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Japan · Areas
Hokkaido
Japan's northernmost main island, with flower fields and pastures in summer and powder snow and winter festivals in the cold months. Sapporo and Hakodate are the two gateway cities.
Prefectures · Hokkaido
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Hokkaido
Hakodate, HokkaidoMount Hakodate Night ViewFrom the 334-meter summit, look down on the hourglass-shaped coastline pinched between the Tsugaru Strait and Hakodate Bay — the classic night-view composition, ranked alongside Hong Kong and Naples, is at its most complete here.
Asahikawa, HokkaidoAsahiyama ZooJapan's northernmost zoo, famous for "behavioral exhibits" — the animals act according to their nature, and people are just quiet observers.
Noboribetsu, HokkaidoNoboribetsu Onsen and Jigokudani (Hell Valley)The Jigokudani crater left by a volcanic eruption about 10,000 years ago still pours out a huge volume of hot-spring water every day, supplying the whole onsen town with nine different spring qualities.
Toyako Town and Sobetsu Town, HokkaidoLake ToyaA caldera lake formed by an eruption about 110,000 years ago, with Nakajima island floating at its center and Mount Usu and Showa-Shinzan standing on its shore — 20,000 years of volcanic activity in a single view.
Shari Town, Hokkaido, Shiretoko National ParkShiretoko Five LakesFive mirror-like lakes reflect the Shiretoko mountain range, with only an elevated boardwalk between you and the brown bears and primeval forest.
Abashiri, Hokkaido, Sea of OkhotskAbashiri Drift IceFreshwater ice from the mouth of the Heilongjiang (Amur River) drifts 1,500 kilometers to freeze the entire Sea of Okhotsk; an icebreaker plowing through the ice is a polar-style experience at Japan's lowest latitude.
Sapporo, HokkaidoSapporo Snow FestivalUsually held for about 8 days in early February each year (subject to official announcements each year), the 1.5-kilometer snow-sculpture promenade in Odori Park and the giant snow stages built by the Self-Defense Forces are the collective work of postwar Sapporo citizens "turning a snow disaster into a festival."
Otaru, HokkaidoOtaru Snow Light PathUsually held for about 8 days in mid-February each year (subject to official announcements each year), hundreds of thousands of candles link the canal and the disused railway into a river of light — held in the same period as the Sapporo Snow Festival, but a "quiet snow festival" of the opposite temperament..jpg?width=800)
Furano
Lavender fields and the Patchwork Road: a purple dream of northern summer
Otaru Canal
A canal at night lit by gas lamps: a romantic dusk in a northern port town
Blue Pond, Biei
Cobalt-blue water and dead trees: a dreamscape chosen as a Mac wallpaper
Ōdōri Park, Sapporo
A 1.5-km 'green carpet' running through the city centre, the grand stage of Sapporo's festivals all year round. Laid out in 1871 as a firebreak,…
Goryōkaku, Hakodate
A Western-style star fort: stage of the last battle of the Boshin War, filled with cherry blossom in spring.