Itinerary for Autumn Hokkaido + Tohoku (North to South)
Mar 16th, 2024, 04:02 AM
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Itinerary for Autumn Hokkaido + Tohoku (North to South)
Hi All
Thanks to feedback in my recent post, I've settled on Hokkaido and Tohoku for autumn 2025. Now I need to start pulling together an itinerary.
I'm looking at September / October and travelling North to South, so we'd fly in to Tokyo, take a domestic flight to one of the airports in Northern Hokkaido (not sure best starting point yet) and work our way downwards.
We can take between 4 and 6 weeks for the trip, I'll base that on how the itinerary shapes up.
As it's an autumn trip, obviously we'll skip destinations that are all about snow and sea ice.
I've read through and made notes from MrWunrfl's many posts and from HawaiianTraveller's 2009 autumn trip for Hokkaido and various reports covering parts of Tohoku. I've also been looking at the suggested regional itineraries on Japan Guide.
For Hokkaido I've got the following places on my list but need to work out order, number of nights per place, and where it's best to drive / take the train. We love driving in Japan so would definitely like to have a car where it gives more flexibility.
Thank you so much!
Kavey
Thanks to feedback in my recent post, I've settled on Hokkaido and Tohoku for autumn 2025. Now I need to start pulling together an itinerary.
I'm looking at September / October and travelling North to South, so we'd fly in to Tokyo, take a domestic flight to one of the airports in Northern Hokkaido (not sure best starting point yet) and work our way downwards.
We can take between 4 and 6 weeks for the trip, I'll base that on how the itinerary shapes up.
As it's an autumn trip, obviously we'll skip destinations that are all about snow and sea ice.
I've read through and made notes from MrWunrfl's many posts and from HawaiianTraveller's 2009 autumn trip for Hokkaido and various reports covering parts of Tohoku. I've also been looking at the suggested regional itineraries on Japan Guide.
For Hokkaido I've got the following places on my list but need to work out order, number of nights per place, and where it's best to drive / take the train. We love driving in Japan so would definitely like to have a car where it gives more flexibility.
- Shiretoko National Park / Utoro
- (Abashiri seems to be only for sea ice in winter so I'm skipping)
- Akan-Mashu National Park
- Tsurui / Kushiro (for the cranes)
- Daisetsuzan National Park
- Sounkyo Onsen
- Asahidake Onsen
- Asahikawa
- Biei / Furano (for flower fields if still in bloom in September)
- Sapporo
- Otaru
- Lake Tōya
- Noboribetsu hot springs
- Hakodate
- Shimokita Peninsula (incl Mount Osore
- Towada Art Center (en route)
- Lake Towada / Oirase Valley
- Nyuto Hot Spring + Lake Tazawa
- Kakunodate
- Hiraizumi (en route)
- Sendai + Matsushima
- Yamadera (en route)
- Zao Onsen
- Dewa Sanzan
- Niigata
- Ōmaru Onsen (from HT's trip)
Thank you so much!
Kavey
Mar 16th, 2024, 10:32 AM
#2
Nobo before Toyako
Towadako to Nyuto Onsenkyo and Tazawako would be a bit of a trip by bus/rail, iirc, but good by car. Check the 'how to get there' on japan-guide for travel between the two lakes.
Definitely look for 2023 fall colors predictions and reports. I mentioned before that an American couple told me the colors were excellent at the university in Sapporo near the station. Pretty certain that spot is Botanic Garden Hokkaidō University. That was on November 4-ish. That seems late but you know the timing depends on altitude as well as latitude and maybe Sapporo has some terrain advantage.
Ginzan Onsen is in the area that you are traveling. That place looks special but I had no luck finding lodging in the town.
I might give Tohoku another shot at the end of October.
Towadako to Nyuto Onsenkyo and Tazawako would be a bit of a trip by bus/rail, iirc, but good by car. Check the 'how to get there' on japan-guide for travel between the two lakes.
Definitely look for 2023 fall colors predictions and reports. I mentioned before that an American couple told me the colors were excellent at the university in Sapporo near the station. Pretty certain that spot is Botanic Garden Hokkaidō University. That was on November 4-ish. That seems late but you know the timing depends on altitude as well as latitude and maybe Sapporo has some terrain advantage.
Ginzan Onsen is in the area that you are traveling. That place looks special but I had no luck finding lodging in the town.
I might give Tohoku another shot at the end of October.
Mar 16th, 2024, 10:42 AM
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I can recommend a few places to add to your Tohoku section
Aomori has a very good reconstructed Jomon site, plus a few other attractions
Akita museum of art has a collection of Leonard Foujita, the "japanese impressioninst". The place closes randomly and was closed the day I went specifically to see it. Hachiko was an Akita hound.
Yokote is known for its kamakura igloo festival in winter. There's a kamakura hall that preserves a couple of igloos in a massive refrigerator. You can look through the big display window or go inside. It's -10 and a sign says "please remove your shoes", yeah right.
Sakata has a lot of interest. Kaikoji has two sokushinbutsu. There's a teahouse that has maiko performances (the only? ones outside Kyoto).
Good coastal scenery going south to Niigata
Enzoji (on the way to) Aizuwakamatsu: castle, Iimoriyama (suicidal last stand), Hideyo Noguchi's place (that's him on the 1,000Y bill).
Gogo-an, hut of zen poet Ryōkan Taigu. One way to access it is by a spectacular pedestrian suspension bridge from nearby Kokujoji
Then going down the other coast:
Jodogahama
A lot of Japanese folk stories are from Tono, and there is a museum. Nearby: 500 Rakan (these are not what you might expect, google it), edo-period farmhouse (a change from the usual samurai places)
Takkokui No Iwaya in Hiraizumi, and Geibikei and other scenic gorges--see my description and photos in https://adumbrate.org/pics/walks (also see there for the grave of Jesus Christ)
500 Rakan in Hoonji, Morioka. No photos allowed so you won't find a lot online. Trust me, they are worth seeing.
Aomori has a very good reconstructed Jomon site, plus a few other attractions
Akita museum of art has a collection of Leonard Foujita, the "japanese impressioninst". The place closes randomly and was closed the day I went specifically to see it. Hachiko was an Akita hound.
Yokote is known for its kamakura igloo festival in winter. There's a kamakura hall that preserves a couple of igloos in a massive refrigerator. You can look through the big display window or go inside. It's -10 and a sign says "please remove your shoes", yeah right.
Sakata has a lot of interest. Kaikoji has two sokushinbutsu. There's a teahouse that has maiko performances (the only? ones outside Kyoto).
Good coastal scenery going south to Niigata
Enzoji (on the way to) Aizuwakamatsu: castle, Iimoriyama (suicidal last stand), Hideyo Noguchi's place (that's him on the 1,000Y bill).
Gogo-an, hut of zen poet Ryōkan Taigu. One way to access it is by a spectacular pedestrian suspension bridge from nearby Kokujoji
Then going down the other coast:
Jodogahama
A lot of Japanese folk stories are from Tono, and there is a museum. Nearby: 500 Rakan (these are not what you might expect, google it), edo-period farmhouse (a change from the usual samurai places)
Takkokui No Iwaya in Hiraizumi, and Geibikei and other scenic gorges--see my description and photos in https://adumbrate.org/pics/walks (also see there for the grave of Jesus Christ)
500 Rakan in Hoonji, Morioka. No photos allowed so you won't find a lot online. Trust me, they are worth seeing.
Last edited by someotherguy; Mar 16th, 2024 at 11:01 AM. Reason: spelling
Mar 16th, 2024, 08:32 PM
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Kavey, just a few dining suggestions for Hakodate, all near Hakodate Station.
Near the morning market are a number of seafood restaurants specializing in seafood donburi (rice bowls) popular for breakfast. Soup Curry is a popular Hokkaido dish great in cold weather with several shops in the area.
Ajisai Ramen is from Hakodate and specializes in shio (salt) based soup as opposed to miso ramen which is a Hokkaido specialty. They also have shoyu and miso ramen on their menu.
Nemuro Hanamaru is a kaiten sushi restaurant with branches in Tokyo as well. We were quite pleased with the quality of fish served there. It wasn’t up to some of the $100+ per person meals we’ve had elsewhere, but for less than $20 apiece it was well worth it. Of course there are some fine sushi restaurants in Hakodate if you prefer.
Finally Lucky Perriot is a beloved Hakodate restaurant chain for their take on western food, a bit quirky but could be fun for a change of pace.
Daimon Yokocho could be an option, lots of small stalls and choices to dine as long as you don’t mind a crowded, tight, smokey place.
Near the morning market are a number of seafood restaurants specializing in seafood donburi (rice bowls) popular for breakfast. Soup Curry is a popular Hokkaido dish great in cold weather with several shops in the area.
Ajisai Ramen is from Hakodate and specializes in shio (salt) based soup as opposed to miso ramen which is a Hokkaido specialty. They also have shoyu and miso ramen on their menu.
Nemuro Hanamaru is a kaiten sushi restaurant with branches in Tokyo as well. We were quite pleased with the quality of fish served there. It wasn’t up to some of the $100+ per person meals we’ve had elsewhere, but for less than $20 apiece it was well worth it. Of course there are some fine sushi restaurants in Hakodate if you prefer.
Finally Lucky Perriot is a beloved Hakodate restaurant chain for their take on western food, a bit quirky but could be fun for a change of pace.
Daimon Yokocho could be an option, lots of small stalls and choices to dine as long as you don’t mind a crowded, tight, smokey place.
Last edited by curiousgeo; Mar 16th, 2024 at 09:27 PM.
Mar 17th, 2024, 05:24 AM
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We were in Hokkaido & Tohoku last Aug/September though we only had 2 weeks. Our focus in Tohoku was on buying traditional kokeshi (so if that is of iinterest at all I can tell you tons of great places). but we hit the tourist spots as well. Definitely agree with someotherguy's suggestions of Aomori & Aizu Wakamatsu. If you are ramen fans hitting Kitakata for morning ramen is a must. Morioka is a nice town, best to visit on a Saturday when they have their weekly afternoon market. Mount Osore was really cool and worth the long drive (we visited from Aomori) as was Noboribetsu. We stopped at Lake Towada on the way between Morioka & Aomori.
We started in Tokyo, took the train to Koriyama where we picked up the car, drove north ending in Aomori where we returned the car & then took the train to Hakodate. From there it was train to Noboribetsu & on the Sapporo then plane back to Tokyo. So reverse order of yours. We thought about keeping the car & using a ferry to take it over to Hokkaido but it seems like an unnecessary expense since we were only doing Hakodate, Noboribetsu & Sapporo. But for your trip it might make sense to have one the entire time. Or maybe two rentals, one in Hokkaido & one in Tohoku?
We started in Tokyo, took the train to Koriyama where we picked up the car, drove north ending in Aomori where we returned the car & then took the train to Hakodate. From there it was train to Noboribetsu & on the Sapporo then plane back to Tokyo. So reverse order of yours. We thought about keeping the car & using a ferry to take it over to Hokkaido but it seems like an unnecessary expense since we were only doing Hakodate, Noboribetsu & Sapporo. But for your trip it might make sense to have one the entire time. Or maybe two rentals, one in Hokkaido & one in Tohoku?
Mar 17th, 2024, 07:11 AM
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Definitely look for 2023 fall colors predictions and reports. I mentioned before that an American couple told me the colors were excellent at the university in Sapporo near the station. Pretty certain that spot is Botanic Garden Hokkaidō University. That was on November 4-ish. That seems late but you know the timing depends on altitude as well as latitude and maybe Sapporo has some terrain advantage.
Ohh then I shall no doubt benefit from your own planning!
Mar 17th, 2024, 07:13 AM
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Fantastic, thank you so much, I've added all of those to my notes and map to look into further!
Did any of your trips fall in autumn season by any chance? Particularly when it comes to Yokote, is it worth visiting aside from the igloo festival as we'd be out of season for that.
Thanks again!
Did any of your trips fall in autumn season by any chance? Particularly when it comes to Yokote, is it worth visiting aside from the igloo festival as we'd be out of season for that.
Thanks again!
Mar 17th, 2024, 07:14 AM
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Mar 17th, 2024, 07:17 AM
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Thank you so much for this, have made notes and added places to my map.
I love the Kitikata ramen mention, this post is from our first trip to Japan when we were too intimidated to go into any of the places along Piss Alley but instead ended up in this little place round the corner from one end of the alley. https://www.kaveyeats.com/kitakata-r...ss-alley-tokyo
I would be interested in your notes on Kokeshi dolls, especially if there's a place known for their manufacture where we could visit and see that in action, as well as buying.
And good point on car rentals, I can look up whether it's cheaper to get two separate rentals or to keep the same car throughout, will depend on where and when we need a car for the itinerary. Thank you so much!
I love the Kitikata ramen mention, this post is from our first trip to Japan when we were too intimidated to go into any of the places along Piss Alley but instead ended up in this little place round the corner from one end of the alley. https://www.kaveyeats.com/kitakata-r...ss-alley-tokyo
I would be interested in your notes on Kokeshi dolls, especially if there's a place known for their manufacture where we could visit and see that in action, as well as buying.
And good point on car rentals, I can look up whether it's cheaper to get two separate rentals or to keep the same car throughout, will depend on where and when we need a car for the itinerary. Thank you so much!
Mar 17th, 2024, 08:08 AM
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There are certain onsen towns in Tohoku where kokeshi originated, with each of the particular towns having their own style (Tsuchiyu, Naruko, Zao, Tsugaru etc). One of my favorites is the Tsuchiyu style and in Tsuchiyu onsen there are two artisans that have their own shops. The shops also have little booths where they make the kokeshi. Kunitoshi Abe has a shop & workshop in town. He wasn't there the first time we went by but showed up right before we were leaving town so I was able to tell him (with Google translate) how much I like his kokeshi. He's one of the younger people making kokeshi today in his 50's. He is pretty popular because in addition to traditional dolls he created a smiley tilted head kokeshi that caught on with the Japanese Instagram crowd. A lot of the kokeshi makers are making some cutesy dolls in order to try to bring a younger crowd into collecting. Strangely it seems like most collectors are older Japanese men! Tadao Watanabe also has a shop & workshop in Tsuchiyu and we were able to see him work and talk to him a bit while buying his kokeshi. Tsuchiyu has a lot of Kokeshi themed things all over town so it makes for a good stop. Our pics are here-
Naruko onsen is also a good spot for kokeshi & kokeshi makers. There are a lot of artisans with their own shops/workshops including the very nice (and pricey!) Sakurai Kokeshi run by father & son kokeshi makers. They were not working the day we were there but we were able to see a different artisan making them. Alos a lot of kokeshi all of town Pics here-
Zao onsen has their own style. The town doesn't lean as hard into the kokeshi stuff as other spots but there are some shops & the makers do have workshops there (we weren't able to see any being made).
There are of course others like Yajiro Kokeshimura where there are indiividual little huts for the various kokeshi makers (Yajiro style). We were there on a Tuesday and there was only one maker there who we ran into as we were leaving. He was so great, he made a little top on his lathe and had be paint it and then gave it to us He showed us the trees they use and gave a description of the process (it was all in Japanese with a little bit of english but we got the gist). Very friendly & excited to show off his craft.
The links above are from our Flickr account and we have albums for all the spots we went. I have food recs for most of the places too. I always do a ton of food research before our trips. And I've used your blog in the past as well when researching!
