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.
Thursday, July 14 (Day 02)
ARRIVE CHITOSE
Upon arrival at Chitose Airport, we’ll transfer to our hotel located in the airport to check-in for the night.
Accommodations at HOTEL COM’S CHITOSE AIRPORT or similar
Friday, July 15 (Day 03)
CHITOSE - FURANO (B)(D)
This morning we’ll proceed to Furano and Biei, towns located in the center of Hokkaido noted for its pleasant and picturesque rural landscapes. Furano is famous for its breathtaking lavender flowers in bloom during the summer season. We’ll visit Farm Tomita, one of Hokkaido’s premier flower farms to enjoy the extraordinary sight of beautiful flowers in various colors planted in rows to create a ‘rainbow field’. We’ll visit Flowerland Kamifurano, a farm featuring a wide variety of beautiful flowers in bloom. We’ll drive by the picturesque town of Biei, noted as the “town of beautiful hills”. One of the highlights is to view Patchwork Hill, a hillside covered with various colors of shrubbery. We’ll visit Takushinkan, the Shinzo Maeda Photo Art Gallery featuring a Japanese photographer famous for his beautiful landscape photos of Hokkaido. We’ll spend the night in the town of Furano.
Accommodations at SHIN FURANO PRINCE HOTEL or similar
Saturday, July 16 (Day 04)
FURANO - SAPPORO (B)(D)
We’ll continue on to Asahikawa, the second largest city in Hokkaido. Located at the foot of Mt. Taisetsu is an interesting museum to visit. The Snow Crystals Museum features an interesting impression of a snow corridor with illuminated ice walls and attractive pictures of snow crystals which took more than 20 years to take the images. We’ll proceed to Sapporo, the largest and capital city of Hokkaido. 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. We’ll make a stop at Susukino, Sapporo’s main entertainment and shopping district. As a lunch option, you may want to try some Sapporo ramen at the popular Ramen Yokocho, a narrow alley in Susukino with many small shops serving a variety of delicious ramen. Enjoy a fabulous Genghis Khan dinner at the Sapporo Beer Garden this evening.
Accommodations at SAPPORO CENTURY ROYAL HOTEL or similar
Sunday, July 17 (Day 05)
SAPPORO - LAKE TOYA (B)(D)
This morning, enjoy a shopping experience at the newly opened Mitsui Outlet Park Sapporo Kita-Hiroshima, one of the largest outlet mall in Hokkaido. From overseas luxury brands, fashions for the whole family, sports and outdoor equipment and general goods, the mall has something for everyone. In addition, the mall has a large food court and an area offering a nice assortment of local goods and farm products. We’ll continue on passing Lake Toya, a volcanic caldera lake that never ices and on to Noboribetsu, the largest ‘hot-spring town’ in Hokkaido - both part of the Shikotsu-Toya National Park. Enjoy a scenic drive along Uchiura Bay to Mt. Showa-Shinzan, a dome located on the east flank of Mt. Usu - created as result of hundreds of explosive eruptions. Hissing steam still escapes through some of the fissures of this new mountain. Enjoy dinner and relax in the onsen at our hotel in the town of Toyako this evening.
Accommodations at TOYA SUNPALACE HOTEL or similar
Monday, July 18 (Day 6)
LAKE TOYA - HAKODATE (B)(D)
We’ll continue our drive to spend the night in the seaport city of Hakodate, Hokkaido’s third largest city located at the island’s southern tip. En route, we’ll visit an Indian Fishing Wheelpark, a facility that explains the process of catching salmon and features displays of raising salmons from eggs. We’ll spend the night in Hakodate, a city 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. On arrival, we’ll enjoy a breathtaking view of the city and star-shaped fort from the observation deck of Goryokaku Tower.
Accommodations at HAKODATE KOKUSAI HOTEL or similar
Tuesday, July 19 (Day 7)
HAKODATE - HANEDA - YOKOHAMA (B)(D)
Early this morning, enjoy shopping at the Hakodate Asaichi (morning) Market where you can bargain with indoor and outdoor vendors offering a nice selection of dried seafood products: dried scallops, cuttlefish, and more. We’ll transfer to Hakodate Airport to check-in for our domestic flight to Haneda Airport. On arrival, we’ll proceed to spend the night in Yokohama, the capital city of Kanagawa prefecture. Yokohama lies on Tokyo Bay, in the Kanto region of Honshu and is a major commercial hub of the Greater Tokyo area.
Accommodations at YOKOHAMA BAY SHERATON HOTEL or similar
Wednesday, July 20 (Day 8)
YOKOHAMA - NARITA - HONOLULU (B)
This morning, we’ll embark on a brief sightseeing tour of the city of Yokohama, visiting Minato Mirai 21, a seaside urban area whose name means ‘harbor of the future’. Located along the waterfront, the buildings form a distinctive skyline of Yokohama with the Landmark Tower as the most recognizable feature. We’ll stroll through Yokohama Chukagai, Japan’s largest Chinatown. Try some of the delicious Chinese delicacies offered at the outdoor vendors lined on the colorful and lively streets. We’ll transfer to the Narita Airport to board our flight home, arriving Honolulu in the morning on the same day due to crossing of the International Date Line.