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Hokkaido in 14 days: Japan's great north from Sapporo to Hakodate

The northern island in two weeks: Sapporo, Otaru, the Furano hills, the Shiretoko Peninsula, the eastern lakes and Hakodate.

Compiled by Kylian, updated on Sep 27, 2026

The Otaru canal and its old stone warehouses, in Hokkaidō
  • 14 days
  • 62 places
  • 13 nights
  • fast pace

Online check of September 27, 2026: 9 hotels checked, 13 booking links tested, 5 tickets to book checked, 33 fixes made

Start
Sapporo
End
Hakodate
Main transport
Car
Recommended season
June to September, Furano lavender from mid-July to early August

What you get

  • The complete itinerary: 14 days sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening / Hotel
  • The card of every hotel, with the address and a direct booking link
  • Quota tickets, fixed-date tickets and surcharges flagged in advance
  • The country quick guide: weather, transport, formalities, budget
  • A PDF file of 37 pages

What the price does not include

  • Flights
  • Hotel nights
  • Tickets and admission fees
  • Travel insurance
  • On-the-ground assistance during your trip

The itinerary preview

The free day in full, with its hotel card. This is the sample.

Day 12

Crater lakes and Ainu land

Morning

Travel: 1 hr 30 min by car from Kitakobushi Shiretoko Hotel & Resort, 92.8 km (57.7 mi)

Lake Mashū

The lake occupies a closed caldera, with no inflow or outflow: its water is among the most transparent in the world, with visibility measured up to some 40 meters (130 ft). The 200-meter (650 ft) walls make it impossible to go down, so you view it from viewpoints 1 and 3. The Ainu called it the sea of the mountain gods, and mist swallows it for a good part of the summer.

Open access · Parking: ¥500 at viewpoint no. 1 (valid the same day at the Mount Iō parking lot), free at viewpoint no. 3

Afternoon

Travel: 26 min by car, 24.4 km (15.2 mi)

Lake Kussharo, Sunayu and Wakoto

On the shore of the country's largest crater lake, hot water wells up under the sand. At Sunayu, dig about 10 cm (4 in) into the sand to make yourself a hand or foot bath. The Wakoto peninsula, linked by an isthmus, adds a 2.5 km (1.6 mi) path and an open-air bath at the water's edge.

Open access · Sunayu: free parking · Wakoto: free open-air bath

Travel: 1 hr by car, 56.4 km (35 mi)

Lake Akan and Ainu Kotan

Lake Akan is known for its marimo, balls of green algae that roll slowly along the bottom, protected as a natural treasure. On the shore, Ainu Kotan is the largest Ainu village in Hokkaidō: some thirty families, wood-carving workshops and a theater.

Craft shops: hours vary from shop to shop, opening between 8:00 and 10:30 AM and closing between 9:00 and 10:00 PM, irregular closures · Parking: free

Evening

Lost Kamuy

At the village's Ikor theater, a show mixing traditional Ainu dances, contemporary dance and digital projections around the Hokkaidō wolf, extinct since the end of the nineteenth century. The show lasts half an hour, with a single performance at 9:00 PM. No booking needed: buy tickets on site or online through an agency.

Show at 9:00 PM · Admission: ¥2,200

Travel: 10 min on foot, 700 m (0.4 mi)

Hotel · Night 12

New Akan Hotel

A large spa establishment in the village of Akanko Onsen, about a ten-minute walk from the Ainu village. Its signature is the Sky Garden Spa, an infinity thermal pool on the roof of the 9th floor, which seems to melt into the lake facing Mount Oakan. Buffet dinner of more than eighty dishes.

Address
· 2-8-8 Akanko Onsen, Akan-chō, Kushiro 085-0467
Website
· newakanhotel.co.jp (new tab)
Check-in
3:00 PM · Check-out 10:00 AM
Book this hotel (new tab) affiliate link

Travel times (Google Maps), opening hours and prices (official websites): checked on Sep 27, 2026. Reconfirm before you leave.

Buy this itinerary

€39 incl. tax

that is €2.79 per day of travel

Billed in euros. If your card is in another currency, your bank converts at its own rate.

  • Secure payment through Stripe, bank card, Apple Pay and Google Pay
  • Available immediately in your customer account: online reading with clickable booking links, downloadable PDF for offline use
  • Method: what is checked, and when

A hotel in the itinerary closed or impossible to find, a place to visit permanently closed?

Within 12 months of purchase, email contact@etaperia.com

Itinerary corrected within 7 days, or refunded in full. Terms in article 12 of the terms of sale, on top of the legal warranty (new tab)

€39 incl. tax · 14 days

Buy

A question before buying? Email Kylian, reply within 2 business days.

The day-by-day rundown

14 stops, 890 km as the crow flies

  1. Day 1 Arrival in Sapporo, from Ōdōri Park to Susukino Ōdōri Park Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  2. Day 2 Sapporo, red brick and the memory of the pioneers Hokkaidō Aka Renga Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  3. Day 3 Noguchi, chocolate and the baths of Jōzankei Moerenuma Park Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  4. Day 4 Otaru and the blue of Shakotan Otaru Canal Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  5. Day 5 Asahiyama and the hills of Biei Asahiyama Zoo Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  6. Day 6 Furano lavender and the Shirogane valley Farm Tomita Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  7. Day 7 The Sōunkyō gorge, gateway to Daisetsuzan Sōunkyō gorge Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  8. Day 8 Asahidake, the roof of Hokkaidō Asahidake ropeway and the Sugatami ponds Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  9. Day 9 Bihoro Pass and the Sea of Okhotsk Bihoro Pass Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  10. Day 10 Into Shiretoko, the end of the world Shiretoko National Park Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  11. Day 11 The cliffs of Shiretoko seen from the sea Shiretoko cruise Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  12. Day 12 Crater lakes and Ainu land Lake Mashū Free
  13. Day 13 The hell valley of Noboribetsu Jigokudani Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  14. Day 14 From Lake Tōya to Hakodate Lake Tōya Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF

1 day is free to read above. The other 13 unlock when you buy. Buy the itinerary, €39

Found an error in this itinerary? Report an error

Country quick guide and logistics

The essentials of the country, scannable in ten seconds.

Weather and when to go

  • June to September for the full loop: the Furano lavender flowers from mid-July to early August, and the mountain roads and the Shiretoko pass are only clear from late May or June.
  • Summers are mild, 20 to 26 °C (68 to 79 °F), with cool nights in the mountains. Hokkaido largely escapes the rainy season.

Transport and permits

  • A rental car is essential. Pick it up on day 3 in Sapporo: you cannot do Hokkaido by train. The route covers about 2,150 km (1,340 miles), an average of 150 km (93 miles) a day.
  • The document you need depends on the country that issued your license. With a UK, US, Irish, Australian, Canadian, New Zealand or Spanish license, among others, you need a 1949 Geneva-format International Driving Permit (IDP), obtained in your home country before you leave. An official Japanese translation is required only for a French, Belgian, Swiss, German, Monégasque or Taiwanese license. A Mexican, Colombian, Uruguayan or Bolivian license does not allow driving in Japan. Without the right document, no agency will hand over the car.

Formalities and safety

  • US and UK citizens enter Japan visa-free for tourist stays of up to 90 days.

Budget and meals

  • The Shiretoko cruise and the ryokan of Sōunkyō and Utoro book up far in advance in July and August.
  • A guided slot is mandatory for the ground-level paths around the Shiretoko Five Lakes during brown bear season, May 10 to July 31. The raised boardwalk stays open to everyone.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly do I receive?

Your Étaperia itinerary, available immediately in your customer account after payment: readable online with clickable booking links, and downloadable as a PDF for the trip. Every day is sequenced Morning / Afternoon / Evening and says where you spend the night, with the address and booking link for each place to stay. Timed-entry tickets are flagged in advance.

How is this better than what an AI gives me?

A generative AI composes a plausible list in seconds, without saying what was checked or when. At Étaperia, every itinerary is compiled day by day, with the booking constraints spotted before it is too late to get them. The Method page says what is checked, against which source and on what date.

Can I adapt it to my dates and my pace?

Yes. The days are self-contained blocks: you can shift the departure, stretch a stage or skip a day without breaking what follows. Only timed-entry tickets require adjusting the dates accordingly, and they are all flagged.

What if a hotel or a place in the itinerary has closed?

Email contact@etaperia.com within 12 months of your purchase. If a hotel in the itinerary is closed or can no longer be found, or a place to visit has closed permanently, the itinerary is corrected in your customer account within 7 days, or you are refunded in full. A hotel fully booked on your dates, a seasonal closure or a change in opening hours or prices is not covered. This guarantee comes on top of the legal warranty of conformity; details in article 12 of the terms and conditions of sale.

Module, classic or complete itinerary: which one should I choose?

A classic is a short trip built to stand on its own, designed for a first visit to the country. A module covers one region in depth. The complete itinerary crosses the whole country, and buying it also unlocks each of its modules in your customer account.

Can I get a refund if the itinerary doesn't suit me?

No. It is digital content delivered right away, and you waive your right of withdrawal at checkout. To judge before you pay, every product page gives one full day for free and the list of every stop. After purchase, the guarantee applies: a closed hotel or a permanently closed place is corrected within 7 days, otherwise you get a refund.

Who is selling you this itinerary

  • Consumer mediator: ANM Consommation
  • Payment handled by Stripe: Étaperia never sees your card number
  • Publisher, not a travel agency: you book flights, hotels and tickets yourself

In the same country

The complete itinerary

The classic itineraries

Or take it one module at a time

To read before you go

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