5 Days 4 Nights in Hokkaido: Hakodate's Unbeatable Night View

The second time to Hokkaido, this time taking the southern route of Hokkaido. China Eastern from Beijing T2 to Asahikawa. This time, China Eastern really deserves praise – no delays, took off on time, very good. Hokkaido, here we come.

Arrived, heavy snow indeed. The temperature displayed is relatively low, but actually it's not too cold.

It takes about two and a half hours by bus to the Sapporo hotel. We took a break midway. This is a truly smoke-free country – you can't just smoke anywhere even in the wilderness. This is the smoking room in the middle of nowhere.

Arrived at the hotel, tired. No hot springs today.

The hotel lobby looks quite nice.

The night view from the window is very beautiful.

Morning, as the sun rises higher, golden light spills over the land.

Got up and looked out the window.

Had a good breakfast, then went out to take some street views on the street.

At the hotel entrance, didn't dare go far; the car will come soon.

The ground is covered with snow, but not slippery. However, let me recommend a good thing you can buy at convenience stores and 7-Eleven in Hokkaido – shoe spikes with nails on the bottom to prevent slipping.

Departed, first stop: Noboribetsu Hell Valley.

Due to snow accumulation, the walkways are very slippery. There is an anti-slip thing in Hokkaido sold at supermarkets and 7-Eleven – you put it over your shoes, and it has small spikes on the bottom, very effective for preventing slips. The price varies slightly depending on the model and number of spikes, generally 648 yen.

I regret not wearing those anti-slip shoe covers. The walkways here are all wooden boards, very slippery. If you want to go to the end of the hell valley, you have to wear them. I didn't dare go across.

Finally had time today, started organizing photos. Lunch on the second day was Ishikari nabe (hot pot), which can be eaten with king crab. And the king crab here can be eaten raw. "You can't have both fish and bear's paw," but they just put them together, haha.

We didn't order king crab, just had some shrimp and live scallops. The taste was okay.

After eating, went to the seaside to see the Pacific Ocean. So beautiful.

Departed, heading to Goryokaku Park. The journey was long. At a rest stop, I saw many people rushing off the bus to the restroom.

Finally arrived at Goryokaku Park.

This is Takeda Saizaburo, the first person in Japan to study civil engineering, regarded by the Japanese as the smartest man. Legend says if you touch his forehead, you can inherit some of his wisdom, so now his forehead looks like this.

The snow came suddenly, but it was beautiful.

This area is off-limits; we could only view from a distance.

Although the snowfall was beautiful, I secretly worried because we were going to Mount Hakodate later. I wondered if the snow would affect the night view. By the way, I should add: if you want to see cherry blossoms in spring, it's best to come here. There are over 1,200 cherry trees here, and many varieties found only here. That's what the guide said. If I get the urge next year, I'll come verify.

Departed, next stop: a warehouse district, Kanamori Red Brick Warehouses. They no longer function as warehouses and have been converted into tourist shops.

The snow here is about 15 cm deep; we could only follow the guide's footsteps.

See this big slope? This is the road up Mount Hakodate.

I really didn't dare walk forward – who knows what's under the snow?

Arrived at Mount Hakodate, started the Hakodate night view mode. In heavy snow, whether you can see the night view depends on luck. From the current situation, it's a big test of our luck. From below, you couldn't even see the mountain, all clouds. I wondered if we could see the night view from the top. No matter, going up – luck, we're waiting for your explosion.

Overall, luck was really good. At the top, the strong wind actually blew a crack in the clouds, and we barely saw the night view.

Luck is one thing, but you also have to endure the mountain wind and heavy snow.

Back to the hotel. There were hot springs today. I really needed a good rest, too tired. Didn't have time to take photos. I took a few in the morning.

Departed, today's schedule was also tight.

First stop: Trappist Monastery, a sacred place.

Queued to enter, many people.

The archangel saving humanity, stepping on a devil.

This one needs no introduction – everyone knows it, but seeing it in heavy snow gives a different feeling.

Eating ice cream in this heavy snow is really something not everyone can do. I guess at the next rest stop, you'll see her rushing to the restroom.

Left, next stop: Onuma Quasi-National Park. Got off the bus and walked a bit.

Imitated the foreigners and took a photo of holding hands walking the world.

Had a lot of fun, got hungry, prepared to eat. Japanese ocean teppanyaki meal, eating here. I guess in summer you can eat outdoors.

This is what we ate, tastes good.

Full, ready to depart. Next stop: Showa Shinzan and Bear Farm.

These bears are much cuter than what I captured. By the way, after coming back, I wasn't very satisfied with the photos I took. Because of the snow on the ground, the bears came out quite dark. Does anyone know how to take clearer photos of bears in such an environment? The place doesn't allow flash, and the snow on the ground affects the camera's auto ISO, so the bears come out dark.

Taking photos of the mountain and distant views didn't have such issues. Check out Showa Shinzan.

Left again, next stop: Lake Toya, another place where luck matters. These photos are arranged in chronological order after arriving at the Lake Toya observation deck. At first, you could barely see anything, all clouds. Then luck struck – the sun came out, the clouds parted, but only for about 5 minutes.

Back to the hotel, hot springs again today. Time to relax well.

Woke up early to see the scenery around the hotel. The hotel faces Lake Toya.

Departed, today heading to Otaru Canal. I was just there in October, but this time with snow. Will compare later.

Our bus is waiting for us there. One more thing – this bus is the same bus we used on our last trip to Hokkaido. Two trips on the same bus, haha, what a coincidence.