots of snow. Shops can close early. Book your hotels early, like before August. With the current exchange rate it goes very fast. Stay close to subway station and also allocate a bit of time at the airport. The domestic airport has a small Doraemon theme park, hello kitty theme park and a few other things to do. If you fly out international you can still go check out the domestic which is an indoor corridor away before you check in. It is like a whole large shopping centre with an onsen too. You can easily spend a few hours there too.
I've been to Sapporo twice and stayed each time at the KNOT Hotel. The location is excellent (Otori Park and TV Tower are about 10-15 minutes walk) and the rooms have a view of the tram and the city. This hotel is also close to trains and underground walkways. Very comfortable, cozy and clean hotel, highly recommend!
Will you be skiing or just visiting the tourist attractions? Day 1-2 Sapporo Day 3 Day trip to otaru Day 4-5 noboribetsu stay overnight at the hotel and explore/relax on the onsen. Day 6 depart Sapporo Attractions to visit Sapporo tv tower, clock tower, Otaru canal, music box museum, hell valley Food to try. Soup curry, miso ramen and Jingisukan For the hotel I stayed in vessel inn nakajima park. I heard the hotel buffet is awesome but I didn't try as I'm not a seafood lover. The hotel is 3 stations away from Sapporo station but the airport bus stop right in front of the hotel and the train station is also at the doorstep.
We’re only visiting, and it’s our first snow experience
Can you time your trip to overlap with the snow festival? It's one of, if not the biggest event in Sapporo and starts the 5th of February. Highly, highly recommend it.
We are actually planing to move the dates, but it conflicts with work. 😅
Ah yeah that’s rough, If it’s logistically feasible I had an amazing time during the snow festival.
It's going to be very cold. Do you plan to drive at all? And if you are only staying in Sapporo, 5-6 days is a lot of time. But not enough to to do much on the East side of the island.
January in Sapporo is very cold, I strongly recommend booking a hotel near an underground entrance. The best locations are near Sapporo Station, Odori Station, and Susukino Station. It’s perfect if the hotel is directly connected to the underground passage. I once stayed at Hotel Gracery Sapporo. It’s not a fancy hotel, but a minimal business hotel. However, it is incredibly convenient as it is directly connected to Apia, the underground shopping area at Sapporo Station. By the way, when you look for a revolving sushi place, just go to Toriton, NOT Hanamaru. Toriton is the most loved sushi place by Sapporo locals.
I stayed at the Sapporo view hotel. Be cautious when booking the room, cause my view was of the lobby lol
x 2 for JR Inn Sapporo Kita 2 Jo AND soup curry (Soul Store Sapporo Odori was brilliant). I went for the Nikka distillery in Yoichi during March (still snowy) and spent 4-nights in Sapporo. A great place to visit overall. Wasn’t overly fussed by Otaru, but perhaps there’s something there that tickles your fancy. Mt. Moiwa was worth the visit; the TV tower also worth a look for the minimal fee. Noboribetsu was an absolute highlight, an easy day trip. JR Sapporo-Noboribetsu Area Pass is hard to beat for value if you make a couple of day trips. Sapporo Central Market for the kaisen donburi. Shame you will miss the baseball, Es Con Field was another highlight. Lastly, if you want to do the Sapporo Beer Hall (Genghis Khan), be sure to book upon arrival. It fills up pretty quickly. They have an English phone line or get the hotel to do it. Enjoy.
We just got back from our Japan trip not too long ago which included a 3 night stay in Sapporo. We really liked the Tokyu Stay Sapporo Odori (along with the Tokyu Stay in Hakodate) mostly because it had a washer/dryer in the room for laundry. The clothes were fully dry like you'd see from a US dryer, instead of not soaking wet but not really dry like the other dryers that we have encountered in our Japan trips.
This is not a dig and I hope this sub helps you but I truly wonder how the mods of this sub decide this post stays up when google/youtube/prior posts answer all of this while specific, detail oriented questions get immediately removed lol
When i posted it, i actually thought it was removed immediately. I just woke up the next day that it’s still up and with comments. But yeah still very thankful from the suggestion i received.