An itinerary in Japan by Anna Mirochnik for an eight-day trip on the island of Hokkaido in October 2018.
Local currency in Japan
The local currency in Japan is the yen (JPY). Cards are accepted in many places, but cash is still widely used, so it’s worth carrying some. ATMs are easy to find, for example at 7-Eleven stores and post offices.
Japan itinerary
Day One
We landed in Hokkaido at 20:00 at New Chitose Airport, drove to our accommodation in Sapporo and went out a little in the city in the evening.
Day Two
We rented a car in Sapporo and set off.
A tip from the Check In Out team: Booking a rental car in advance is recommended and will save you the hassle of comparing prices and finding a reliable rental agency during your trip. We’ve written a whole article with tips on renting a car abroad.
Daisetsuzan Park : furano, biei
This is an area with flower farms. We stopped at Farm Tomita, then drove along the Panorama Road toward Flower Land Kamifurano. After that we drove to the Blue Pond, the stunning lake with its sky-blue water. We stayed the night at the amazing onsen hotel Yumoto shiragane onsen 
An onsen (in Japanese: 温泉) is a Japanese term mostly used to describe hot springs, but also the bathing facilities and the inns around them. Traditionally onsen served as public bathhouses, and today they’re an important part of domestic tourism in Japan.
Day Three
We woke up at the onsen for another soak, and breakfast of course. Just 30 seconds from the hotel there’s a very special waterfall, the Shirahige Falls.
From there we drove to Asahidake, took the ropeway up, and at the top there’s a trail of about an hour and a half. We wanted to do more in the area, but it was snowy (perfect) with limited visibility, so we decided to make the most of it and do a long drive. We took a hotel in Kamiaki because it was cheap and really good, with an excellent breakfast. We booked one night and in the morning we even checked out, but we came back to the same hotel the next day because it was far cheaper and well rated.
Day Four
A climb up Mount Meakan, which you need to start early: the general recommendation is 7 in the morning. We woke up late and only started climbing at 11. It basically takes 6 hours. It’s not an easy climb, but at the top there’s a crazy view of the volcano, the lake and the fumaroles, and a beautiful snowy mountain. It gets dark at 17:00; we made it down at 16:37, just before dark, so we were cutting it close. There are 2 trails. We did the longer one, which is supposed to be slightly less steep (4.4 km each way compared with 3 km each way), but it’s still a really steep trail. The trail starts right next to the stunning Lake Onneto.
Day Five
We slept at the same hotel again, and in the morning we drove to the lakes area: Lake Kussharo and Lake Mashu, whose first and third viewpoints are stunning. We went to sleep at a hotel iruka near Shari, close to the Shiretoko reserve. Near the hotel there’s a wonderful onsen for 500 yen.
Day Six
The Shiretoko reserve. First we drove to see a waterfall near the hotel and wandered a little around the area by the hotel on the coast. Then we drove to the Shiretoko Five Lakes trail, including the bear safety briefing. After that we drove to the short trail to the Furepe Falls: there isn’t much of a waterfall, but there’s a really beautiful rock by the sea. From there we drove over the Shiretoko Pass to the amazing open-air onsen 熊の湯 (Kumanoyu Onsen).
By the way, this onsen has separate sections, but women can go into the men’s one, and even if there are only men there, it’s fine. From there we did a long drive toward Lake Shikotsu. We stopped late at night at a hotel we saw on Booking.com along the way, slept until morning and kept driving.
Day Seven
The amazing Noboribetsu area, home to Hell Valley (Jigokudani), a cute, easy wooden boardwalk trail around an extremely active volcano. From there we drove to various viewpoints by car and went to a river where everyone soaks their feet in a hot waterfall. Then we went to an amazing onsen with lots of onsen pools, Dai-ichi Takimotokan. From there we wandered around the area, where in the evening there are really special things like sculpted demons. Then we set off on the drive toward Hakodate.
Last Day
The Goryokaku Tower viewpoint overlooks the beautiful star-shaped park, followed by a short walk through the morning market next to Hakodate station. An amazing market of seafood and live fish such as crabs, incredibly fresh, and they cook it especially for you.
We got around only by the car we rented at the start in Sapporo and returned at Hakodate Station on the last day. I don’t know and can’t imagine how you’d manage there without a car. It was very convenient.
We traveled in October and got to see the autumn foliage and the amazing colors and the amazing food of Hokkaido, but from what I understood, toward the end of October many reserves there close.
The nature was amazing, something special, local onsen, a very special atmosphere.
