Hokkaido in Summer is hands down the most picturesque destination I've been to yet. Here, pristine lakes set against virgin forests and rolling hills lit aflame with summer flowers promise a breathtaking holiday unlike any other.
We spent 9 days travelling across Japan's northern-most island and were rewarded with so many picture perfect moments. If you're like me and love travelling in search of beautiful spaces, Hokkaido is surely the perfect destination for you. Here are my top 9 places to visit to capture that tumblr perfect backdrop or even the next Mac OS wallpaper:
1. MOERENUMA PARK, SAPPORO
Hokkaido is famously known as Japan's breathing space, and Sapporo, its capital is no exception. Little pockets of garden and green dot the city, providing ample hiking and strolling opportunity to the weary urbanite. Moerenuma Park, on the Northeast fringe of the city though, is worth a special visit. The sprawling park is designed by renowned sculptor and landscape artist Isamu Noguchi and features several themed zones, including Hokkaido's kind-of version of the Louvre. Walking through the park's clean lines and harmonious landscape, the park felt like a showroom of Japanese design.
2. THE BIEI COUNTRYSIDE
A bike is your best bet to exploring the picturesque countryside that is Biei. If you can just persevere through the steep inclines, the rush downhill through acres of blue-sky-meets-golden-farmland is the best reward ever.
This little town has the cutest monuments too - there is a specially curated cycling route bringing you to renowned trees around the countryside. E.g. the 2 poplar trees below have a name and a special inscribed plaque next to them - they have been christened the 'Ken and Mary Tree', after a famous car commercial that was filmed there. How cute hehe.
Summer is Hokkaido's flower season! We visited in early July, which was just before the peak blooming season, but we were still treated to a magical purple carpet of lavender when we reached. Tip: while Nakafurano Lavender Farm is ticketed, it is much less crowded than the free to enter Farm Tomita - so crucial for your perfect Instagram Moment.
Don't fret if you miss the infrequent Norokko Train to the Lavender Farm station either, the walk from Nakafurano station is pleasant and you'll get to see some super cute countryside houses too.
4. OTARU CANAL
Otaru, a town less than an hour North of Sapporo, is kinda touristy and crowded but still worth a visit. With its quaint canals flanked by old industrial warehouses and cobbled sidewalks, it is indeed a very photogenic town.
We drove into the centre of Hokkaido to an area called Akan National Park, where there is a famous cluster of 3 beautiful crater lakes. Lake Kussharo and Lake Mashu are nearer to each other though, and as we had a tight schedule to follow we gave the third lake, Lake Akan, a miss.
If you're driving, don't miss the Bihoro Pass, a stop by the highway that offers a seriously splendid vista of Lake Kussharo and its islands. As you head downhill towards the shore, many ryokans dotted along Lake Kussharo offer you the opportunity to stay overnight and enjoy the peace of a quiet onsen town.
Lake Mashu is somewhat different. Dubbed the 'clearest lake in the world', it is heavily protected and nobody is allowed near the lake except for research purposes. So the only way to admire its beauty is to go to 3 purpose built look out points around the lake. That kinda made it a less magical experience for us but the views are undoubtedly still breathtaking.
6. KAWAYU ONSEN
There are a few other onsens along Lake Kussharo as well, and a rest stop nearby allows you to drink some hot spring goodness (too much of a sulfur smell for me to stomach... but reportedly it may be good for you...)
7. SHIRETOKO NATIONAL PARK
More lakes! I've never seen more lakes, nor more beautiful lakes in my life. Lake District in the UK unfortunately does not even come close (blame British weather...) Shiretoko Five Lakes is a section of the national park open to the amateur hiker and it is so beautiful. It was nearing the peak of summer and all the trees were resplendent in their crowning glory, creating a very vibrant and lively landscape. I need to come back in autumn or winter one day, I can only imagine how different a landscape it will be.
PS > Tip: Cover up! The mozzies and flies are relentless in summer! Tip 2: Check out the Shiretoko Nature Centre - it is a brilliant museum that will give you some background info of the park and explain its ecological significance. #geoggeekalert
How better to end a trip than a spectacular sunset to remind you of nature's glory. Utoro, the town closest to the Shiretoko Peninsular, offers multiple viewpoints to admire a brilliant sunset over the Okhotsk Sea. We checked out both the Yuuhidai Point as well as the Utoro Pier.
9. SHH IT'S MY SECRET
Don't plan your whole holiday itinerary, make some wrong turns and take the longer routes. Hokkaido is such an effortlessly scenic place that there's beauty to be discovered in every corner.
And there you go! Top 9 scenery-on-fleek attractions in Hokkaido as recommended by yours truly. I really enjoyed my trip to Hokkaido this summer, I really hope that I'll get the chance to visit again in another season - it's such a beautiful island (lol officially over-used the word beautiful in this blogpost...)
Hope this little Hokkaido travel guide helped for any of you planning an upcoming trip up North. The food in Hokkaido was also really noteworthy so I'll probably write a food guide soon; keep a look out for that! :)
