Lake Toya is one of our favourite day trips from Sapporo (around 2 hours from central Sapporo), there is so much to do here, the vastness and beauty of nature is grounding, and no matter what season you visit here, there’s something different you can experience. We’ve recently moved to Sapporo from the UK and…
Odori Park is situated in the centre of Sapporo city, it spans for over 1.5km from East to West and is a must visit location on your trip to Sapporo, offering something a little bit different, no matter the season. Seasonally, Odori Park brings a completely different viewing perspective, and things to do. Be it…
It’s no secret that the food in Japan is a massive draw, tasty, a huge choice and it’s affordable. Make it to Hokkaido, and the local specialities are so different to mainland Japan, and the food scene is incredible. Hokkaido is perhaps most well known for their delicious dairy products, but they’re also home to…
We’ve recently moved to Hokkaido from the UK with our dog, and finding fun, dog friendly days out that we can all partake in is something we will continue to document on Travel Hokkaido. Our first winter living here had nearly ended, so we went on our first day trip to Asahikawa! Asahikawa is around…
The annual Sapporo Snow Festival takes place in February every year, and if you’re in the area, it’s a bucket list visit that you can’t miss! We have just moved from the UK to Sapporo and got to witness the 76th snow festival which took place in February 2026, and it was absolutely incredible. Sapporo…
Otaru is one of the cities that you instantly feel good in. This port city is well known for its rich history of glass making, high quality seafood and its romantic canal area. You’ll also find a bustling street packed full of eateries, shops and Snoopy village that you’ll find yourself meandering in and out…
We have recently moved to Sapporo from the UK, and as it’s our first winter season here, what better way to settle in and embrace our new life here in Hokkaido than enjoying all the winter sports it has to offer us. Sapporo is surrounded by ski resorts, both small and large so it’s pretty…
We discovered Koganeyu Onsen whilst on holiday in Sapporo, but now as residents, we frequently visit what might be our favourite local onsen here! Traditionally onsens are separated with a male and female onsen and you bathe in them naked. This may seem daunting or uncomfortable at first as a Westerner, or perhaps you’d like…
Visiting Hokkaido is always a good idea, and with the vastness of nature, you don’t have to go far until you come into range with another volcano, mountain or forest, it’s what made us fall in love with the prefecture so much. During a trip in the autumn, we headed down from Sapporo to Mount…
At present there are no restrictions that prevent foreigners from buying property in Japan (but you do need to be a resident to live here full time), in fact, we actually bought our new home in Japan whilst we were still residing in the UK. We have just moved to Hokkaido, Japan from the UK…