Hokkaido help. Train?Drive?

[faustz]

Hi guys,

Will be going to Hokkaido in Mid May with a group of 4. It will be our first time visiting Hokkaido, Sorta in a midst of planning and so far only confirmed going to Sapporo & Asahikawa.

Got a few questions that i need help with and hopefully will receive some replies

Is Furano / Biei flower gardens open and worth going in mid may?

Any recommended Hotspring resort to stay in?

Is Lake Toya worth going to?

& lastly, if we were going to all these places is it more worth to drive or to take trains?

Thanks for any replies!

 

[Chiron]

For grp of 4, self drive recommended. More worth it. Lake toya not worth the time, in my own opinion. Otaru is a must for place.

???????? | SOUP CURRY KING

And finally, u must try the sapporo curry soup, fantastic taste. Even if u dun like curry, u must try it. I dun like curry, but it's absolutely the best I hv eaten in my life

 

[Chiron]

For the curry, it's v spicy. For normal tolerance, three chilli stars more than enough. Any higher is super spicy

 

[faustz]

thanks for the reply

 

[touchme]

Tot hkd shd be best seen with snow?

 

[evilerniex]

Tot hkd shd be best seen with snow?

not necessary... different seasons offer different things to see. for example, u can go during may-june for sakura, tulip and pink moss; july-august for lavendar and sunflower

 

[James Tang]

To me, lake Toya is definitely worth going. Provided you will be going to Hakodate as it is somewhere in the middle (meaning on the way).

The good thing about Toya, besides the lake itself, is the Showa Shinsan live volcano site. There's is a gondola up and the view is fantastic. It is just less than 15min by taxi from Lake Toya side.

 

[tomicaguy]

Can visit Noboribetsu too.

 

[faustz]

thanks for all the replies so far.

What hotels would you recommend for Sapporo & Asahikawa that has 4beds a room or connecting rooms? Am thinking of Sapporo Aspen Hotel

Is Noboribetsu the hotspring town? Any particular recommended place to stay there? Or will a day trip be good enough?

 

[faustz]

does any1 know how long a drive it is from Jozankei to Asahikawa?

 

[toshiro_sg]

thought hokkaido is experiencing blizzard snow storm now, is it recommend to drive now?

 

[faustz]

Will be going in May hopefully not a snow storm season

 

[ralliart_ray]

Will be going in May hopefully not a snow storm season

If May still snow storm then seriously where is the spring?

 

[Chiron]

does any1 know how long a drive it is from Jozankei to Asahikawa?

About 45mins from Jozankei (hot spring town) to Sapporo and from Sapporo to Asahikawa about 2.5hrs. And the 2.5hrs my car speed is average 130kmh. It is quite a distance.

For best hot spring experience, go to Noboribetsu (hell valley). However it is located further away from Sapporo.

Afterall Hokkaido is a big island

 

[Chiron]

To me, lake Toya is definitely worth going. Provided you will be going to Hakodate as it is somewhere in the middle (meaning on the way).

The good thing about Toya, besides the lake itself, is the Showa Shinsan live volcano site. There's is a gondola up and the view is fantastic. It is just less than 15min by taxi from Lake Toya side.

I did not try the gondola hence did not see the view from high up hehe. Nothing much around the lake, except farms (fresh apples) etc

 

[faustz]

Hello again! Got a few more questions i needa ask. Thanks for any replies!

Can any1 reccomend a good outdoor hotspring at Jozankei Hotsprings ?

I will be staying next to Asahikawa Stn and renting a car for the stay there, issit possible/ recommendable to go to The Asahiyama Zoo and Takinoue Pink Moss Park on the same day?

What about driving from Asahikawa stn to Biei pass Patchwork Road/Panorama road to Furano Cheese Factory and to Tomita Farm Nakafurano on the same day?

Thanks!

 

[cheefarn]

Hello again! Got a few more questions i needa ask. Thanks for any replies!

Can any1 reccomend a good outdoor hotspring at Jozankei Hotsprings ?

I will be staying next to Asahikawa Stn and renting a car for the stay there, issit possible/ recommendable to go to The Asahiyama Zoo and Takinoue Pink Moss Park on the same day?

What about driving from Asahikawa stn to Biei pass Patchwork Road/Panorama road to Furano Cheese Factory and to Tomita Farm Nakafurano on the same day?

Thanks!

IMO, while Jozankei env are nice.... any onsen provided by your hotel is good enough for us foreigners... esp if the hotel also offers outdoor onsens. There's no real need to go all the way to Jozankei to enjoy the onsen

Its possible to cover the zoo and pink moss park on the same day, but it is quite a rush as the distance is quite vast. Although you need considerable time in each venue to really enjoy the sights... I won't do 45 min tour in each venue just to beat the clock like many packaged tour groups do...

Your 3rd iternery is much better though. Although if it is a Free and Easy tour, I'd recommend spending a night in Furano just to make sure you dont rush through the attractions.

 

[dl]

About 45mins from Jozankei (hot spring town) to Sapporo and from Sapporo to Asahikawa about 2.5hrs. And the 2.5hrs my car speed is average 130kmh. It is quite a distance.

For best hot spring experience, go to Noboribetsu (hell valley). However it is located further away from Sapporo.

Afterall Hokkaido is a big island

130kmh? you might run into quite a bit of trouble if the police are present...
Best to stick to the speed limits in Japan and enjoy the scenery!

But Sapporo to Asahikawa is about 2 hours at below the speed limit...
since the distance is about 130KM (shorter than Singapore to Malacca)

 

[cheefarn]

130kmh? you might run into quite a bit of trouble if the police are present...
Best to stick to the speed limits in Japan and enjoy the scenery!

But Sapporo to Asahikawa is about 2 hours at below the speed limit...
since the distance is about 130KM (shorter than Singapore to Malacca)

I agree. Well I will find out in 3 weeks time if it is true haha

But I read Jap highway police are very efficent and they seems to be everywhere even on the most deserted parts highway... so unless you've got alot of money to burn to pay for their speeding ticket... or you managed to rent a Nissan 370z or GTR in Hokkaido, please dont speed in Hokkaido...FYI, Japan highway police cars are mostly Toyota Crowns and Nissan Fuga, both are 3.5L V6 cars... can't possibly outrun them with your low end Axio 1.5 rental cars...

their highway speed limit is at 100km/h... so pls try to stay at that speed. Anyway, those super light JDM cars eg Axio, Fit etc will ride quite trashy at 130km/h

 

[faustz]

Thanks for the replies!

It is a free and easy self planned trip, unfortunately we have alrdy booked our hotel at asahikawa beside the station. Would any 1 recommend an alternate destination besides takinoe pink moss park that we can visit on the same day as the zoo trip?

Thanks!