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Birdog3344 · Joined: 28 Jun 2004 Posts: 126 Location: Osaka, Japan

Hoping to head to Hokkaido for Obon. I live in Osaka and considering a few options, including plane and ferry. Has anybody here braved the 20 hour boat ride? How was it? How much was it? Where did you sleep? etc, etc. For those who've flown, what's a reasonable fare? We're going to leave a day or two before the beginning of the holiday in order to save a bit on transportation costs. Any advice is welcome. Thanks.

AndyH · Joined: 30 Sep 2004 Posts: 417

Where is it that you want to go in Hokkaido? Sapporo? Eastern Hokkaido? Summers are nice in Hokkaido, and if you want to see the outdoors, I'd strongly recommend Daisetsuzan (central Hokkaido, near Asahikawa), Shiretoko Peninsula (Eastern Hokkaido, near Abashiri), or the Lake Akan area (also in Eastern Hokkaido). There used to be a ferry that ran from Tokyo to Kushiro, in Eastern Hokkaido, but I don't think it is still in operation.
Another option is the overnight shinkansen that runs from Tokyo to Sapporo. I don't think you can get a direct train from Kansai to Hokkaido, but if you connect in Tokyo (JR Ueno Station), you can save a lot of time, and it's not too expensive, considering your night in the sleeper car will save you some yen that you'd otherwise spend on a hotel room.