We had a fun and relaxing time in Hokkaido! The flowers were in full bloom, the relaxing onsens were amazing, and we got to see everything from brown bears and sake breweries to Lake Akan and the Sapporo Lilac Festival. Lots of good food, sweet treats, and beautiful views all around. Flower lovers should definitely check out our Hokkaido Spring Time Flower Tour!
Tour Managers: Dean and Annette Mizumura
Travel Photo Gallery
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Mycah sending off Annette and Dean's group.
Excited for the trip ahead!
Relaxing in the JAL Sakura Lounge.
Our plane
Delicious bento box provided by JAL.
Safely landed in Chitose.
Chitose Domestic Airport
Our first night's stay at Chitose Air Terminal Hotel.
Starting our flower adventure off right!
Having some breakfast on day 2 before heading out.
Our first stop is the Sahoro Bear Mountain.
Map of Sahoro Bear Mountain
Getting to know the bears, each with a name.
Taking a bus tour of the park.
Entering the park area.
The brown bear is the largest land animal in Japan, inhabiting only in Hokkaido.
This is Tetsuro.
Unlike in a zoo or in a bear reserve, here you can see them living in a real forest.
The viewing area.
Snake encounter at Sahoro Bear Mountain!
Getting a nice treat at Sahoro Bear Mountain.
Teishoku lunch at Sahoro Resort Hotel.
Checked into the Tokachigawa Onsen Daiichi Hotel.
Open bar at the hotel.
Buffet dinner at the hotel.
The Tokachi-Chuo Bridge
First stop of day 4, Boya Farm Sheep Dog Show.
Sheep dogs
Mr. Anzai of Boya Farm
Ayaka, sheep shearer
Our next stop was the Ikeda Wine Castle for a tour of the winery and to taste their products.
Wine tasting at Ikeda Wine Castle.
Our last stop was Rokkatei, a sweets shop that utilizes many of the natural resources of Hokkaido to create their sweet treats.
Rokka no Mori forest
Beautiful scenery
Flowers in bloom
Rokka no Mori
Ready for a kaiseki dinner feast!
Dressed in yukata
Kaiseki dinner
Day 5, taking a sightseeing cruise on Lake Akan, Akan’s most popular tour.
From the boat you can see the unspoiled primitive forest that shows natural beauty in each season.
After the cruise, we visited the Spherical Moss Exhibition and Observation Center (Marimo Moss Museum) on Churui Island.
Lunch at The Great Bear Restaurant.
Lunch menu
Hokkaido pork
Beautiful cherry blossoms in bloom.
After lunch, we learned how to make ice cream with milk straight from the ranch.
Ice cream tasting!
Next up was Mount Io, known for erupting liquid sulfur in the eruptions of 1889 and 1936.
Mt. Io is located in Lake Akan-Mashu National Park
Mt. Io literally means “sulfur mountain.”
Kussharo Lake (Sunayu), a caldera lake in Akan National Park.
Lake Abashiri
Our next stay at Hotel Abashirikoso.
Kitami Mint Museum
Learning about mint.
Exploring Higashimokoto, a park in Hokkaido that is famous for its beautiful “carpets” of shibazakura.
Moss phlox is called “shibazakura” in Japanese, meaning “grass cherry blossoms” because it is like little cherry blossoms blooming on the ground.
Dean and Annette having a blast.
Shibazakura has variety of colors including light pink, red, light purple, and white.
Taking a reset after walking the area.
Yakiniku for lunch!
Okhotsk Drift Ice Museum
Always room for a soft serve snack!
Abashiri Prison Museum
Learned about the conditions the prisoners experienced while incarcerated.
Kaiseki dinner at Hotel Abashirikoso.
Beginning day 7 at Kamiyubetsu Tulip Park.
The tulips were in full bloom.
Ginga Ryusei Waterfall
We took the Mt. Kurodake Ropeway, a 1984 meter high peak that towers over Sounkyo Onsen in central Hokkaido.
Mt. Kurodake Ropeway
Mt. Kurodake Ropeway
Touring the facilities of Otokoyama Sake Brewery.
And tasting the products!
Otokoyama Sake Brewery
Tour managers Dean and Annette at the Blue Pond.
The deep blue color is created by the natural minerals dissolved in the water.
Our last stop for the day in Biei.
There's always room for more soft serve in Hokkaido!
Biei's yellow flower fields.
Shirahige Waterfall in Biei
Biei, Japan
Picking out "live" crabs at a local seafood market.
Enjoying our crab with a special kaisendon (fresh seafood over rice) lunch.
Shopping at the Tanuki Koji Shopping Arcade in Sapporo.
Closing out day 9 with a hands-on sushi making dinner session.
Learning how to make sushi.
Finished product!
Day 10, learning how to make wagashi, traditional Japanese sweets.
Ready to begin!
Ready to eat!
Lunch at Wagyu Kurosawa.
Taking a pleasant stroll around the Otaru Canal.
Bank of Japan Museum in Otaru
Our final stay at Keio Plaza Hotel in Sapporo.
Enjoying our last day in Japan at the new ROYCE’ Cacao and Chocolate Town to learn how the famous ROYCE’ chocolate treats are made.
Ready to head home with our omiyage!
Find more tours like this one on our Japan Spring Break Tours page.