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[Generasian X]

Hello!
I'm planning a summer trip to Hokkaido with some of my friends,
just wondering about any places that the locals could suggest visiting, and about how much time might be the "right amount" to see Sapporo and a park or two...

I visited Okinawa for 10 days, I loved it, but it was WAY TOO MUCH TIME to spend there for vacation, actually left bored the last couple of days...
I'm looking for a HOKKAIDO getaway, not a TRUE exploration of the whole island.
Thank you!

[Glenski]

I have lived in Sapporo for the past 5 years, and I have seen a lot of Hokkaido. How much time were you planning on, and which month were you thinking of coming?

Sapporo has a city web site in English, so look it over. Basically, Sapporo is not what I would call a tourist city, but it has the following features that are nice for summer.
Beer garden in Odori Park
Night life in Susukino
Mount Moiwa overlooking the city
Flower shows in Odori Park
Tokeidai clock tower (pitiful in my opinion)
Sapporo beer garden (with Ghenghis Khan lamb meal as a specialty)

Near Sapporo, you can visit the Jozankei hot spring (30-45 min away), Lake Shikotsu or Lake Toya (further away). Shikotsu has fireworks displays at night, plus several onsens and a camping area. Toya has a smoldering volcano (Mt. Usu) behind it that you can walk through, plus boat rides and several onsens, and 15 minutes by car on the edge of Toya is another smoldering volcano (Showa Shinzan).

Forty-five minutes north of Sapporo is Otaru, which has glass works shops and a glassblowing factory you can take part in, plus woodcraft shops, a modest canal, some Russian warehouses from ages ago, and a whole street devoted to sushi restaurants. It also has a fairly nice aquarium.

Further from Sapporo is Yoichi (to the north) where you can tour the Nikka Whisky factory. Hakodate is 6 hours away and has great seafood but not much else in my opinion. Matsumae is near Hakodate and has a rebuilt castle. A couple hours south of Sappor is Noboribetsu, which has a smelly bear park and a fairly cool sulfurous pit you can walk through & around. If you are into nature, the coastline from Matsumae up to the Shakotan peninsula is pretty nice and craggy, but you will have to contend with many tunnels. In the center of Hokkaido is Furano and Biei, which have huge fields of lavender and other flowers that attract tourists by the busload. Nearby is the Daisetsuzan forest. Further east is Akan Forest with a foggy Lake Mashu and another fairly cool sulfurous area called Iozan. If you have time to go to the northern tip, take the 2-hour ferry from Wakkanai to Rebun or Rishiri islands and motor or bike around them. Great mountain flowers and other related sights. Lastly, on the south coast is Erimo Cape, which is very windy, but has some nice scenery jutting out into the ocean, and you might even see some whales in the sea.

Gee, I sound like a travelog. Email me if you have specific questions.

[scot]

i think most people here agree the niseko mountain area near sapporo is the best getaway spot, rafting and hiking and onsen mountain cabins for rent. i'm in hakodate which is nice for a weekend but no more. it's a big island so it depends on your time and taste. you can party alot of time away in sapporo but the nature's the thing. hit the mountaings. taisetsusan national park is spectacular and endless mountain hiking