Request Feedback for Hokkaido (Late July) Itinerary
Hello!
This was originally posted in the Hokkaido subreddit, but I wanted to post here to see if anyone has additional comments/suggestions.
I'm headed to Hokkaido at the end of July and wanted to request feedback on my itinerary and ask some questions re: traffic and recommended duration of visit at two attractions. Since I'm going so late in July, I'm heading to Nakafurano first to see if I'm able to catch most of the lavender in its bloom. I'm fully prepared if majority have already been harvested by then; if so, I will be nixing the other lavender fields. Could you please take a look at the below and advise? Thank you so much!
Arrival
- Stay the night in Asakusa^(1)
DAY ONE - 7/26 (SUN)
- Flight to Asahikawa (AKJ); land at 9 AM and pick up rental car
- Farm Tomita/Hokuseiyama Lavendar Fields^(2)
- Patchwork Road
- Spend night in Asahikawa
DAY TWO
- Asahidake Ropeway^(3)
- Shikisai-no-Oka
- Aoiike/Shirahige Falls^(4)
- Hinode Park (maybe)
DAY THREE
- Drive from Asahikawa to Sunflower Village
- Furano for its festival and spend night there
DAY FOUR
- Head to Lake Shikotsu for canoeing^(5)
- Spend night at Lake Toya
DAY FIVE
- Drive to Noboribetsu Jigokudani^(6)
- Drive to Otaru
- Visit shopping street on Sakaimachi
DAY SIX
- Sankaku
- Cape Kamui
- Fruit picking in Yoichi
- Spend early afternoon in Otaru - visit shops on Sakaimachi that I didn't have time to the day before
- Drive to and arrive in Sapporo by 8 PM to return rental car
DAY SEVEN (SAT)
- Hill of the Buddha
- Beer Festival^(7)
DAY EIGHT
- Nijo Market
- TV Tower
- Beer Museum
- Flight to Hakodate
DAY NINE
- Ekini Market
- Hachiman-Zaka Slope
- Tachimachi
- Red Brick Warehouse
DAY TEN
- Early morning train to Aomori
- Nebuta Festival
- Return in late evening to Hakodate^(8)
DAY ELEVEN
- Early morning train to Aomori - pick up rental car
- Takayama Shrine
- Inakadate
- Return car to Aomori Airport and fly to Tokyo
- If you've had experience going to/seeing the Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival, could you please let me know of your experience? If you didn't have a reserved viewing spot (designated viewing area/restaurant/hotel), were you able to get a decent view of the fireworks? My hotel is a ~5 minute walk from Asakusa Station, for reference, and I would arrive at ~5 PM to check in. At this point, with the crowds, would I even be able to get close enough to the river or make it to some of the recommended parks to see the show?
- I'm most likely getting to Farm Tomita a little past noon. Google summary states that in late July on the weekends, it can take as long as 1.5 hrs to drive the last 2 km to Farm Tomita. Has this been your experience? I just wanted a frame of reference to know whether the rest of my plans for the day is realistic. I also see that Hokuseiyama is adjacent to Farm Tomita. I'm assuming that the proper thing to do is exit the Farm Tomita parking lot and re-park at Hokuseiyama?
- If I am not planning on hiking Asahidake, would two hours be sufficient to see the main sights at the top of the ropeway?
- Should I just add an extra hour to all of the current estimated travel times to tourist attractions in the area?
- I had wanted to go kayaking at Lake Shikotsu, but based off my research, there are no current affordable options unless I am of a certain proficiency in Japanese. Do you know if otherwise?
- For Jigokudani Valley itself, would two hours be enough to see its main sights?
- I think I read somewhere that you will need to reserve spots for the Sapporo Beer Festival; is this correct?
- Since the Nebuta Festival is going on at this time, should I book my Shinkansen tickets now?
An additional question, please:
- For people who have Capital One, since its transition to Discover, did you experience any issues in cash withdrawals at ATMs?
I generally don't experience jetlag, so it's not a concern for me. On my last trip to Japan, I had a 10.5 hr layover in Taipei, and I explored Taipei and a bit of Tokyo when I landed. I was totally fine on that day and the day after. I come from a relatively hot and humid area (though not as much as Tokyo! something like 70-90% humidity vs its 80-high 90's), and it doesn't seem like I will be spending large swathes of time outside; I don't expect to be too badly affected.
I really appreciate any comments or suggestions you may have!