My wife and I (mid-30s) are planning our first trip to Hokkaido in early October (tentatively Oct 3–12, 9 nights total). We love great food (especially fresh seafood, sushi, and local seasonal specialties) and would like to enjoy the local sights / nature. It'll be both of our first times in Hokkaido (but we've done a good amount of Japan travel elsewhere). We’re doing an open-jaw flight into Sapporo (CTS) and out of Hakodate (HKD) - flying from Taipei so no jetlag concerns.

We're planning to rely on public transit for Sapporo/Otaru, then rent a compact car for the central/southern leg (picking up in Sapporo and dropping off in Hakodate), or possibly just renting a car for Biei/Furano and taking the train down to Hakodate.

I’d love some feedback on our day distribution and any lodging recommendations.

The Proposed Outline:

• Oct 3 (Day 1): Land at New Chitose (CTS) late afternoon. Train to Sapporo. Check in, evening dining near hotel.
• Oct 4 (Day 2): Sapporo city exploration (parks/fall foliage, Odori, Tanukikoji shopping, sushi).
• Oct 5 (Day 3): Day trip to Otaru via JR train (canal, Sakaimachi street, sweets/glassware)
• Oct 6 (Day 4): Flexible Sapporo day (Mt. Moiwa / Maruyama Park / shopping / potential quick Jozankei Onsen bus trip).
• Oct 7 (Day 5): Pick up rental car in Sapporo -> Drive to Biei/Furano (~2 hrs). Explore Patchwork Road / rural viewpoints.
• Oct 8 (Day 6): Shirogane Blue Pond, Shirahige Waterfall, Daisetsuzan foothills/Tokachidake, Furano winery.
• Oct 9 (Day 7): Drive south (~2.5–3 hrs) past Mt. Yotei to Lake Toya. Check into onsen ryokan, lakeside walk, evening fireworks.
• Oct 10 (Day 8): Morning at Lake Toya / Mt. Usu -> Drive south stopping by Onuma. Arrive Hakodate, drop off rental car.
• Oct 11 (Day 9): Hakodate (Morning Market seafood bowls, Motomachi historic district, Mt. Hakodate ropeway for night view).
• Oct 12 (Day 10): Depart for Taipei in the afternoon.

Specific Questions:

1. Pacing / Days Allocation: Does 4N Sapporo / 2N Furano / 1N Toya / 2N Hakodate feel balanced? We originally considered 3 nights in Hakodate, but felt 2 nights (1.5 full days) is plenty for the city sights.
2. Where to base in Biei/Furano? For a 2-night stay with a car, is it better to stay in a cozy countryside pension/inn in Biei, a mountain onsen lodge up in Tokachidake/Shirogane, or a modern boutique hotel in Furano town for easier dinner options?
3. Lake Toya Lodging: We aren't big buffet people and prefer a great onsen/lake view over mass resort dining halls. Any recommendations for solid mid-tier ryokans or clean room-only inns where we can easily walk out to dinner in town?
4. Car Rental Logistics: Any issues with a one-way rental from Sapporo to Hakodate in early October? Roads and mountain passes should still be completely clear of snow/ice, right?

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to share my experience applying for a NWOHR passport as someone living and working in Taiwan with a ARC (Gold Card) and hopefully my experience helps someone out!

Some things about myself that made the process a bit more complicated:
- Born in New York
- Only mother is Taiwanese; parents never married and father passed away 10 years ago

First off, I had to get a copy of my birth certificate, and have the original copy authenticated by NY TECO. Luckily, NY TECO allows for document authentication by mail, so I had to prepare the following:

- Long-form birth certificate (ordered a copy online), original and copy
- Document verification application form
- Copy of my passport (add a note "此影本與正本相符" and sign)
- Copy of mother's passport (add a note "此影本與正本相符" and sign)
- Copy of father's death certificate
- Since I didn't have any copies of my father's passports or ID, I needed to write a note stating that I don't have that info with me
- Prepaid shipping labels + money order for payment

I would recommend calling or emailing the TECO of jurisdiction, since I believe the exact requirements can vary.

After enlisting my sister's help (who is in the US), I was able to get my birth certificate authenticated, and mailed back to me in Taiwan. In the meantime, I had to find a TECO office close to Taiwan where I can apply for my NWOHR passport in person, since I had no upcoming plans to travel back to the US.

- TECO Tokyo had a Japan residency requirement, so I couldn't go there and apply
- TECO Bangkok needed me to bring my mother's original passport with me to apply, which would be a logistical hassle unless she came with me
- TECO Singapore let me apply for a NWOHR passport (no residency requirement)

After lots of back and forth confirming documentation required, this is the final list of documents I needed (but I truly appreciate Singapore TECO always replying to my emails in a timely matter):

- authenticated NY birth certificate, original and copy
- translated copy of NY birth certificate with Chinese name (as a side note, I had to use my mother's last name since my father wasn't Taiwanese + never married)
- US passport + copy
- father's death certificate, original + copy
- mother's taiwan and US passport copies (she has dual citizenship)
- mother's household registration record (戶籍藤本); i was able to get a copy myself by showing the household registration office the authenticated copy of my birth certificate
- copy of my ARC
- passport application form
- document authentication form (they authenticated my chinese translation of my birth certificate as well)
- passport photos
- application fee (cash / SGD)

since I was only there for 5 days, I wanted to get my passport in one trip. Singapore TECO does have an option of applying for a chipless passport with 1 year validity, so I went ahead and did that. I went in Monday morning to drop off my application (unfortunately, I needed 2 more copies of my original birth certificate and 1 more copy of my translation, so I had to run to a nearby print shop and go back). Luckily I was able to get my passport Thursday afternoon, and head back to Taiwan Friday!

Hi,

I'm considering booking a Chase Edit Hotel (The Standard - Bangkok) for an upcoming trip in July; I saw it available 2 days ago, but starting last night, I no longer see it pop up in search results. I can search for the hotel directly, but when I click on the page, no rooms show up and I see the message "Rate Unavailable". I recently saw a similar issue with the Kimpton Maa-Lai Bangkok, but I can now see the rates if I search for the hotel directly and click in. Was wondering if people ran into this (or a similar) issue recently?

Update: I called a Chase Travel agent and they don't see in on their end :( i'm hoping it's just a temporary thing since the other Edit properties are a lot more expensive...

Hi,

Since I'm in the process of getting my documents ready for my NWHOR passport application, just wanted to see if anyone knows whether or not I'll run into complications if I'm

• 35 year old male (turning 36 in December, born in 1990) so should be exempt from military service in 2027
• Currently working in Taiwan with an ARC (Taiwan Gold Card)

And if I apply for my NWHOR passport sometime this year? Gemini is telling me that I should wait until 2027 to avoid any potential issues w/ conscription, but given that I don't plan on applying for my 定居證 until 2027, I don't think there's much of an issue? I will continue entering Taiwan with my ARC as I've always done when living here.

Also, my mom has some concern about me getting my Taiwanese citizenship, saying it might complicate things down the line? From what I've read, the main thing is possible double-taxation of inheritance / estate? But I don't think that's currently a concern for me seeing as I don't own any property...

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone has had experience applying for their NWOHR Passport outside of their country of nationality? In my case I'm a Taiwanese American living in Taiwan (currently living and working here with a Gold Card / ARC). I was born in New York (and I'm in the process of getting my birth certificate authenticated by them), but since I currently live in Taiwan, and I know that you need to apply in person, originally I was hoping to apply somewhere closer to Taiwan such as Japan, but the TECO office in Japan said I cannot apply there since I don't have Japanese residency. Not sure if all of the TECO offices have this requirement, or do I need to make a trip to the US in my case? (At least Guam is a relatively short flight away...)

Edit:
I emailed Singapore TECO, and it seems like they don't have a Singapore residency requirement. So that might be an option...