#2023 National Day# Hokkaido Noboribetsu Hakodate + Tokyo Fuji Hakone Yokohama 10-Day Trip
Haven't been abroad for three years, finally we can play freely this time!
Japan now uses electronic visas, and there are even more Chinese signs and Chinese announcements at tourist attractions than a few years ago, making travel more convenient.
Because this trip to Hakodate is a long distance, I chose to buy a JR Hokkaido Rail Pass. After purchasing, you'll get a QR code. At New Chitose Airport, go to the JR Foreign Customer Service Center on [B1 Floor] to exchange the QR code for the physical JR Hokkaido Rail Pass. ✅If you use the Visit Japan Web automated immigration lane, you need to find a manual counter to get a [Short-Term Stay] stamp before you can exchange the pass.
Arrived at New Chitose Airport at 12:50 noon
✅From the 2F international arrivals, walk through the corridor to the domestic departures area and go down to B1
✅Exchange the JR Pass at [B1 Floor]
The famous Agricultural School egg tarts and milk ice cream are both delicious. There were quite a few people queuing at the airport store, but I thought the cookies were just average.
Japanese hotels are generally small in size, but they have great locations, right next to Sapporo Station.
Former Hokkaido Government Office Building (the highest administrative organ when Hokkaido was directly under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs of the central government) is not open on weekends.
However, the Former Hokkaido Government Office Building has been under renovation and is currently closed.
Odori Park is very crowded on weekends, with small stalls and markets, very lively.
Some shops in Susukino close after 20:00, so it's better to go earlier.
The okonomiyaki here is delicious, with meat and vegetables inside; one is enough to fill you up.
Susukino Ramen Yokocho
A very short and narrow street lined with tiny ramen shops on both sides. Popular shops require queuing. Ordering is done on self-service machines, which have Chinese language options, very convenient. Hokkaido ramen is really tasty.
Booked a one-day tour online, because Furano is quite far, so a day trip is more convenient.
At 8:30 AM, gather at Sapporo Station North Exit Group Bus Stop, Kita 7-jo Nishi 3-chome, Chuo-ku, Sapporo. Arrived at Biei at noon.
Roller Coaster Road
Biei's Four Seasons Hill in Autumn
Although it's not lavender season, the other flowers are also very beautiful. You can go in any season except winter.
Biei's Blue Pond: lights are turned on at night after November.
Lavender ice cream
Mainly selling lavender essential oil and other products.
Melon, similar to Shanghai's.
Ningle Terrace: more atmospheric when there is snow in winter. It has some delicate handicraft shops, can be explored in half an hour.
Susukino outdoor cinema, many young people.
Hokkaido specialty -- Soup Curry: various vegetables + meat/fish + curry, delicious.
Sapporo Streetcar (Chin-chin train) loop line: if you have time, you can take a ride around Sapporo city center.
In the morning, first store luggage at the self-service baggage storage at Sapporo Station (max 3 days, prepare coins; the machine can give change; pay for 1 day first, then pay the remaining 2 days when picking up on day 3. If more than 3 days, use the manned storage. Cost is 400-700 yen per day depending on size).
Take JR to Muroran, then transfer to a local JR line to Bokoi Station. Bokoi Station is still 2.7 km from Cape Chikyu. It's best to take a taxi up the hill because it's uphill; walking takes about 40 minutes. Taxi fare is about 1,000 yen, expensive.
Unfortunately, the weather was bad, so the view of the Pacific Ocean was greatly diminished.
Residential houses along Chuo-dori in Bokoi.
Bokoi Station, a very small station with no ticket inspector.
A shabby little station.
Get off at Noboribetsu Station and take the Donan Bus to Noboribetsu Onsen Street; buses run every 20-30 minutes.
Board at the rear door and take a numbered ticket; alight at the front door and pay in cash; IC cards are not accepted. The fare is displayed on a screen at the front. Press the bell before getting off; there is a bell next to each seat. Change is available for amounts under 1,000 yen. Drop the ticket and coins into the fare box; the driver will help process the payment.
Enma-do Hall: at the top of the hour there is a mechanical performance; if you have time, it's worth a look.
Oonuma Ashiyu foot bath: not many people in the morning; there are cushions available. Soak for half an hour, very comfortable.
Hiyamizuyama Observation Deck: probably few people go there; the weeds are blocking the view. Not worth the climb; it's quite tiring to walk up.
This is my second time staying at this hotel; the Big Gold Club performance is no longer held. There are 10-11 hot spring pools, 4 outdoor pools. I like the bubble bath best; it has a massaging effect and the water temperature is not too high, very comfortable. There are other pools with different effects; soaking for about an hour is enough.
Noboribetsu Bear Park: admission 2,800 yen; a very small park; can be explored in an hour. At 3:00 PM there is a bear feeding show; the bears are quite smart.
The small bears are lively, while the big bears are lazy and won't even bow.
Hakodate Morning Market near Hakodate Station, very lively. It rained on the day we arrived, but suddenly cleared up after lunch; extremely lucky.
Noboribetsu to Hakodate takes 2.5 hours.
City attractions are very concentrated; you can walk to them.
❶ Hakodate St. John's Church, free
❷ Motomachi Roman Catholic Church, free
❸ Russian Orthodox Church (Harist Orthodox Church), 200 yen
❺ Old Hakodate Ward Public Hall, 300 yen
❻ Former British Consulate, 300 yen
❼ Northern Peoples Museum (Ainu), 300 yen
❽ Kanemori Red Brick Warehouses, shopping
❾ West Port Market, specialty shopping mall (closes at 18:00)
To go to Goryokaku Tower, it's more convenient to take the tram from Hakodate Station. JR Goryokaku Station is 2.5 km from the tower; buses are infrequent, so you can only take a taxi or walk. Hakodate tram accepts IC cards; tap on and tap off.
【Goryokaku Tower】Buy tickets on the 1st floor; admission 1,000 yen.
More beautiful when the cherry blossoms are in bloom.
🍔 Lucky Pierrot hamburger: many chain stores, a Hakodate specialty; ice cream + hamburger for over 800 yen, very cheap.
Hakodate Night View (17:00-18:15): There are a lot of people on the mountain to see the night view; I seriously suspect that all tourists in Hakodate are on this mountain. But the night view is indeed good. Because it's not an indoor observation deck, you can see more clearly.
Way up 1: Ropeway (3 minutes) 1,800 yen round trip
Way up 2: Mountain bus (30 minutes) board at Hakodate Station Bus Platform 4
Yachigashira Onsen (local hot spring, only 460 yen, super cheap; two or three indoor pools and one outdoor pool; like a large bathhouse, but no toiletries provided; bring your own or buy at the front desk).
The last bus from Yachigashira back to Hakodate Station is at 22:00; Hakodate really has very few people; by 9 PM the streets are empty.
Daimon Yokocho -- Hakodate's nightlife hub.
Street palm readers; business is good.
Seikan Ferry & Hakodate Morning Market (opens at 6 AM, similar to Tokyo's Tsukiji Market).
❾ Seikan Ferry Memorial Ship 'Mashu Maru' (exterior photo spot).
⛴ The Mashu Maru operated until 1988 and was decommissioned after the completion of the Seikan Tunnel. It is now moored at the original Hakodate Pier 2, preserved and open to the public. This is the actual boarding area; besides retaining the original bridge, wheelhouse, and radio communication room, the front green cabin has been renovated into an exhibition room displaying actual parts and models. Panels and videos explain the history and mechanism of the Seikan ferry. You cannot directly enter the vehicle deck, main control room, or engine room; you can view them via monitor cameras from the exhibition room.
Hakodate to Sapporo takes 4 hours. After picking up luggage, head to New Chitose Airport.
Omoide Yokocho (bars, restaurants): many foreigners; the shops are very small.
In the morning, Asakusa has few people; by around 9 AM there are many tourists. Shops open gradually from 9-10 AM.
A popular meatball shop in Asakusa: people were already queuing when it opened. Inside are meat and onions, sizzling with oil, very tasty; 350 yen each.
Ningyo-yaki (doll-shaped cake) 100 yen each, hot.
Many rickshaw companies; prices are similar: 5,000 yen for 2 people for 10 minutes. They are everywhere on the street; they help take photos at several photo spots.
Tokyo Stock Exchange: there is a visitor entrance; you can go in with a simple security check. I went at noon when it was not trading hours, so there were few people.
Nihonbashi: the statue of the Qilin.
The Imperial Palace requires online reservation one month in advance; book early or it may be full. However, you can also queue on the day to fill in a visit form at the gate, but there is a limit. It's better to reserve in advance; after booking, you'll get a reservation record. Enter through Kikomon Gate on the day. Closed on Sundays and Mondays. The East Gardens are closed on Mondays and Fridays. There is a guided tour in the morning and another in the afternoon, each about an hour; guides speak several languages, very convenient. The Imperial Palace is large, including the East Gardens and Outer Gardens; walking can be a bit tiring.
Office district: high-end business buildings, boutique shops near Tokyo Station.
Tokyo Station: European style.
Best photo spots at several locations, but also very crowded. The staircase photo spot has many people and requires queuing.
Ginza: gathering place for luxury brands.
Ginza Bairin (pork cutlet and tempura): need to queue if late; the pork cutlet is really delicious and tender.
Afterwards, went around Shinjuku.
Game arcade: very popular; men and women, young and old are playing.
【Keio Bus Reservation】Shinjuku - Lake Yamanaka: 2,600 yen/person; Shinjuku - Kawaguchiko: 2,200 yen/person. In peak season, you must buy tickets online in advance; on-site tickets may be sold out.
【Shinjuku Highway Bus Terminal】Exit Shinjuku Station South Exit; on the 4th floor of the NEWoMan shopping mall.
Bus to Kawaguchiko is at Platform B5.
Yamanakako Asahigaoka Station
Yamanakako Swan Boat. Because the Kaba Bus (amphibious bus) only has 40 seats and was fully booked, I could only take the Swan Boat. There were very few people on the Swan Boat.
The bus from Yamanakako to Oshino Hakkai stops right outside Mori no Station. Buses are infrequent, about once an hour; check the schedule in advance.
🎈 The Fujikko-go bus that tours Fujiyoshida, Oshino Hakkai, and Lake Yamanaka (⏰ 12:06 departure)
🎈 Gotemba Premium Outlet ~ Gotemba Station ~ Kawaguchiko Station A1 line (‼️ 11:07, 12:07 departures)
Maruten (tofu, hotpot, soba noodles): specialty is spring water tofu eaten with salt, soba noodles, and carp sashimi; I didn't dare to eat it.
【Oshino Village Tourist Information Center】located about a 2-minute walk from Oshino Hakkai Bus Stop.
📌 Oshino Hakkai: Waku-ike, Nigo-ike, Kagami-ike, Choshi-ike, Shobu-ike, Sokonuke-ike, Okama-ike, Deguchi-ike, Naka-ike. There are eight ponds plus one man-made pond (Naka-ike). Most tourists only visit seven; Sokonuke-ike requires an additional fee, and Deguchi-ike is a 20-minute walk away and not very interesting, so it's usually skipped. Visit time: about 1-2 hours.
Specialty shop: Purple Flower Beans.
【Kawaguchiko Tenjozan Park】
Queue for the ropeway about 20 minutes; you can buy tickets on-site. Unfortunately, there were too many clouds that day and we couldn't see Mount Fuji. 🎫 Round trip 900 yen, one way 500 yen; last descent at 16:00.
🚠 Ticket office: 📍 1163-1 Asakawa, Fujikawaguchiko-machi
Main spots: 📍 Observation Deck 📍 Tanuki Tea House 📍 Swing 📍 Tenjo Bell.
At 5 PM, the clouds finally parted a little, and we saw the top of Mount Fuji.
In the evening, took the bus back to Shinjuku; there was some traffic delay (half an hour late), then went to Shibuya.
Statue of Hachiko: queuing to take a photo with Hachiko.
Shibuya Station has five exits: Hachiko Exit, Central Exit, South Exit, New South Exit, and East Exit. The Hachiko Exit is particularly crowded. The world-famous bronze statue of Hachiko is located at the Hachiko Exit.
If you want to enjoy the scramble crossing properly, you can go to the Starbucks in the QFRONT building, buy a drink, and go to the second floor, but it's very crowded and you need to queue to enter Starbucks.
Behind Hachiko Square is Shibuya Center-gai, the main pedestrian street in the area, passing through Shibuya's main shopping, entertainment, and retail districts. Running parallel to Shibuya Center-gai is Dogenzaka, another main street with more large shopping malls, restaurants, and some of Tokyo's best nightclubs. Nearby there are many other small commercial areas, such as the love hotel district Love Hill and Spain-zaka (Spain Hill), which is named for its resemblance to the winding Spanish steps, with small shops and restaurants everywhere.
Akihabara to Yokohama: you can take the Keihin-Tohoku Line directly.
Yokohama in the morning has few people.
Iseyama Kotai Shrine
Chinatown (Yokohama Mazu Temple / Yokohama Daisekai / Kantei-byo)
Egg yolk taro balls: 500 yen for 2.
Entertainment facilities: Floors 1-3 are free to enter, with souvenir shops, cafes, foot massage, fortune telling, etc. Floors 4-8 are an art museum, requiring admission.
📌 When visiting the Landmark Tower 69F Sky Garden, show the ticket stub of the Nippon Maru ship museum to get a discount on admission. (Adult: 1,000 yen → 700 yen)
📌 When visiting the Nippon Maru ship museum, show the Sky Garden ticket stub to get a discount on admission. (Adult: 300 yen → 250 yen)
Cheap and delicious gyudon (beef rice bowl): 550-570 yen per serving.
Elephant's Trunk Park (象の鼻防波堤)
