February 2020 Hokkaido Snow Trekking Trip

2020 turned out to be a special and frightening year for people all over the world.

The itinerary for Hokkaido had been booked long ago. We considered canceling during this special time, especially since we were traveling with our 5-year-old child.

After much deliberation and keeping an eye on the COVID-19 situation in Japan, we finally decided to take the risk and go. The specific itinerary is as follows:

2020.2.16 Shanghai - Sapporo

2.17-2.21 Stay in Sapporo

2.22 Sapporo - Asahikawa

2.23 Asahikawa - Abashiri

2.24 Abashiri - Asahikawa

2.25 Asahikawa - Tokyo - Shanghai

Alright, let me slowly introduce the daily itinerary.

2.17 Sapporo - Otaru. There is a coastal train along the way, giving the feeling of a train heading to a snow country.

After leaving Otaru JR Station, walking towards the canal leads to the Instagram-worthy spot.

To be honest, the canal is just like that—I don't know why it's so famous. There are many bakeries and cake shops along the way, all smelling delicious. But the prices are a bit high.

Walking further brings you to the seaside. In winter, the wind is so strong that you shiver. Took a quick photo and then left.

Otaru, like its name, is very small. There are many glassware shops (called "shoukokaikan") along the canal. They are beautiful, and the prices are equally beautiful. As a budget traveler, I think it's fine just to look. There are many craft shops in Otaru. Well... just looking is enough. Wandering aimlessly along the streets, I suddenly felt that this was also nice—no need to think about rushing to any scenic spots. Just wander, go into shops you like, buy and eat something tasty when you see it. It's quite nice too. I have to say, the cream puffs we bought along the street were all delicious. They were filled with thick cream, cool and refreshing like ice cream—very tasty.

2.18 Skiing at Teine Ski Resort

As a beginner who had never skied before and couldn't afford a coach, Teine Ski Resort was a great choice. The resort has a beginner slope with a small lift, prepared for beginners. The key point is it's free—no need to buy a cable car ticket to the top. For a first-timer, even if you get to the top, you wouldn't dare to ski down. So you just need to rent equipment. Basic equipment is fine. We brought our own ski goggles. Renting a set of ski equipment cost about 5,000 yen per day—I don't remember exactly. I watched instructional videos online in advance and relied on practical research for the rest. Teine Ski Resort is within Sapporo city, so transportation is convenient. Take the subway to Teine Station, exit from the south exit, and there is a bus, Route 70, to Teine Ski Resort. Get off at the second-to-last stop, something like "Olympic...". But this is a shuttle bus. We took the 10:20 bus; the next one, I recall, was at 11:50. So if you go by bus, pay attention to the timing. Taking a taxi from Teine Station to the ski resort is also fine, about 3,000 yen. If you want to take a taxi back from the resort to the subway station, there is a landline phone near the counter where you fill out rental forms. Just pick it up without dialing—it connects directly to the taxi company's reservation line. Tell them how many people you are, and it costs about 3,000 yen to the subway station.

2.19 Sapporo round trip to Noboribetsu

I heard there is public transportation from Sapporo to Noboribetsu, but it's far and the public transport isn't cheap, and it's definitely inconvenient. You'd miss many beautiful scenery along the way. We chartered a car. We are a family of five, so we chartered a 7-seat minivan. The price for a full day (10 hours) was 2,850 RMB. This was because the tourism industry in Japan was suffering due to the pandemic, so the price was lower. During the Chinese New Year period, the price is usually around 4,000 RMB. If needed, I can recommend our driver's WeChat. He graduated in Hokkaido and registered a company in Japan with a few friends, offering tour charters and photography services.

At 9 a.m., the driver picked us up at our Airbnb. Because of the snowy roads, we drove slowly. On the way, we first went to Lake Toya. If lucky, when the fog clears, you can see the snow-capped mountains on the opposite shore—very beautiful.

Next to Lake Toya, there is a snowfield. Because there were very few tourists, it was completely untouched—perfect for photos. I must mention: waterproof boots, waterproof pants, and waterproof jackets are very important. Kids can play freely in the snow without worry.

After checking in at Lake Toya, we headed to the Bear Farm. Honestly, it was a letdown—just a few pits with several dozen bears. Not much to see. But kids can buy cookies to feed the bears. If you have children, you can go; if not, there's no need.

I must say, the scenery along the way was absolutely stunning.

After the Bear Farm with the kid, we went straight to Hell Valley. Hell Valley is a valley formed by a volcanic eruption. The whole valley is filled with a pungent sulfur smell. If it weren't for the breathtaking scenery along the way, going all the way just for Hell Valley wouldn't be worth it.

Let me share a few more photos of the scenery—beautiful like a fairyland.

2.20 Hokkaido University, Sapporo Beer Museum, Central Seafood Market

There's not much to introduce. Hokkaido University is open to the public; anyone can enter. The small supermarket on campus sells alcohol very cheaply. There is a museum inside Hokkaido University that is free to enter, but it wasn't very interesting—mainly because I didn't understand it. The Sapporo Beer Museum was purely a personal interest. After visiting the hall, you can taste three glasses of beer for 800 yen—not bad. Outside the Sapporo Beer Museum, there is a bus schedule at the gate that shows shuttle times to Sapporo JR Station. If you don't know where to catch the bus, ask the staff; even during the pandemic, the Japanese were very friendly to Chinese people. I think that's great.

2.21 Sapporo charter car - Biei - Furano - stay in Asahikawa

Booked a charter car from Sapporo via Biei, Furano to Asahikawa on a certain online platform. Price: 2,600 RMB. Because it was during the pandemic, it was considered very cheap. The total journey took about 9 hours.

Along the way, we passed by the Elf's Cottage, Shirahige Falls, and the Five Trees.

If conditions allow, you can stay at the Shin Prince Hotel near the Elf's Cottage—about 2,000 RMB per night. The Elf's Cottage looks more beautiful at night. Due to time and budget constraints, we just stopped by for photos and left. It was still very pretty. The entire route was extremely beautiful.

Shirahige Falls is a small waterfall viewed from a bridge. Even though the waterfall was frozen, it was still beautiful. However, the bridge railing was too low, making me feel like the child could slip off anytime. We took a couple of quick photos and left.

Finally, the Five Trees. The Five Trees is not one place with five trees, but five different locations each with a unique tree. I saw some travel guides saying the Five Trees is a scam—just a few scraggly trees for photos. I didn't have high expectations, but when we actually arrived, we found it incredibly beautiful. Endless snow with only a few trees standing alone—very picturesque. But a major reason might be that we visited during a sensitive period with almost no tourists, so the snowfields were untouched and there were no crowds. That made it especially beautiful. If there were many people gathered around the trees taking photos, you probably wouldn't feel the beauty. I won't elaborate much; here are a few casual photos.

We arrived in Asahikawa in the evening. We stayed near Asahikawa JR Station. There are many hotels, but the rooms are very small. Eating is convenient with lots of dining options around.

2.22 Asahiyama Zoo, Nansan Brewery

At the square outside the JR Station, there is a bus to Asahiyama Zoo. Ask the hotel front desk for the specific bus stop and route number. Every hotel front desk usually provides a bus route map to guests—very nice.

I won't introduce Asahiyama Zoo in detail; many travel guides mention going there to see the penguin parade. I recall the times are around 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. We arrived close to 11 a.m., thinking we would have to wait for the afternoon session, but the morning session hadn't finished yet. The penguin walk is quite long, so even arriving a bit late is fine. Nansan Brewery was just because we had nothing else to do and it was a personal interest. Not recommended for those who don't like alcohol. No photos provided.

2.23 Charter car from Asahikawa to Abashiri

We originally hoped to arrive in Abashiri before 1 p.m. to catch the 2 p.m. drift ice sightseeing boat. However, due to heavy snow blocking the roads, we took a detour and also took a wrong turn midway, so we missed it. When we arrived at the drift ice boat terminal in the afternoon, we learned that even if we had made it, it wouldn't have mattered because the wind was too strong and all afternoon boats had been canceled. With nowhere else to go, we went to the nearby drift ice experience hall. Honestly, it was boring and we had to buy tickets.

Abashiri has many hot spring hotels. You can book one for around 1,000+ RMB per night.

2.24 Charter car from Abashiri to Asahikawa

The total cost for two days of charter was 4,500 RMB. This day we successfully caught the 9:30 a.m. drift ice boat. I suggest arriving early. The scheduled departure was 9:30, but the boat actually left around 9:10. Ticket price: 3,500 yen per person. Not cheap, but it was really impressive. Of course, it can't compare to an Antarctic icebreaker, but for someone like me who hasn't seen much, it was still amazing.

After the drift ice boat, the driver took us to see swans and eat hot spring eggs. I forgot the name of the lake—it's on the way to Lake Akan, passing by along the road.

Then we arrived at Lake Akan. Lake Akan is a frozen lake with many ice activities set up. Actually, it was quite boring. Our child, on the other hand, had a lot of fun climbing the snowdrifts by the lake.

The last scenic spot... what was the name? I forgot. It was a place with many ice sculptures. Just ask the driver—they all know it. You need to buy a ticket to enter, but it's very cheap. Each ticket also comes with a free drink (which tasted awful). Not bad, though.

We arrived back in Asahikawa close to 8 p.m.

2.25 Asahikawa - Tokyo - Shanghai

Originally, the plan was to go from Asahikawa to Tokyo and spend a few days in Tokyo. But as the COVID-19 situation in Tokyo seemed to be escalating, we decided to cancel the Tokyo leg and return directly to Shanghai. That concludes the entire trip.