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Top 16 Attractions to Visit in Hokkaido, Japan

Planning a (solo) holiday trip in Hokkaido, Japan? Here are a list of 16 attractions from Lake Toya to Otaru to Sapporo to north of Sapporo in Hokkaido, Japan.

To know more about each individual attraction, click the image or “Continue Reading” to go to the post.


1. Odori Park

Odori Park spans about 1.5 km and covers 78,901 square meters in the center of Sapporo. It stretches from east to west across 13 blocks of fountains, monuments, and gardens. (Continue Reading)

2. Sapporo TV Tower

Sapporo TV Tower stands exactly in the heart of Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan. The Sapporo TV Tower was built in 1957 and is a 147.2-metre-high (483 ft) TV tower with an observation deck at a height of 90.38 metres. (Continue Reading)

3. Sankaku Market

You can’t give Sankaku Market a miss when you visit Otaru in Hokkaido. It is a down-to-earth marketplace with vendors selling fruits, veggies, seafood, and prepared seafood dishes in this wet market. Where is Sankaku Market It is the closest tourist attraction (200 meters or about 2 minutes walk) to Otaru JR station. (Continue Reading)

4. Otaru Canal

Beautiful Canal Lined with Old Warehouses ‘Otaru’ is one of the leading tourist spots in Hokkaido with high popularity, and its symbol is the Otaru Canal. But what’s so special about the Otaru Canal? And how much tourism time should you set aside for it? (Continue Reading)

5. Sakaimachi Street

Sakaimachi Street is an attractive, preserved merchant street in central Otaru, a short walk from Otaru Canal. Sakaimachi Street is about 900 meters in length. It is here you can find souvenir shops, museums, restaurants, historical buildings, and landmarks. (Continue Reading)

6. Lake Toya

Lake Toya is located southwest of Sapporo and New Chitose Airport, between Niseko (one of Hokkaido’s finest powder snow ski resort areas) and the Pacific Ocean. Lake Tōya is a volcanic caldera lake in Shikotsu-Toya National Park, Abuta District, Hokkaidō, Japan. (Continue Reading)

7. Showa Shinzan Volcano

Shōwa-shinzan is one of Japan’s youngest mountains and is also a volcanic lava dome in the Shikotsu-Toya National Park, Hokkaido, Japan, next to Mount Usu. The peak is 398 m (1,306 ft) tall, and still actively smoking. (Continue Reading)

8. Silo Observatory

It is a great place to have a superb, large panoramic view of Lake Toya as well as Nakajima Island, Mt. Usu, Mt. Showa Shinzan, Toyako town, and Nishiyama Crater. (Continue Reading)

9. Fukidashi Park

Perfect for a relaxing stroll in the early morning, visit Fukidashi Park and listen to the water gushing from the grounds. (Continue Reading)

10. Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery

In Yoichi, a town in the Yoichi District, Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan is one of Japan’s top whisky maker and main distillery. (Continue Reading)

11. Otaru Tenguyama Ropeway @ Mount Tengu

On a clear day you can see as far as Mt. Shokanbetsu and the Shakotan Peninsula. The views offered of downtown Otaru and the Sea of Japan are said to be one of the three best night views in Hokkaido. (Continue Reading)

12. Campana Rokkatei

It boasts a view of grapevines sprawling across almost 80,000 square meters of rolling hillsides, as well as Mt. Tokachi from the glass-fronted shop right in front of you. It’s the ideal place for viewing the Daisetsuzan Volcanic Group while savoring sweets available exclusively in Furano. (Continue Reading)

13. Furano Winehouse

Located on a hill overlooking the Furano City in Hokkaido is the Furano Winehouse. You can enjoy splendid views of the city, lavender fields, and mountains of Tokachi. (Continue Reading)

14. Farm Tomita

Farm Tomita, located in the heart of Hokkaido in Nakafurano, Hokkaido, Japan, is home to Hokkaido’s lavender fields. Farm Tomita is one of Hokkaido’s largest tourist attraction site that brings in over 1 million people annually from all over Japan and the world. (Continue Reading)

15. Shikisai-no-Oka

Located in the rural town of Biei in Hokkaido, Shikisai-no-Oka attracts many people with its beautiful scenery of panoramic flower gardens. It is a paradise of seasonal blossoms from spring through to fall, in which several dozen different species of flowers and grasses flourish. (Continue Reading)

16. Shirogane Blue Pond

The Blue Pond outside the hot spring town of Shirogane Onsen is named after its deep blue colour which it owes to natural minerals dissolved in the water. It is one of Hokkaido’s most popular sightseeing destinations! (Continue Reading)


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1 Day Trip North of Sapporo

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It’s time to leave Sapporo city for a bit and explore the countryside. We explored much in the city itself and south of Sapporo – Otaru. Now, it was time to explore north of Sapporo. That’s what we did as we went on a one day tour.

It was a bus tour which stopped at each location for about 15 to 20 minutes. You can links at the end for guides to help you plan your holiday and trips outside of Hokkaido.


1. Campana Rokkatei

It boasts a view of grapevines sprawling across almost 80,000 square meters of rolling hillsides, as well as Mt. Tokachi from the glass-fronted shop right in front of you. It’s the ideal place for viewing the Daisetsuzan Volcanic Group while savoring sweets available exclusively in Furano. (Continue Reading)

2. Furano Winehouse

Located on a hill overlooking the Furano City in Hokkaido is the Furano Winehouse. You can enjoy splendid views of the city, lavender fields, and mountains of Tokachi. (Continue Reading)

3. Farm Tomita

Farm Tomita, located in the heart of Hokkaido in Nakafurano, Hokkaido, Japan, is home to Hokkaido’s lavender fields. Farm Tomita is one of Hokkaido’s largest tourist attraction site that brings in over 1 million people annually from all over Japan and the world. (Continue Reading)

4. Shikisai-no-Oka

Located in the rural town of Biei in Hokkaido, Shikisai-no-Oka attracts many people with its beautiful scenery of panoramic flower gardens. It is a paradise of seasonal blossoms from spring through to fall, in which several dozen different species of flowers and grasses flourish. (Continue Reading)

5. Shirogane Blue Pond

The Blue Pond outside the hot spring town of Shirogane Onsen is named after its deep blue colour which it owes to natural minerals dissolved in the water. It is one of Hokkaido’s most popular sightseeing destinations! (Continue Reading)

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We booked a one day tour through Klook, which you can check them out here.

However, if you would like to self-plan your own tour with a guide; below is a downloadable guide.



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Shirogane Blue Pond: Can a Pond be This Blue in Hokkaido Japan?

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A blue pond in Biei, Hokkaido, Japan. The Blue Pond outside the hot spring town of Shirogane Onsen is named after its deep blue colour which it owes to natural minerals dissolved in the water. It is one of Hokkaido’s most popular sightseeing destinations!

Blue Pond (青い池, Aoi-ike)

How to Get to the Blue Pond

If you’re driving from Sapporo to the Blue Pond:

  • Get on the Hokkaido Expressway at the Sapporo interchange (IC) and get off at Mikasa IC, then go pass Katsurazawa Dam and through Furano (about 150km).
  • From Sapporo IC, get off at Asahikawa Takasu IC, and drive south towards Biei (about 180km).

If you’re driving from New Chitose Airport, use the Dōtō Expressway and get off at Shimukappu, then head north through Furano. The journey is roughly 160km or about 3 hours drive.

There is a parking lot next to the road, and the pond is about a 5 to 10 minutes walk away.

Buses between Biei Station and Shirogane Onsen stop at Shirogane Aoiike Iriguchi bus stop along the way. The one way ride from Biei Station to the pond takes about 20 minutes. 

There are bus tours from Sapporo Station and can be easily arranged through tour companies.

Blue Pond

The Shirogane Blue Pond is an artificially created pond, and it is rather new. It is one of the ponds that were a by-product of creating a dam at the Biei River. This was to stop the volcanic mud of the erupting Mount Tokachi from reaching the town of Biei in 1988. However, it is the only one of these ponds that displays the beautiful blue colour.

The amazing blue colour of the pond comes from minerals in the water, colloidal aluminium hydroxide.

Shirogane Blue Pond in October Autumn 2019
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Credits to:

https://matcha-jp.com/en/7983
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6832.html
https://livejapan.com/en/in-hokkaido/in-pref-hokkaido/in-furano_biei_sounkyo/article-a1000326/
https://hokkaido-labo.com/en/biei-blue-pond-4197
https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/1889/
https://hokkaidoguide.com/blue-pond/

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