Snow is a magical creation of nature. The mystery, solemnity, tenderness, and purity of nature are all transformed into snowflakes, falling upon the earth. Just as we appreciate flowers in spring, we look forward to the snowy landscapes of winter with anticipation and affection. This might be due to the beautiful depictions by poets, the lyrical praises in songs, the heartwarming fairy tales and novels set in snowy worlds, or perhaps the longing of someone from the south for something they can’t have. As winter begins, we plan to embark on a snowy adventure to embrace the fairy-tale world in our hearts.
Each winter, Japan hosts various snow festivals, and Hokkaido boasts 97 ski resorts, making it the province with the most ski areas in Japan. It also has the highest snowfall and finest powder snow in the country, earning it the title of “powder snow paradise.” This makes it a popular destination for snow enthusiasts from around the world, and a prime spot for winter snow and fun activities.
Noboribetsu Bear Park
Jigokudani
How Cold Is Winter in Hokkaido?
How cold is winter in Hokkaido? As someone from the south, I found that the minus ten-degree temperatures in Hokkaido aren’t as harsh as they might seem. This kind of cold is different from the damp cold in the south; it’s not as biting. Even after playing in the snow for a while, although there’s ice on my clothes, I still end up sweating. Moreover, indoor spaces are well-heated.
The only minor drawback is that the wind can sometimes be quite strong, as Hokkaido is a coastal city. However, wearing a winter coat or padded jacket, and bringing gloves and a hat, is usually sufficient. The snow also doesn’t make your feet wet, so you don’t have to worry about cold feet. Of course, if you want to take beautiful photos without bundling up too much, bringing hand warmers is a very wise choice.
Transportation in Hokkaido
In Hokkaido, local transportation mainly relies on JR trains and buses. Since traveling around Hokkaido typically involves multiple days and covers popular areas like Otaru, Hakodate, and Furano, using the Hokkaido JR PASS is highly recommended. The JR PASS allows you to use JR trains and most buses, and you can purchase it for 3, 5, or 7 days, or opt for a 4-day flexible pass. The JR PASS is also quite easy to purchase.
Additionally, if you’re staying at places like the Rusutsu Resort, there are shuttle buses to various attractions. It’s a good idea to check the hotel’s information when booking to see if they provide such services.
Hokkaido has the most ski resorts in Japan, and Rusutsu Resort is the largest single ski area in Hokkaido. It boasts 37 ski trails with a total length of 42 kilometers, spread across the East Mountain, West Mountain, and Isola areas. It’s not an exaggeration to say it’s the largest ski resort in Japan. Additionally, the resort has well-developed facilities and tends to be less crowded compared to others. This may be due to its large size, which helps avoid a cramped and noisy atmosphere.
Rusutsu Resort is located in the highland area of Rusutsu Village, adjacent to the Rusutsu Ski Resort. It is about a 2-hour drive from New Chitose Airport and a little over an hour from downtown Sapporo, making the transportation very convenient. The resort includes 4 hotels, 12 restaurants, 19 shops with a variety of local products, an amusement park, a golf course, and ski slopes. There is a monorail connecting the hotels, providing thoughtful service. After completing the check-in procedure, you can go to your room and drop off your luggage.
Hakodate Morning Market, Goryokaku, and the Million Dollar Night View
On our first morning in Hakodate, we rushed to the legendary Hakodate Morning Market, ready to kick off the challenge of eating eight meals in one day!
The Hakodate Morning Market feels pretty similar to places like Nijo Market and Kuromon Market—basically, it’s a seafood market. But what really makes Hakodate stand out is its variety of seafood bowls. I’ve always been more into sashimi, but it wasn’t until I got to Hakodate that I realized how good seafood tastes when paired with rice.
On our first day, we ate at Ikuratei, which ended up being the best place I tried during the entire trip. The color and flavor of the seafood were spot on, and the scallops, in particular, were incredibly fresh and sweet. Honestly, they were the best I’ve ever had so far.
The Hakodate Morning Market also offers a wide variety of seafood for purchase—it is a seafood market, after all. You can find all sorts of marine products, and you can even try catching live squid and enjoy fresh squid sashimi on the spot.
You can also get real “Dansetsu” strawberries here. They have a refreshing, soft, and chewy texture, and they’re plump and sweet. Other white strawberries might look similar, but their taste doesn’t come close to these. They cost 2,000 yen per box, but trust me, they’re totally worth it!
Murakami is a pretty famous spot for sea urchin. We were lucky there wasn’t much of a line when we went. We used to hardly eat sea urchin, but the variety of ways they prepared it at this place totally changed our minds—we’re sea urchin fans now! Plus, the whole meal, including drinks, was less than $70, thanks to the favorable yen exchange rate. Definitely great value for the price.
After eating all morning, we headed to the Hakodate Tropical Botanical Garden. In Hakodate, the most commonly used public transportation is the city tram. Even though it runs on tracks, it still follows traffic lights along the way. You can conveniently use an IC card to pay for the ride.
Hakodate’s tram system has two lines, but most of their routes overlap, and they pass by the main attractions, so there’s not much difference for tourists.
After getting off at the station, we followed Google Maps and walked a bit further to reach the Hakodate Tropical Botanical Garden. It’s actually pretty small, but it’s become a popular spot because of the monkeys that soak in hot springs.
At the ticket booth, you can even buy food to feed the monkeys. Watching them chill in the hot springs while catching snacks is such a relaxing sight.
From the top of Goryokaku Tower, you get a full view of Goryokaku Park, with its unique star-shaped layout offering different scenery across all four seasons.
Right next to the tower is a Lucky Pierrot burger joint, which is a local favorite and a must-try in Hakodate. Although it’s a chain, it only operates in Hakodate. The bright, colorful decor—complete with angel-themed elements—makes the place really stand out. It’s one of those spots you won’t miss once you see it!
At night, we headed to the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses, one of Hakodate’s iconic landmarks. These buildings were originally used for storing goods at the port, witnessing the city’s boom as an international trading hub. Today, they’ve been repurposed into a commercial area, kind of like a shopping street.
The night view here is beautiful, with lots of shops and restaurants to explore, making it a great place for a stroll. Since we’ll be coming back in a few days to watch the fireworks, we just passed through this time.
Continuing uphill, we arrived at the Hakodate Mountain Ropeway station. Hakodate’s night view is ranked among the world’s top three nightscapes, along with Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour and the Bay of Naples in Italy. Before heading up, we did some basic research:
There are live cameras and photos available to check the view from the summit. If there’s a snowstorm, it would be a wasted trip, so it’s important to keep an eye on the weather.
Here are a few strategies to avoid the crowds when enjoying the night view:
- Reserve a window-side table at the restaurant: The 2nd-floor restaurant, Restaurant Genova, offers a great night view from its 12 window-side tables. However, only 3 of these tables are available for reservations daily, and booking requires ordering a full dinner course. I called about a month in advance, giving them three possible dates, but they were already fully booked, so we had to drop this option.
- Line up early for first-come-first-served tables: Since only 3 tables are reserved, the remaining 9 are available on a first-come-first-served basis. The restaurant operates from 5:00 PM to 9:30 PM, and according to online sources, arriving by 4:00 PM to line up gives you a decent chance at a table. However, we decided against it since it felt like a waste of time to queue for a single spot or view.
- Visit during non-peak hours: According to the official website, the peak time for crowds is one hour before and after sunset. If you just want to enjoy the night view, a more flexible approach is to head up after the peak, between one hour after sunset and the ropeway’s closing time. This way, if there’s a snowstorm, you can simply skip it for that day. The only downside to this plan is missing the sunset itself.
After considering all the options, we decided to head up before closing time to catch the night view. As expected, there were hardly any lines for tickets or the ropeway, and once we got to the summit, it was easy to find a front-row spot to enjoy the view. The weather was perfect, making the experience even better.
After soaking in the “million-dollar night view,” it was time to grab some food again. Back near our hotel, we stumbled upon a Chinese restaurant, and even though it was already past 10 PM, there were still people waiting for a table. So, we decided to give Japanese-style Chinese food a try.
For some reason, Chinese restaurants in Japan almost always include the character “囍” in their signage. Not sure why, but it seems to be a common thing!
The flavors were completely different from Chinese-style Chinese food:
- Spring rolls: Surprisingly, the outer wrap was soft tofu skin instead of the usual crispy wrapper. It was also the only dish with a literal translation (harumaki) instead of a phonetic one.
- Mapo tofu: Nowhere near as spicy as what you’d get in China—there wasn’t even the kick from Sichuan peppercorns. The server even warned us multiple times about the spiciness when we ordered, which was amusing.
- Sweet and sour pork: The taste and color were much lighter compared to Chinese-style sweet and sour pork chops, and they mixed in some stir-fried vegetables, which isn’t typical.
- Shio ramen: I assumed it would be Japanese-style ramen, and it was, but the broth was incredibly salty.
This morning, we started at Kikuyo Shokudo in the Hakodate Morning Market. It’s part of a chain with two locations in the market and another at the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses. The restaurant is quite popular, but unfortunately, it didn’t live up to the hype for us.
The seafood bowl was decent, but the salmon sashimi tasted a bit off—not as fresh as we expected. Honestly, the ones from a random supermarket or convenience store would have been better. Overall, this place ended up being the only disappointment at the Morning Market during our trip. Hopefully, the other branches are better.
Right next to the Hakodate Morning Market is Hakodate Station, which also has quite a few shops inside. One of the popular ones is a seafood senbei (rice cracker) shop that’s kind of an internet-famous spot. The process is pretty simple—you can choose up to three types of seafood to be pressed into the cracker. A lot of people line up, probably just for the fun experience of watching it being made.
At the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses, despite the weather not being great, we still caught glimpses of sunlight here and there. The red brick buildings looked beautiful even during the day, adding charm to the scene. From here, you can also see the ocean directly from Hachiman-zaka, offering a picturesque view that’s worth the walk.
After wandering around, we ended up near Meijikan and it was time to look for more food. We stumbled upon Kaiten Sushi Marukatsu by chance, and it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The overall taste was quite good, with the tuna sushi leaving a lasting impression. The seafood tempura was especially delightful—crispy, flavorful, and fresh, making it a real standout.
Today, we’re leaving Hakodate and heading to Lake Toya. But before departing, we stopped by the Hakodate Morning Market for one last meal. This time, we tried Cha-mon, another well-known spot in the market. When it’s busy, there’s usually a wait, with the queue number displayed at the entrance.
The highlight of this place is the small appetizer dishes—12 different small plates were already served as soon as we sat down. As for the seafood bowl, the freshness and flavors were absolutely top-notch, making it a perfect way to wrap up our time in Hakodate.
The drive from Hakodate to Lake Toya takes about two hours. Once you arrive at Toya Station, you’ll need to transfer to a bus to reach the onsen (hot spring) area. Although some guides mention that bus fares can be paid online, in practice, it often doesn’t work due to various issues, so you’ll need cash.
Additionally, the buses tend to get crowded, and with all the luggage, taking a taxi is definitely a more comfortable option.
The Nonokaze Resort is quite a popular hotel, especially online. The floor-to-ceiling windows in the lobby must look stunning when the sun is out. The hotel offers private onsen baths, but since we didn’t make a reservation via email beforehand, we were told that all the daytime slots were fully booked. We had to settle for an evening time slot and ended up pushing our dinner reservation back by an hour as well.
The downside of using the private onsen at night is that there’s not much to see in the dark, but at least we didn’t have to split up with friends. After the soak, we’ll get to try the hotel’s seasonal French-inspired kaiseki meal. Just looking at the menu and the beautifully arranged fusion of Japanese and French tableware makes me excited to dig in!
The ingredients—many sourced from Hokkaido—were prepared with French cooking techniques and presentation styles. With each course, we kept marveling at how the chef managed to use certain ingredients in such unexpected ways. It was surprising to see how these elements could come together like that! The flavors, of course, were impeccable, but what really stood out was the creativity and vision behind the fusion of French and kaiseki cuisine. Truly an impressive culinary experience.
In winter, there aren’t many outdoor activities around Lake Toya, and most shops in the onsen town have limited hours or aren’t open at all. So, the main attraction is really just soaking in the different onsen baths at the hotel.
That said, we were still excited to explore the snowy streets of the onsen town. Sure enough, we found some shops selling the famous Toya wooden swords—a quirky local souvenir that stands out in this little hot spring town.
Since many shops and restaurants in the town close early, we were lucky to find a place serving soup curry—perfect for trying Hokkaido’s specialty.
We went to SoupCurry HLAHAL, a restaurant specializing in soup curry. They offer a variety of set meals with options like seafood, chicken leg, pork, lamb, and vegetables. Each set comes with curry rice on the side, so you’re guaranteed to leave full. You can also choose your spice level from 1 to 6.
We ordered the chicken leg and seafood sets. The flavor was quite different from regular curry, with a lighter taste compared to Indian curry, which tends to have more intense spices. Even with the highest spice level of 6, it wasn’t very spicy, but overall, the flavors were satisfying and well-suited to our taste.
To reach Noboribetsu Bear Park, you need to take a cable car. Inside the park, besides buying food to feed the bears, there are three interactive activities: bear competitions, bear arm-wrestling matches, and duck races, where you can also bet on the winner.
After leaving the Bear Park, we went to Nobojin, the restaurant that had a line last night. Luckily, there were two seats left.
We ordered a sukiyaki and a barbecue set, choosing the best cuts of beef. Honestly, Kobe beef still holds the top spot in terms of flavor. As for the sukiyaki, it was just average—nowhere near as good as what you’d get at a dedicated sukiyaki restaurant.
Sapporo TV Tower, Tanukikoji Shopping Street
After two days of eating, drinking, and soaking in hot springs, it’s finally time to head to Sapporo. We booked the high-speed Onsen-go bus online in advance, which was super convenient—it picks you up directly from the onsen town and goes straight to downtown Sapporo, saving us the hassle of switching between trains.
By the time we arrived in Sapporo, it was already noon, so we headed straight to Daimaru Department Store for a meal.
The Sapporo Clock Tower is probably one of the most easily overlooked attractions since it’s not very eye-catching. In contrast, the Sapporo TV Tower stands out much more and has even appeared in several Japanese dramas, making it hard to miss.
Sapporo Station is connected to Daimaru Department Store and other shopping centers, so you could easily spend a lot of time exploring. Although Otaru is relatively close compared to other cities, it still takes about 40 minutes by the fastest Rapid Airport train. Other trains or buses take even longer, and the prices aren’t much cheaper, so make sure you board the correct train.
Just a short walk from Otaru Station is the Sankaku Market. It’s much smaller compared to other seafood markets, so it tends to get crowded during meal times. The seafood prices are also a bit higher than those in Hakodate.
Otaru Canal
Walking along the canal is the liveliest part of Otaru, with all kinds of souvenir shops, restaurants, and snack stands.
Deba Alley is actually quite small, with many dining places packed together. The atmosphere felt just okay, and the prices weren’t exactly cheap (especially compared to Hakodate), so we decided not to try it.
Of course, we couldn’t leave Otaru without visiting LeTAO, the brand that originated here. Otaru has five LeTAO stores (Plus, Pathos, Chocola, Dani, and the Main Store), offering everything from dine-in options to takeout, cakes to cookies, and classic to limited-edition items.
This time, we visited the largest store, Pathos. Since the store is quite spacious, the wait time wasn’t too long.
The main shopping street in Otaru ends here, so we took the opportunity to head to Mount Tengu before sunset. Although there’s a bus to Mount Tengu, it only runs every 30 minutes, so missing one means a long wait. We decided to take a rare ride in a Japanese taxi and managed to reach the base of the mountain just in time for sunset.
The night view experience at Mount Tengu is actually much better than at Mount Hakodate, mainly because there are far fewer people. Even going up around sunset, there’s no need to wait in line, allowing you to calmly capture the blue hour at your own pace.
Skipping breakfast, we arrived at Kani Honke around noon. Although we didn’t have a reservation, we still managed to get a table right when they opened at 11 AM. The meal featured classic crab dishes with various preparations and standard Japanese service. What stood out more than the food itself was the 90-degree bows from the staff.
Shiroi Koibito Park is a bit far from the city center, but the subway makes it fairly accessible—though walking through the snow is still a challenge. The park itself is completely free, with only the production line tour requiring an admission fee, which also offers insights into the brand’s history.
We arrived late, so the paid section was already closed. However, the park still exceeded our expectations. The indoor shop not only sells the classic Shiroi Koibito cookies but also a variety of bread, cookies, and patches. The outdoor stalls offer hot chocolate and ice cream. Though the park isn’t very large, it’s definitely a fun and tasty experience.
