Thursday, July 1 (Day 01)
HONOLULU TO NARITA TO CHITOSE
Our tour commences this morning when we assemble at the Japan Airlines lobby at the airport for baggage check in procedures. We will depart Honolulu on Japan Airlines for Narita International Airport. A meal and a snack will be served on board the flight. After completing entry and customs formalities at Narita Airport, we’ll transfer to check in for our domestic flight to Chitose International Airport in Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost and second largest island.
Friday, July 2 (Day 02)
ARRIVE CHITOSE
Upon arrival at Chitose Airport, we’ll walk over to check in for the night at our hotel located in the airport.
Accommodations at HOTEL COM’S CHITOSE AIRPORT or similar
Saturday, July 3 (Day 03)
CHITOSE - LAKE SHIKOTSU - SAPPORO (B)(D)
This morning we’ll visit Lake Shikotsu, a caldera lake surrounded by three volcanoes in the Shikotsu-Toya National Park - the second deepest lake in Japan. The water temperature of this lake remains quite constant throughout the year making it the northernmost ice-free lake in Japan. We’ll travel to Sapporo to enjoy some sightseeing of this capital city of Hokkaido. Enjoy a visit of the Historical Museum of Hokkaido featuring interesting exhibits and displays of the lifestyle and culture of Hokkaido. The main exhibition hall covers the history of Hokkaido from about two million years ago up to the present day. Sapporo is known for its delicious ramen and for lunch, you may want to try some at Ramen Yokocho - an alley with many small shops serving a wide selection of ramen. We’ll drive by Tokei-dai (Clock Tower), the symbol and landmark of Sapporo and Odori Park, a wide promenade dividing the northern and southern part of the city bordered with beautiful flowerbeds. Odori Park is the location where the annual Winter Snow Festival is held during the month of February. Hokkaido is the birthplace of beer in Japan and we’ll enjoy a guided tour explaining about the production of beer at the Asahi Beer Factory. At the conclusion of the tour, samples of some of their delicious products will be available in the tasting room for you to enjoy. This evening, enjoy a delicious ‘Genghis Khan’ dinner at the Sapporo Beer Garden.
Accommodations at SAPPORO CENTURY ROYAL HOTEL or similar
Sunday, July 4 (Day 04)
SAPPORO - RUMOI - HORONOBE - WAKKANAI (B)(D)
This morning we’ll journey north along the coast through Rumoi to Horonobe, visiting the Reindeer Farm. Offspring of reindeer from Finland and the ones originally from Horonobe are raised here on this vast farm. Every year in early summer, reindeer babies are born and Blue Poppy called ‘Maboroshi no Aoi Keshi (ultra rare blue poppy flowers) blooms. We’ll continue on to Wakkanai, the northernmost fringe of Hokkaido containing Cape Soya and the access point for the islands of Rishiri-to and Rebun-to, two windswept islands off the northern tip. On arrival, we’ll visit Wakkanai Park with some interesting monuments: the ‘Gate to Ice and Snow’ - a memorial dedicated to the former Japanese settlements on Sakhalin Island before it was ceded to the Russians at the end of WWII, and the ‘Monument to Nine Ladies’ - a memorial commemorating the nine female operators who committed suicide at the post office on Sakhalin Island after Japan’s defeat in World War II. On clear days you may be able to see Sakhalin Island (weather permitting).
Accommodations at WAKKANAI ANA HOTEL or similar
Monday, July 5 (Day 05)
WAKKANAI - NAYORO - SOUNKYO (B)(D)
At the northernmost tip of Japan is Soya-misaki (Cape Soya), a lonely but significant spot with several monuments: the ‘Monument of the Northernmost Point of Japan’ and the ‘Tower of Prayer’ - a memorial of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 that was shot down in 1983 with its tip pointing to the direction where the plane went down. We’ll continue our journey south through Nayoro, arriving in Sounkyo, a popular hot-spring resort to spend the night. Enjoy dinner and relax in the hot springs at our onsen hotel this evening.
Accommodations at HOTEL TAISETSU or similar
Tuesday, July 6 (Day 6)
SOUNKYO - KITAMI - ABASHIRI (B)(D)
The geographical center of Hokkaido and the largest of Japan’s national parks - Daisetsu-zan - contains the very essence of rugged Hokkaido: vast plains, soaring mountain peaks, hidden gorges, cascading waterfalls, forests, and wilderness. The main route through the park is Sounkyo Gorge - a ravine that extends into the park and for a 5-mile stretch, sheer cliffs rise on both sides of the canyon as the road winds through the mountain. This tame gorge is renowned for its picturesque waterfalls and we’ll make a photo stop at two of the main ones: Ryusei-no-taki (Shooting Star Falls) and Ginga-no-taki (Milky Way Falls). We’ll proceed to spend the night at Abashiri, a fishing port overlooked by Mount Tento-zan and the Sea of Okhotsk. Before checking into the hotel, we’ll visit the Okhotsk Ryuhyo (Drift Ice) Museum to enjoy a video and exhibits that explain the history of the drift ice that flows into the Sea of Okhotsk from the Aurora River during the winter season.
Accommodations at ABASHIRI KANKO HOTEL or similar
Wednesday, July 7 (Day 7)
ABASHIRI - SHIRETOKO (B)(D)
The Abashiri Prison Museum consists of many buildings which were in use until the year 1984. Only the most heinous criminals were banished to this forbidding northern outpost known as the ‘Alcatraz’ of Japan. The cells, watch towers and prison farm buildings show how stark and monotonous life was for inmates, relieved only by restricted bathhouse visits. Anguished-looking mannequins bring it all to life and we’ll retrace the history of convict labor and the harsh life of a prisoner on a tour of this open-air site. We’ll proceed east to Utoro, located on the west coast of Shiretoko to make a photo stop at the Oshin Koshin waterfall - selected as “one of the 100 most beautiful waterfalls of Japan”. The peninsula, Shiretoko-hanto, remains as one of the most remote wilderness in Japan and is known for its healthy brown bear population. As we enter the Shiretoko National Park at Utoro - the main gateway to the park - (weather permitting) we’ll board the Shiretoko Tourist Ship ‘Aurora’ and enjoy a scenic cruise along the peninsula in the Sea of Okhotsk, skirting the shores and the cape’s tip with impressive views of the rugged cliffs and mountains. Located within the peninsula are the Shiretoko Go-Ko (Five Lakes), a collection of five small lakes grouped together between the sea and the mountains. This evening, enjoy dinner and relax in the hot springs of our elegant onsen hotel.
Accommodations at SHIRETOKO DAI-ICHI HOTEL or similar
Thursday, July 8 (Day 08)
SHIRETOKO - KUSHIRO (B)(D)
We’ll drive southwest to enjoy a spectacular view of Lake Mashu from an observation point (weather permitting). The small isle (actually a lava hill rising from the lake bottom) in the centre of the lake is known to the Ainu as the Isle of the Gods. On a clear day, the clarity of the water and its intense blue color is quite startling - its transparency depth was once a world record. We’ll travel south to the city of Kushiro, visiting the Kushiro Marshland and Observatory. This marshland is renowned worldwide for its wildlife and you can see the entire park from the observatory. Flowers bloom all around the building, giving it the image of an old European Castle. The marshland is famed for its protected tancho-zuru (red-crested white cranes) - traditional symbols of Japan and longevity. These cranes were designated as a special natural monument of Japan and we’ll visit the Japanese Crane Reserve in Kushiro City to see some of these cranes roaming through this facility. Currently housed in a market building, the Washo Market in Kushiro has many vendors offering dried and fresh seafood products, fruits, vegetables and other goods. Enjoy shopping and bargaining with the merchants for the best prices.
Accommodations at KUSHIRO ANA HOTEL or similar
Friday, July 9 (Day 09)
KUSHIRO - LAKE AKAN - ASHORO - FURANO (B)(D)
Smoking volcanoes, “Me-Akan” and “O-Akan” watch over Akan-ko (Lake Akan), but the lake is best known for its marimo , a rare spherical green algae designated as a Special Natural Monument. Marimo is formed when separate pieces of algae at the bottom of the lake roll around and eventually forms into a ball, gradually growing larger and larger. We’ll enjoy a boat cruise on Lake Akan providing us with a close-up view of the mountains, islands, and into hamlets. A brief stop will be made at Churui Islet to visit the Marimo Exhibition and Observation Center with displays of these green fuzz balls. We’ll continue on our journey through the town of Ashoro and on to Furano, nestled between the Tokachi mountain range to the east and the Yuubari mountain range to the west. We will spend one night in the city.
Accommodations at FURANO PRINCE HOTEL or similar
Saturday, July 10 (Day 10)
FURANO - BIEI - ASAHIKAWA - OTARU (B)(D)
The city of Furano is noted for its breathtaking lavender flowers in bloom during the summer season and we’ll visit Farm Tomita to enjoy this extraordinary sight of a variety of flowers. We’ll drive north through the picturesque town of Biei, noted as the “town of beautiful hills” and one of the highlights there is to view Patchwork Hill, a hillside covered with various colors of shrubbery. Our drive continues on through Asahikawa and on to Otaru, a charming port city known for the historic Otaru Canal. Sections of the canal are lined with many photogenic Meiji and Taisho-era buildings, giving it the atmosphere of an old harbor town. Otaru is also known for its elegant glassware. Enjoy browsing through the glass shops displaying a nice selection of their intricate products before we check in at our hotel in Otaru.
Accommodations at OTARU HOTEL NORDE or similar
Sunday, July 11 (Day 11)
OTARU - YOICHI - KUTCHAN - MT. USU - MT. SHOWA SHIN-ZAN - LAKE TOYA - NOBORIBETSU (B)(D)
Our travel continues on through Yoichi and Kutchan - a town located slightly north of the perfect cone-shaped Mt. Yotei - Hokkaido’s own Mt. Fuji. Part of the Shikotsu-Toya National Park, Toya-ko is a large volcanic caldera lake and northernmost one in Japan that never freezes. This picturesque lake was chosen as the location of the G8 summit which Japan hosted in the summer of 2008. In addition to the lake, this region features an active volcano, Mt. Usu and Mt. Showa Shin-zan, one of Japan’s youngest mountains. Showa Shin-zan originally emerged as a little bump, but after a series of earthquakes and mud slides, continued to surge upwards to reach its present height. It is an awesome sight to see as it sits there hissing steam. Usu-zan, the force behind the creation of Showa Shin-zan, can be seen in the distance. We’ll continue on to spend the night at Noboribetsu - a hot spring resort surrounded by forested hills. Before checking into the hotel, we’ll visit Jigokudani (Hell Valley), a spectacular valley displaying hot steam vents, sulfurous streams and other volcanic activity.
Accommodations at NOBORIBETSU GRAND HOTEL or similar
Monday, July 12 (Day 12)
NOBORIBETSU - CHITOSE - NARITA TO HONOLULU (B)
This morning, we’ll drive to the Chitose International Airport to check-in for our domestic flight to Narita International Airport, then transfer for our evening flight home to Honolulu. We’ll arrive in the morning of the same day due to the crossing of the International Dateline. A late meal will be served on board the flight.