Winter Hokkaido Travel Guide: Essential Tips & Common Traps to Avoid for Sisters

There’s Always a Winter Reserved for Hokkaido ❄️
The best time to visit Hokkaido in winter is from December to February. If you’re planning a trip during this period, don’t miss this guide! Hope it helps sisters heading to Hokkaido avoid pitfalls!
✔️ For all the sisters traveling to Hokkaido‼

✅ Travel Prep:
🔸 Visa: Prepare your passport and visa.
🔸 Cash: Bring some cash for emergencies.
🔸 Clothing: Hokkaido winters are cold—pack warm clothes like down jackets, sweaters, thermal underwear, etc., plus non-slip shoes or shoe covers.
🔸 Other items: Bring essentials like a camera, phone, charger, toiletries, etc., as needed.

✅ Hokkaido Transportation Guide
🔹 Most flights land at New Chitose Airport—take the train to Sapporo Station.
🔹 JR (Japan Railways) is the national rail network, covering most intercity travel in Hokkaido.
🔹 Routes like Sapporo → Noboribetsu → Otaru → Hakodate are all accessible via JR.
🔹 A JR Rail Pass (1-day or multi-day) is a must for Hokkaido travel—choose based on your itinerary.
🔹 If your budget allows, consider private car hire—leave the planning to us.

✅ Accommodation Tips:
📍 Sapporo: Stay near Sapporo Station for convenience, with plenty of shopping and dining nearby.
📍 Otaru: Choose a hotel near the Otaru Canal.
📍 Asahikawa: Stay near Asahiyama Zoo for easy access.
📍 Lake Toya: Opt for a hot spring hotel by the lake.
📍 Hakodate: Book near Mount Hakodate for stunning night views.

⚠️ Book early—three months in advance isn’t too soon! Winter is peak season in Hokkaido, with hotels expensive and hard to secure. Popular spots like Hoshino Resorts Tomamu and Furano Terrace often sell out months ahead—last year, many couldn’t book even 2-3 months in advance!

✅ 8-Day, 7-Night Custom Hokkaido Itinerary:
D1: Airport pickup in Sapporo → hotel check-in. Stay: Sapporo
D2: Sapporo → Biei Blue Pond → Christmas Tree → Shirahige Waterfall → Forest Elf Terrace. Stay: Sapporo
D3: Sapporo → Shiroi Koibito Factory → Otaru Aquarium (penguin viewing) → Sakaemachi Slope → Otaru Music Box Museum → Otaru Canal → Tenguyama Ropeway.

Stay: Sapporo
D4: Sapporo → Bear Ranch → Noboribetsu Hell Valley → Noboribetsu Hot Spring Street. Stay: Noboribetsu
D5: Noboribetsu → Lake Toya Observatory → Hachimanzaka Slope → Hakodate Night View. Stay: Hakodate
D6: Hakodate → Hakodate Morning Market → Motomachi → Sapporo city. Stay: Sapporo
D7: Sapporo city walk (food + shopping + free time).

Stay: Sapporo
D8: Sapporo → New Chitose Airport drop-off