Hokkaido Hidden Gems
8 spots
Mt. Hakodate Night View — Million Dollar Vista
Mt. Hakodate (函館山, 334m) offers what Japanese tourism authorities rank among the world's top three night views (alongsid…
Odori Park — Sapporo's Central Green Axis
Odori Park (大通公園) is a 1.5-kilometer-long boulevard running east-west through central Sapporo, dividing the city into no…
Furano Lavender Fields — Purple Summer Waves
Furano's lavender fields (富良野ラベンダー畑) transform the Tokachi mountain foothills into rolling purple waves each summer (Jul…
Biei Patchwork Hills — Agricultural Art Landscape
The Biei hills (美瑛の丘) are a living agricultural canvas — gently rolling farmland where each field grows a different crop…
Kushiro Shitsugen — Japan's Largest Wetland & Cranes
Kushiro Shitsugen (釧路湿原) is Japan's largest wetland, covering 280 square kilometers of marshes, reed beds, and meanderin…
Shiretoko Peninsula — UNESCO Wilderness & Wildlife
Shiretoko Peninsula (知床半島) is one of Japan's last true wilderness areas — a UNESCO World Heritage Site where brown bears…
Lake Akan — Marimo Moss Balls & Ainu Culture
Lake Akan (阿寒湖) is a volcanic caldera lake famous for marimo (毬藻) — rare spherical algae colonies that grow naturally on…
Goryokaku Star Fort — Sakura Viewing Tower
Goryokaku (五稜郭) is a star-shaped fortress built in 1866, Japan's first Western-style citadel designed with artillery def…