Charms of Hokkaido: Sapporo Autumn Food Fest

Experience the vibrant Sapporo Autumn Fest, paired with the breathtaking nature and enchanting culture on a 9-day tour around the northern island.

Immerse yourself in Japan's autumn splendor with our Hokkaido Tour. Revel in the stunning landscape of Noboribetsu's "Hell Valley", Lake Toya, and Onuma Quasi-National Park. Our tour features Sapporo's Autumn Fest, a feast for food lovers, brimming with seasonal delicacies. Explore must-see cities like Hakodate, with its Fort Goryokaku and Red Brick Warehouses, and Otaru, home to the Music Box Museum and Sushi District.

Experience Hokkaido's natural beauty with stops at captivating locations, including the picturesque Utasai Beech Forest. Join enjoyable local activities such as fruit picking near Lake Toya, ice cream making at Lake Hill Farm, Taiko Drum Lesson at Kuromatsunai, and a tour of the Nikka Whiskey Distillery.

With comfortable accommodations, private coach transit, and a friendly bilingual guide, our Sapporo Autumn Fest Tour promises a memorable adventure of cuisine, culture, and captivating scenery.

Itinerary

Day 1

Sapporo New Chitose Airport

Welcome to Sapporo! You will be met at the arrival gate by a representative holding a name sign.

🅗ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel Chitose or similar class

Day 2

Shiraoi (Upopoy National Ainu Museum), Noboribetsu (Jigokudani Hell Valley / Oyunuma River Natural Foot Bath), Lake Toya (Fireworks)

Begin the day in the town of Shiraoi, where we will visit the Upopoy National Ainu Museum. The Ainu are the indigenous people of Hokkaido, and this museum celebrates their distinct culture and history. Next, at Noboribetsu, we tour the "Hell Valley" Jigokudani, a primordial landscape where sulphurous steam seeps out of vents in the ground. Around the area are hot streams and ponds that have been enriched by the volcanic soil.

The Oyunuma River Natural Foot Bath is one such stream, where travelers hiking the walking trails around Noboribetsu can rest their weary ankles. After, we proceed to Lake Toya, which puts on special displays of exploding color and light during their Long-Run Fireworks Nights. The sight of the breathtaking firework show over clear, gorgeous Lake Toya is an unforgettable experience.

🍴Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

🅗Toya Sun Palace or similar class

Day 3

Lake Toya (Mt. Usu Ropeway / Seasonal Fruit Picking / Lake Hill Farm - Ice Cream Making Experience), Nanae (Road Station Nanairo-Nanae)

Our morning at Lake Toya begins with a trip up the Mount Usu Ropeway to enjoy a magnificent view of the lake area below. Then we enjoy a Seasonal Fruit Picking activity where you walk the fields of the local area and gather some of the fall fruit harvest.

Then, at Lake Hill Farm, enjoy an Ice Cream-Making Experience, using the rich cream from Hokkaido - a region famous for excellent dairy products. After, we take a trip to Nanae, stopping at Road Station Nanairo-Nanae, which sells sweets and other souvenirs from Southern Hokkaido. Finally, we continue on to Hakodate for a relaxing evening at the hotel.

🍴Breakfast / Lunch

🅗Hakodate Kokusai Hotel or similar class

Day 4

Hakodate (Morning Market / Fort Goryokaku / Red Brick Warehouses / Motomachi / Mt Hakodate Ropeway)

Today, we will enjoy touring all the best sights of Hakodate, starting with the Morning Market. City residents gather each morning to find deals on the freshest seafood and produce in a daily routine that can offer visiting travelers a taste of the local culture. From there, we will go to the city's largest, most beautiful park - Fort Goryokaku. Once a Western-style fortress built in the waning years of the Edo era, Fort Goryokaku was slowly landscaped into a prominent public park with its moats now bordered by over a thousand cherry trees.

Moving on to the port district, we will explore the old Red Brick Warehouses, built in the early 1900s to accommodate the sudden influx of international trade that occurred around that time. The old buildings were renovated into a commercial shopping complex with a broad variety of stores. Then, at Motomachi, we'll see a district popular among the foreign traders that first came to the city for international commerce, which includes many Western-style buildings. Finally, take the Mount Hakodate Ropeway up to the observation point, which offers stunning views of the city below.

🍴Breakfast / Dinner

🅗Hakodate Kokusai Hotel or similar class

Day 5

Onuma Park, Shikabecho (Local Cuisine Experience with Hama no Kasan), Kuromatsunai (Taiko Lesson / Utasai Beech Forest Walking)

In the morning, we begin by visiting Onuma Quasi National Park, a gorgeous landscape of picturesque lakes and mountains, including the volcano Komagatake. Then, at Shikabecho, savor a Local Cuisine Experience at Hama no Kazan, which makes rice and fish dishes using seasonal ingredients from the region.

Next, we head to Kuromatsunai for a fun and easy Taiko lesson learning easy rhythms under the guidance of a friendly instructor. After, we visit one of Japan's loveliest natural monuments - the Utasai Beech Forest. This primeval forest of beech trees is an expecially lovely virgin beech forest, wild and untouched, and enjoying a relaxing stroll under its dense canopy creates a feeling of wondrous enchantment. After, transfer to the hotel for a relaxing evening.

🍴Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

🅗Hilton Niseko Village or similar class

Day 6

Yoichi (Nikka Whisky Yoichi Distillery), Otaru (Sakaimachi Street - Kitaichi Garasukan & Music Box Museum / Otaru Canal / Otaru Sushi District)

Today we will drive to Yoichi to visit the Nikka Whisky Distillery. This distillery, opened by Masataka Taketsuru, produced and sold the first Japanese whisky. A tour of the facility provides visitors with insight into the whisky production process, as well as a tasting of the local Nikka label whisky. Next, we will travel to Otaru for a leisurely stroll through the port city's heritage district. As you walk up Sakaimachi Street, you can see Otaru's history in old Western-style fisheries, shops and houses.

On the way, we'll explore Otaru's reputation for excellent glass craftsmanship at the Kitaichi Garasukan, where glassmakers transitioned from making simple glass fishing buoys to crafting fine glassware and artwork. At one end of Sakaimachi Street we'll discover the Music Box Museum, a cozy museum and shop selling a large collection of charming music boxes.

After, we will take a walk along the Otaru Canal, which had once fallen into disrepair at the introduction of modern docking facilities, and has since been converted into a charming vintage promenade. Finally, we will make our way to the Otaru Sushi District, where you will be free to find your own sushi dinner from among the shops selling various kinds of sushi.

🍴Breakfast / Lunch

🅗ANA Crowne Plaza Sapporo or similar class

Day 7

Sapporo (Historical Village of Hokkaido / Shiroi Koibito Park / Hokkaido Shrine / Asahi Beer Hokkaido Brewery / Hill of the Buddha)

After breakfast, visit the Historic Village of Hokkaido. The point of the village is to provide a realistic understanding of the pioneer time period in Hokkaido. Everything thing in the village is an exhibit and consists of around 60 or so buildings.

Next, we take a trip to the Shiroi Koibito Park, which is a chocolate themed amusement park. Visually, it’s a interesting mix of Hokkaido and British culture, with stores that sell a variety of chocolates and other sweets. Then we visit Hokkaido Shrine - the chief Shinto shrine of Sapporo. This simply elegant shrine holds 4 Shino deities, including the soul of Emperor Meiji.

After, we take a tour the Asahi Beer Hokkaido Brewery. Asahi is one of the chief brewers of beer in Japan, and offers 20-minute tours of their facility, including fresh-brewed samples of their quality product. Finally, we visit the incredible Hill of the Buddha, a magnificent Buddhist shrine designed by famous Japanese architect Tadano Ando. Then we return to the hotel for a relaxing evening.

🍴Breakfast / Lunch

🅗ANA Crowne Plaza Sapporo or similar class

Day 8

Sapporo (Sapporo Autumn Fest)

For your final day in Sapporo, experience the delightful Sapporo Autumn Fest, which is the biggest food festival in Hokkaido. Autumn Fest is still a fairly new festival, but it has quickly become one of Hokkaido's most popular seasonal festivals. Since autumn is Japan's harvest season, the Autumn Fest becomes an opportunity to try food and drink from all around Hokkaido.

The festival is held throughout Odori Park, and from the moment you arrive, your eyes and nose will be delighted by the various foods made of seasonal ingredients in colorful stalls around the festival grounds. There is also a section devoted to Oktoberfest. Sapporo and Munich in Germany are sister cities, features craft beers from Germany and all over Hokkaido. After, return to your hotel for a last relaxing evening in Sapporo.

🍴Breakfast

🅗ANA Crowne Plaza Sapporo or similar class

Day 9

Tour Ends

After breakfast, our tour officially ends. Checkout time is 11 am. Transfer to New Chitose Airport by Airport Limousine Bus.

🍴Breakfast

NOTE: The departure airport transfer is ONLY available on the last day of the tour. If you plan to stay extra nights after the tour, we will provide full instructions in advance for you to transfer to the airport on your own.

Info

• Estimated price. Subject to change.

• All prices are per person, based on twin (double on request) or triple occupancy.

• International flights are not included on our tours - this allows you the flexibility to choose your own departure!

• We can arrange international flights for US/Canada customers if needed, please ask for details.

• If you would like to stay longer in Japan, please contact us to book hotel accommodations and transfers.

Deposit

• We require a NON-Refundable US$500 deposit per person to hold the space at the time of booking and the final payment is due 2 months prior to departure.

Additional Information

Transportation

• Travel by private coach between destinations, hassle free baggage handling.

Arrival Departure Airports

• This tour starts and finishes in Sapporo for arrivals and departures at New Chitose Airport (CTS).

Meal Requests

• Vegetarian or special meals can be arranged.

Meet and Greet

• Please note that the meet and greet and airport transfer to the first hotel is ONLY available on the first day of the tour after 11 AM. If you plan to stay extra nights before the start of the tour, we will provide full instructions in advance for you to transfer to your hotel on your own.