Flower patchwork hills, a caldera lake under a volcano, steaming hell valley hot springs and the freshest seafood in Japan, Hokkaido, the country's wide open north.
Into Hokkaido's easygoing capital, famous for beer, miso ramen and snow. After the flight we keep it loose, a first bowl of ramen in a Susukino alley, an early night, the north's slower rhythm already obvious.
The Odori park and the old clock tower, the heaped crab and uni of the Nijo market, the historic village of pioneer Hokkaido, and the night view from Mount Moiwa by ropeway. A city that does the simple things, beer, soup curry, snow, extremely well.
East to Furano and Biei, where the hills are quilted in patchwork farms, lavender, poppies and sunflowers in summer (the lavender peaks in July). The famous Blue Pond of Biei, a milky cobalt no photograph quite believes.
The patchwork road by bicycle or car, the Panorama and Patchwork hills, cheese and ice cream farms, the Shirogane blue pond and waterfall, the foothills of the great Daisetsuzan range. Farm to table dinners; Hokkaido grows the best of everything Japan eats.
Southwest to Lake Toya, a perfect caldera lake with an active volcano on its shore. An onsen ryokan on the water, kaiseki dinner, a hot spring soak, the lake mirror still at dawn, and the steaming, raw young mountain of Showa Shinzan next door.
A day to Noboribetsu and Jigokudani, 'Hell Valley', a steaming, sulphurous crater feeding the best hot springs in Japan. The bubbling earth, the demon folklore, and a long soak in mineral water that has drawn travellers here for centuries.
North to the harbour town of Otaru, a gas lit canal lined with stone warehouses, glassblowing and music box workshops, and Sushi Street, where the seafood is so fresh the chefs barely have to try. A pretty, old fashioned finish.
A morning at a sake brewery and the Nikka whisky distillery at Yoichi nearby, a last canal stroll, and a final Hokkaido feast, Genghis Khan grilled lamb, soup curry, crab, before the trip winds down. Sapporo is a short hop away for the flight.
A slow last morning before your transfer to New Chitose airport. Hokkaido is Japan with the volume turned down and the landscapes turned up, you leave already plotting a winter return for the snow.
Three ways to do the same route: Comfort, Premium or Luxe. Breakfasts in. Mix tiers city by city if you like, it is your trip.
Priced to your dates, your hotel tier and how the two of you like to travel. Ask, the first answer usually lands within minutes.
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