Hokkaido: Stop and Smell the Roses

Probably best known for its ski slopes in winter, Hokkaido has always been high on our list of must-go places, but we never could go at the right time (winter for snow, or summer for flowers). And although we could only go in late September this time, we booked the tickets anyway!

This was WJ’s parents’ first trip to Japan too, and there were some parts of the trip WJ and I went alone as they were tired after a long day out. We also did less walking in Hokkaido than we usually do on trips as we didn’t want them to spend all their energy on the journeys to attractions.

Where we went

Shikisai no Oka

We loved Shikisai no Oka! The colours, the flowers, the scenery was amazing and I was so tempted to run through the vibrant fields! But please don’t do that; it’s not allowed and you’ll destroy the flowers painstakingly planted by the gardeners!

It was not easy getting there with two elderlies by public transport though. There is a 30-minute walk from the nearest train station to Shikisai no Oka which was fine for us, but our parents were quite tired when we reached the flower garden that they spent most of the time in the gift shop instead of roaming the fields!

Farm Tomita

This was one of the reasons why we wanted to visit Hokkaido. The flowers at Farm Tomita were beautiful, but unfortunately, we were in the wrong season for lavender. We bought some lavender essential oils to make up for it though.
If you have time for only one flower garden, we preferred Shikisai no Oka as it felt more natural and spacious!

Shirahige Waterfall

The waterfall that leads to the river that leads to Shirogane Blue Pond. The water here was already crystal blue!

Fudo no Taki Waterfall

While walking from Shirahige Waterfall to Shirogane Blue Pond, we decided to take a short detour to another mini falls we spotted on Google Maps. There was nobody else there when we went in, and it was serene – a nice little space to refresh ourselves for the 45-minute walk.

Shirogane Blue Pond

What you see is really what you get – the water is so blue!

I advise going to the toilet before coming though, as there are only two cubicles there. And you might be unlucky enough to be there when it’s cleaning time.

Yurigahara Koen

I think it’s quite obvious what the main reason we wanted to visit Hokkaido was by now – flowers!

We took the Lily Train for an overview of Yurigahara park, and for a sense of where we should explore since we only had limited time there. It’s a little pricey at 360JPY each though! We wanted to visit the Conservatory too, but it was closed on Monday. Whoops!

Otaru

The city of Otaru was quite peaceful. It wasn’t swarming with people and we just strolled where we wanted to, popped into a couple of glass studios and shops, and visited the City Museum for an introduction to the history of Otaru.

We also played around trying to “create” fire in the museum, and tried the old-school games the Japanese used to play in the past.

Shiroi Koibito Park

How can you not visit Shiroi Koibito Park when in Sapporo?

It’s a mini theme park complete with upbeat music, plenty of photo-op sites and of course, gift stores with its famous chocolate and more! We spent quite a bit of money here on random souvenirs and chocolates to bring home for friends, family and ourselves.

The Sapporo Beer Garden & Museum

WJ was very excited to visit the beer garden, especially when there was a beer tasting session (where he learned to enjoy beer the “right” way). We joined the Sapporo Beer Museum tour where the guide spoke only in Japanese. But there were cards in different languages we could read so we weren’t completely lost.

Odori Park

It was bustling in Odori Park because of the autumn festival to say the least. It was literally jam-packed with people. There were never-ending food, ice-cream and craft beer stalls galore along the whole park!

Ramen Alley

Ramen! Lots of ramen! Ramen stalls in a row!

As you can tell, we had a heard time deciding which stall to try.

Sapporo Clock Tower

There’s a museum housed in the clock tower.

Sapporo Crab Market

No photos, but we saw hugeee crabs there!

Where we stayed at

We stayed at JR Inn in Sapporo, just a few-minutes walk to Sapporo station and plenty of eateries and convenience stores nearby. We also stayed at Hotel Tetora Spirit Sapporo, which although quite old, was quite near to Tanukikoji Shopping Street and Odori Park.

In Furano, we stayed at Smile Hotel Asahikawa which was a short walk away from Asahikawa train station and Aeon Mall. It’s also quite an old building, but it’s hard to beat the convenience and its price point. It’s also pretty easy to spot with the giant yellow smiley face on top of the building.

How much we spent

Item	Expenditure
Flight	$2,271.28
Accommodation	$1,557.37
Food	$870.97
Transport	$856.78
Attractions	$147.61
Miscellaneous	$756.49
Grand Total	$6,460.50

We spent a total of S$6,460.50 for the 4 of us over 8 days. Miscellaneous costs include souvenirs and gifts for friends and family.

We got the 5-day Hokkaido inter city bus passes for 9,000JPY (S$118.25) each and the Kitara IC card from Klook for S$26.72 each. It was more convenient with the pass and card while taking public transport!