Wednesday, February 3 (Day 01)
HONOLULU to NARITA to CHITOSE
Our tour commences this morning when we assemble at the Japan Airlines lobby at the airport for check in procedures for our flight to Narita International Airport. Lunch 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 Chitose city, one of the gateways to the Shikotsu-Toya National Park in Hokkaido, Japan.
Thursday, February 4 (Day 02)
ARRIVE CHITOSE
On arrival at Chitose Airport in the late evening, we will transfer to our hotel located at the airport to check in for the night.
Accommodations at HOTEL COM’S CHITOSE AIRPORT or similar
Friday, February 5 (Day 03)
CHITOSE - SAPPORO (B)(D)
This morning we’ll make a stop at a shoe shop to purchase special snow shoes to wear during our tour. (optional). Our winter festival tour begins in Chitose, visiting the Hyoto Ice Festival - a fantastic world of ice and snow sculptures displayed at Lake Shikotsu, a beautiful caldera lake located in the central part of Hokkaido. Famed for the clarity of its water, the lake forms a part of the Shikotsu-Toya National Park. We’ll continue on to the city of Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido to spend the next two nights. Enjoy viewing hundreds of spectacular snow statues and ice sculptures centered on Odori Park at the Sapporo Yuki Matsuri, the largest winter festival in Hokkaido. Created by various artisans, each block has its own special feature, turning Odori Park into a winter dreamland. In the evening, the festival site is a spectacular sight to see - beautifully illuminated with colored lights. This evening, enjoy a delicious Genghis Khan dinner at the Sapporo Beer Garden.
Accommodations at SAPPORO CENTURY ROYAL HOTEL or similar
Saturday, February 6 (Day 04)
SAPPORO (B)
We’ll travel to the charming port city of Otaru, best 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 and we’ll have some time to browse through some of the shops displaying a nice selection of their intricate products. Hokkaido is the birthplace of beer in Japan and we’ll enjoy a guided tour of the Asahi Beer Factory explaining all about the production of beer. At the conclusion of the tour, samples of some of their delicious products will be available in the tasting room for you to enjoy. We’ll stroll through Susukino - a crystal wonderland displaying hundreds of spectacular ice carvings lining the street of Sapporo’s main entertainment and shopping area. For lunch, try some delicious Sapporo ramen at the popular Ramen Yokocho, a narrow alley with many small shops serving a variety of ramen. Dinner will be on your own this evening to try some local cuisine at one of the restaurants in the underground shopping mall near the hotel.
Accommodations at SAPPORO CENTURY ROYAL HOTEL or similar
Sunday, February 7 (Day 05)
SAPPORO - ASAHIKAWA - SOUNKYO VALLEY (B)(D)
We’ll continue our journey northeast to Asahikawa, the second largest city in Hokkaido located in the heart of the Daisetsu mountain range. Discover a fantasyland of ice and snow sculptures displayed on a white snowfield at the spectacular Asahikawa Winter Festival. The main shopping street - Kaimono Koen - is lined on both sides with these extraordinary carvings made by teams from all over the world. The main centerpiece of the festival is the magnificent giant snow sculpture made from pure snow with no framework or support of any kind. Hokkaido has ideal climate and water conditions needed to make superior sake and we’ll enjoy a tour of the Otokoyama Sake Brewery to see some photos and exhibits demonstrating the sake production process. Some of their delicious products will be available for you to sample. Our travel continues on to Sounkyo, a mountain hot spring resort nestled in the middle of Sounkyo Valley in Daisetsuzan National Park, the largest of Japan’s national parks. Enjoy dinner and relax in our onsen hotel overlooking the breathtaking Hyobaku Ice Festival in Sounkyo Valley. In the evening, the festival site is beautifully illuminated with colored lights.
Accommodations at HOTEL DAISETSU or similar
Monday, February 8 Day 06)
SOUNKYO VALLEY - ABASHIRI (B)(D)
This morning we’ll visit the Hyobaku Ice Festival, a fantastic world of ice with spectacular man-made ice and snow sculptures and fascinating ice caves lined on the riverbed of the Ishikari River, the mother river of Hokkaido. We’ll continue on to Sounkyo Gorge, a spectacular gorge extending along the Ishikari River and is renowned for its impressive waterfalls. We’ll make a photo stop to see two of the most picturesque ones - Ryusei-no-taki (Shooting Stars Falls) and Ginga-no-taki (Milky Way Falls) - both selected as two of the top 100 waterfalls in Japan. We’ll continue on to Abashiri, a town located on the northern coast of Hokkaido and best known as the site of Japan’s first maximum security prison and for its drift ice. We’ll visit the Okhotsk Ryu-hyo Museum located on Mount Tento, a hands-on science center providing a wide range of information about the history of sea drift ice (ryu-hyo) that floes into the Sea of Okhotsk from Russia. Time permitting, enjoy an exciting outdoor snow activity at this site. Dinner will be provided for you this evening at our onsen hotel.
Accommodations at ABASHIRI KANKO HOTEL or similar
Tuesday, February 9 (Day 07)
ABASHIRI - LAKE AKAN - IKEDA - TOKACHIGAWA ONSEN (B)(D)
Weather permitting, enjoy an exciting experience this morning as we board an icebreaker boat - a special purpose boat designed to move and navigate through ice covered waters, crushing the drift ice that floes into the Sea of Okhotsk. The crushing sound as we cruise on the North Hokkaido Sea is an experience you’ll never forget. We’ll continue on to Lake Akan, a beautiful crater lake in Akan National Park and best known for marimo, a rare green algae species designated as a National Special Natural Monument. Weather permitting, experience and enjoy some of the outdoor winter activities offered at the lake - ice fishing, ice skating, snowmobile rides and more. (own expense). Enjoy dinner and relax in the quaint surroundings of our hot spring hotel this evening.
Accommodations at HOTEL DAIHEIGEN or similar
Wednesday, February 10 (Day 08)
TOKACHIGAWA - SHIRAOI - NOBORIBETSU ONSEN (B)(D)
Our journey continues on into the town of Shiraoi, visiting Poroto Kotan, a reconstructed Ainu Village and Museum. The museum displays interesting exhibits and artifacts relating to the history, culture and lifestyle of the Ainu people. Enjoy a traditional song and dance performance by some of the Ainu villagers including a demonstration of how to play the mukkur, a kind of mouth harp made of a piece of thin shaved bamboo with a thread attached to it. We’ll travel on to Noboribetsu, Hokkaido’s most famous hot spring resort beautifully surrounded by forested hills. One of the major attractions here is Jigokudani (Hell Valley), a ravine with sulfurous volcanic pits and geysers. Enjoy dinner and relax in the hot springs at our fabulous onsen resort this evening.
Accommodations at NOBORIBETSU GRAND HOTEL or similar
Thursday, February 11 (Day 09)
NOBORIBETSU - MT. SHOWA SHINZAN - OSHAMAMBE - HAKODATE (B)(D)
Enjoy a scenic drive along Uchiura Bay to Mt. Showa-Shinzan, a dome located on the east flank of Mt. Usu - created as a result of hundreds of explosive eruptions. Hissing steam still escapes through some of the fissures of this new mountain. We’ll continue our drive around the bay to the seaport city of Hakodate, Hokkaido’s third largest city located at the island’s southern tip. The city is overlooked by Mt. Hakodate and famous for Fort Goryokaku, Japan’s first Western style fortress built in the shape of a five-pointed star. Most of the fort was demolished and its ruins are now Goryokaku Park, a popular cherry-blossom viewing spot during the spring season. Enjoy a breathtaking view of the city and this star-shaped fort from the observation deck of Goryokaku Tower. Dinner will be provided for you at the hotel tonight.
Accommodations at HAKODATE KOKUSAI HOTEL or similar
Friday, February 12 (Day 10)
HAKODATE - SEIKAN TUNNEL - AOMORI (B)
Early this morning, enjoy shopping at the Hakodate Asaichi (morning) Market where you can bargain with indoor and outdoor vendors offering a wide selection of dried seafood products such as dried scallops and cuttlefish. One of the main attractions is to see a variety of Hokkaido’s famous crabs. We’ll transfer to the Hakodate Railway Station to board a train for a relaxing ride through the Seikan (undersea) Tunnel, connecting Hokkaido to the main island of Honshu. We’ll arrive in Aomori, the capital city of Aomori prefecture in the early afternoon, then transfer to our hotel to check in for the night. The rest of the day will be at your leisure to explore the city on your own or do some shopping at the various shops located around the hotel, including a 100-yen shop. Dinner will be on your own this evening.
Accommodations at HOTEL SUNROUTE AOMORI or similar
Saturday, February 13 (Day 11)
AOMORI - SHIZUKUISHI - MORIOKA - HANAMAKI SPA (B)(D)
Enjoy a relaxing and scenic drive through the serene Oirase River Valley to view the breathtaking winter riverside scenery with snow-capped trees and beautiful waterfalls - each with its own unique name. We’ll travel south to the site of the romantic Iwate Snow Festival, one of northern Japan’s most famous winter festival in Shizukuishi city. Enjoy the display of spectacular snow and ice sculptures, have fun in the snow maze and on the snow slides or as an option, try a delicious hot drink served in kamakuras (snow igloos) in the fields of Koiwai Farm. We’ll continue on to spend the night at the fabulous Hanamaki Spa. Enjoy a delicious dinner and relax in the hot springs this evening.
Accommodations at HOTEL SENSHUKAKU or similar
Sunday, February 14 (Day 12)
HANAMAKI - HIRAIZUMI - MATSUSHIMA (B)(D)
We’ll continue south to Hiraizumi visiting the town’s most famous temple - Chusonji with its main attraction - Konjiki-do (Golden Hall) - regarded as a national treasure. The hall was constructed to house the remains of three generations of the Fujiwara family and received its name from the unique golden walls covered in gold leaf and inlaid with mother-of-pearl. We’ll continue on to Shiogama Pier to board a sightseeing ferry and enjoy a relaxing cruise on picturesque Matsushima Bay, designated as one of the three most scenic sights in Japan - Nihon Sankei. Enjoy the view of hundreds of pine-studded islets floating on the bay - each with their own name relating to a Japanese legend. On arrival in the city of Matsushima, we’ll transfer to our hotel and check in for the night. Enjoy a fabulous dinner and relax in the grand bath this evening.
Accommodations at MATSUSHIMA CENTURY HOTEL or similar
Monday, February 15 (Day 13)
MATSUSHIMA - IWATSUKI - TOKYO (B)
We’ll begin our journey south through the prefecture of Fukushima to the metropolitan city of Tokyo. En route, we’ll make a stop at Iwatsuki city, known as the doll town in Saitama prefecture. This area is well known for having the best raw material - paulownia wood powder - used to make Kimekomi and Hina Ningyos. We’ll visit the Togyoku Doll Factory - one of the finest producers of traditional dolls in Japan and ranked as the highest of doll workshops and retail stores in the city before we continue on to Tokyo to check in for the night. Enjoy dinner on your own this evening at one of the restaurants in the mall located adjacent to our hotel.
Accommodations at SUNSHINE CITY PRINCE HOTEL or similar
Tuesday, February 16 (Day 14)
TOKYO - NARITA TO HONOLULU (B)
After breakfast this morning, you will have some free time for your own activities until our transfer to Narita International Airport in the afternoon. We will depart on an early evening flight to Honolulu, arriving on the same day due to the crossing of the International Dateline. A meal will be served on board the flight.