5 Awesome Day Trips from Sapporo
Article posted Fri, 28 Sep 2018
Sapporo is a destination that truly offers it all– whether you’re a city lover, a nature enthusiast, or history buff. Apart from the bustling city’s teeming shopping streets, many parks, and vibrant nightlife, a whole heap of awesome spots just outside the metropolis are waiting to get explored. Grab your camera and head towards the station because some of Hokkaido’s most interesting destinations are only a train ride away!
Just a half hour from Sapporo, Otaru is a small harbour city that boasts charming canals and old merchant houses. Perfect for a leisurely day of strolling and shopping, the historic city is known for its beautiful glasswork (think oil lamps and small trinkets) and its super fresh seafood.
Cape Kamui, on Shakotan Peninsula, offers 360 degrees of uninterrupted views of the Sea of Japan. Spend the day weaving through walking trails and snapping photos of the endless rugged hills ahead. Get there from Red Planet Sapporo Susukino South in less than two hours by car or bus.
If you’re visiting Sapporo in the summer, book a ticket on JR’s Lavender Express that will take you straight to Furano, home to Hokkaido’s famous flower fields in two hours. There, not only are colourful bunches of lavender aplenty, but the area is also known for boasting some of Hokkaido’s best dairy (hello soft serve ice cream!) and wine. Come winter, Furano turns into a popular skiing resort where visitors can experience Hokkaido’s famous powder snow.
Onsen lovers: listen up! Just an hour away from Sapporo, Noboribetsu, is one of Hokkaido’s best destinations for hot springs. Here, you’ll find nine different types of water containing healing minerals like sulfur, salt and iron. One of the most famous spots in Noboribetsu is the Jigoku Valley, also known as Hell Valley, where yellow volcanic gas seeps from the surface of the rocks in a 450-meter mouth crater which produces 3,000 litres of hot water per minute!
Just a short train ride from Sapporo’s city centre, the Historic Village of Hokkaido, an open-air museum, gives visitors a taste of Hokkaido’s bygone days. Stroll the grounds of the village via horse-drawn trolley, taking in the different lifestyles and buildings from the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras in Hokkaido. Also on offer are craft workshops, and, in the winter, sleigh rides.
Otaru
Just a half hour from Sapporo, Otaru is a small harbour city that boasts charming canals and old merchant houses. Perfect for a leisurely day of strolling and shopping, the historic city is known for its beautiful glasswork (think oil lamps and small trinkets) and its super fresh seafood.
Cape Kamui
Cape Kamui, on Shakotan Peninsula, offers 360 degrees of uninterrupted views of the Sea of Japan. Spend the day weaving through walking trails and snapping photos of the endless rugged hills ahead. Get there from Red Planet Sapporo Susukino South in less than two hours by car or bus.
Furano
If you’re visiting Sapporo in the summer, book a ticket on JR’s Lavender Express that will take you straight to Furano, home to Hokkaido’s famous flower fields in two hours. There, not only are colourful bunches of lavender aplenty, but the area is also known for boasting some of Hokkaido’s best dairy (hello soft serve ice cream!) and wine. Come winter, Furano turns into a popular skiing resort where visitors can experience Hokkaido’s famous powder snow.
Noboribetsu
Onsen lovers: listen up! Just an hour away from Sapporo, Noboribetsu, is one of Hokkaido’s best destinations for hot springs. Here, you’ll find nine different types of water containing healing minerals like sulfur, salt and iron. One of the most famous spots in Noboribetsu is the Jigoku Valley, also known as Hell Valley, where yellow volcanic gas seeps from the surface of the rocks in a 450-meter mouth crater which produces 3,000 litres of hot water per minute!
Historic Village of Sapporo
Just a short train ride from Sapporo’s city centre, the Historic Village of Hokkaido, an open-air museum, gives visitors a taste of Hokkaido’s bygone days. Stroll the grounds of the village via horse-drawn trolley, taking in the different lifestyles and buildings from the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras in Hokkaido. Also on offer are craft workshops, and, in the winter, sleigh rides.
