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Hokkaidō in 18 days: day-by-day itinerary and hotels

Eighteen days on the northern island: Sapporo and Otaru, Cape Sōya at the far end of Japan, the climb up Rishiri-Fuji, the hills of Biei, Daisetsuzan, Shiretoko and its brown bears, then the volcanoes of the south down to Hakodate.

Sequenced by Kylian Updated on 27 September 2026

Ribbons of flowers across the Biei hills in Hokkaidō
  • 18 days
  • 70 places
  • 18 nights
  • sustained pace
Start
Sapporo
End
Hakodate
Main transport
Hire car picked up on day 3 in Sapporo, two ferry crossings to Rishiri island
Recommended season
June to October: before that, the Shiretoko and Daisetsuzan passes stay closed; Daisetsuzan foliage in late September, first snow in October

What you get

  • The complete itinerary: 18 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 35 pages

What the price does not include

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

The travel book preview

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

Day 14

Into Shiretoko, the end of the world

Morning

Lake Tōfutsu

A brackish lagoon separated from the sea by the Koshimizu dune ridge, a major stopover for migratory birds, whooper swans and cranes.

Oshinkoshin waterfall

An hour and a half's drive along the coast, to this fall that splits into two arms right at the edge of the main road, a few metres from the sea. A short staircase, spray guaranteed: it is the park's opening statement.

Afternoon

Shiretoko National Park

Inscribed as World Heritage in 2005, the peninsula is one of the most intact ecosystems in Japan: the density of brown bears is among the highest in the world, and the seasonal drift ice feeds the whole food chain up to the sea eagles.

Five Lakes of Shiretoko

Five forest lakes reflecting the Shiretoko mountains, linked by a 3 km loop. The long loop is only accessible with an approved guide during the sensitive bear period; the 800 m raised boardwalk, protected by an electric fence, stays free and open all season.

Booking · Booking and time slots: www.goko.go.jp/multilingual_eng/ (new tab)

Evening

Cape Puyuni

The viewpoint above Utoro, facing due west over the Sea of Okhotsk. It is the best sunset on the peninsula: the sea, the successive capes, and in winter the ice advancing.

Good to know

Five Lakes of Shiretoko: during the brown bear period, 10 May to 31 July, the ground-level paths are only accessible with an approved guide, booked in advance (per adult, from ¥6,000 for the long loop depending on the agency, ¥4,000 for the short one). Before and after that period, from the road's opening around mid-April to its closure in November, you need a ticket (¥450) and a compulsory briefing of about ten minutes at the visitor centre, with no booking needed for groups under 15. The 800 m raised boardwalk stays free and open all season. Opening and closing dates change each year.

Hotel · Night 14

Kitakobushi Shiretoko Hotel & Resort

The big hotel in Utoro, opened in 1960 and set facing the harbour, five minutes' walk from the bus terminal. Baths and an outdoor bath on the top floor facing the Sea of Okhotsk, a buffet of some sixty dishes prepared in an open kitchen from Shiretoko produce. Two nights here.

Address
· 172 Utoro-higashi, Shari-chō, Shari-gun 099-4355
Website
· shiretoko.co.jp (new tab)
Check-in
3:00 PM · Check-out 11:00 AM
Book this hotel (new tab)

Buy this itinerary

€39 incl. tax

that is €2.17 per day of travel

The buy button becomes active once the box is ticked.

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  • 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 T&Cs, on top of the legal warranty (new tab)

€39 incl. tax · 18 days

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A question before buying? Email Kylian, reply within 48 working hours.

The day-by-day rundown

18 stops, 1,170 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 The Orōron coast to the far end of Japan Rumoi and Cape Ōgon Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  6. Day 6 Crossing to Rishiri island Ferry from Wakkanai to Oshidomari Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  7. Day 7 The climb up Rishiri-Fuji The climb up Rishiri-Fuji Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  8. Day 8 Back to the mainland, heading for Asahikawa Tokiwa Park Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  9. Day 9 Asahiyama and the hills of Biei Asahiyama Zoo Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  10. Day 10 Furano lavender and the Shirogane valley Farm Tomita Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  11. Day 11 The Sōunkyō gorge, gateway to Daisetsuzan Sōunkyō gorge Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  12. Day 12 Asahidake, the roof of Hokkaidō Asahidake ropeway and the Sugatami ponds Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  13. Day 13 Bihoro Pass and the Sea of Okhotsk Bihoro Pass Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  14. Day 14 Into Shiretoko, the end of the world Lake Tōfutsu Free
  15. Day 15 The cliffs of Shiretoko seen from the sea Shiretoko cruise Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  16. Day 16 Crater lakes and Ainu land Lake Mashū Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  17. Day 17 The hell valley of Noboribetsu Bokke Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF
  18. Day 18 From Lake Tōya to Hakodate Lake Tōya Day reserved for buyers, unlocked in the PDF

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Country quick guide and logistics

The essentials of the country, scannable in ten seconds.

Weather and when to go

  • June to September for this stage: the high roads and the passes of Shiretoko and Daisetsuzan are only clear from late May or June, and the climb up Rishiri is only reasonable from mid-June to September.
  • Mild summers, 20 to 26 °C, cool nights in the mountains. Hokkaidō largely escapes the rainy season of the rest of Japan.
  • The lavender of Furano runs over a few weeks only, early July to early August: outside that window the fields are cut.

Transport and permits

  • The French international driving permit is not recognised in Japan. You need your French licence together with its official Japanese translation, issued by the JAF or by the consulate, valid for one year. Without it, the car is not handed over on day 3.
  • Driving on the left, low speed limits, fuel scarce in the north and east: fill up before the long stretches of the Orōron coast and the Sea of Okhotsk.
  • Two ferry crossings from Wakkanai for Rishiri island, where the car stays on the quay. Deer and foxes cross the roads at dawn and dusk, collisions are frequent.

Formalities and safety

  • Valid passport, no visa for a tourist stay of 90 days maximum. This stage opens the first of the two stays of the Japanese route, the 88-day one.
  • No compulsory vaccination, universal vaccines up to date recommended, Japanese encephalitis to discuss with a doctor for a long stay in rural areas. Travel insurance with medical costs and repatriation is essential.
  • Brown bear country: at Shiretoko, in Daisetsuzan and on Rishiri, make yourself heard with a bell, never leave food, respect path closures.

Budget and meals

  • Japanese yen. Cards are accepted in hotels and large chains, but bring cash for small restaurants, temples and country car parks: the ATMs at 7-Eleven and post offices accept foreign cards.
  • Indicative meal budget outside half board: ¥900 to ¥1,500 at midday, ¥2,000 to ¥3,500 in the evening. No tipping.
  • Left to you: fuel and tolls, museum entries, cable cars, cruises and guided visits, and a spa tax of ¥150 to ¥300 a night often added to the displayed ryokan price.

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, with the hotel for each night, its address and its booking link, and timed-entry tickets 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 sequenced by hand, place by place, 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.

Who is selling you this itinerary

  • Kylian, sole trader, SIRET 927 587 709 00035
  • 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

This module is one leg of the full itinerary: Japan itinerary: 88 days from Hokkaidō to Okinawa, hotels and bookings

For a first trip to the country, see instead: Hokkaido in 14 days: Japan's great north from Sapporo to Hakodate

The complete itinerary

The classic itineraries

Or take it one module at a time

To read before you go

Our articles about Japan

The bands of flowers on the hills of Biei, in Hokkaidō

Japan

How many days do you need for Hokkaidō?

Fourteen days are enough to loop Hokkaidō from Sapporo to Hakodate. You need eighteen to add the far north and the climb up Rishiri-Fuji.

Read the article
All the blog articles