Japan’s Coolest Road Trip? Hokkaido!
Welcome to Hokkaido! We left the New Chitose airport with our rental car and went straight to our first stop, Furano! What a nice way to start off, among fields of flowers! Hokkaido is filled with flowers throughout the summer months. We will try to find as many flowers as we can during our drive across Hokkaido! Hokkaido is filled with many national parks and beautiful landscapes. Let’s see them! The map shows that some fields are still growing. It is still early summer. Howdy Y’all! This lavender field will be beautiful soon! This crow is having a snack. The greenhouse is a cute spot for photos. Don’t you just love all the flowers? We need lavender ice cream to cool off! Up next, melons! So many melons. It’s perfectly ripened, just the right sweetness. Cheese factory, now we’re talking! I can already tell this is going to be good. Let’s have some samples! First is the squid ink cheese. Creamy. This next one tastes similar, but is white. This is a more sharp flavor, nice way to end the samples. Fresh Hokkaido milk! Now for some lunch. Pizza with fresh cheese sounds delicious! We just have to figure out this machine. It’s beautiful. We went with the mushroom pizza. This hits the spot! Now we need ice cream made with fresh milk. Very interesting flavors. We felt adventurous and ordered Asparagus and Carrot! It tastes like sweet creamy soup. The sun is getting low in the sky, let’s keep moving. The pond is blue from the aluminum minerals in the water. This is a nice place to take photos, but not much else to see. It must get busy later in the summer. Let’s see one more sight while we still have sunlight. What a view! Now let’s leave the valley and drive into the mountains. We will be driving to the city of Kamikawa. What a beautiful sunset. The terrain is beginning to become more difficult. We arrived safely. The hotel is very large! There are multiple onsens, both indoor and outdoor. But first let’s eat! After relaxing, the next day we went looking for adventure. What a fun cable car. It’s not too busy, this is nice. This is the northernmost lift in Japan! We are climbing Mount Kuro. We are up high now! The views are beautiful. Let’s see what’s on the other side. There are some trails nearby. Up here the air is so fresh. The birds are so nice to listen to. Another lift. This must be nice for skiing in the winter. On top of the world! We were so excited to see snow in the summer. Since it was very warm in Fukuoka. Unfortunately this trail was closed. Let’s explore this hut. Cute mountain animals. The balcony is a nice place to sit and enjoy the views. We had a snack and then it began raining lightly. It would be nice to visit in each season. During which season would you visit? Fun little hikes and nice views. This was a fun stop, but let’s keep moving. We stop in one more store on the way out. There are many Ainu carvings and stuffed animals. This seems like a nice book to read. You have to collect your stamp! Perfect form! This local honey looks delicious! Onigiri time! Let’s visit the shrine next door. It’s quiet and a nice place to enjoy the nearby nature. What a cute town. Bubbles are floating in the air. Mysterious. This is an easy and fun stop. Taking in the views before heading back on the road. So many stacked rocks. The water is very fast. It is interesting to see these old style stuffed animals. What a fun store. So much to see. The shop keeper is offering us mushroom tea! That shopping worked up our appetite. Fresh strawberry ice cream! Now we drive to the north shore of the island, to the Sea of Okhotsk. Keep your eyes open for wildlife by the road! We descend from the mountains as we move towards the coast. We spotted these lupines on the side of the road and had to stop! We made it with the sun still up! There is a squirrel home! We are in the private wing of the hotel for the suites. It’s a long walk to the room, but so cool! We love the traditional room. And our own massage chair! And of course the private onsen! Let’s get our stamps. This is serious business. Focus….focus…. We didn’t want to leave the resort, but we had to get back on the road the next morning. There is supposed to be a hill covered in pink flowers nearby. This is all that is left. The bloom was one week earlier. We just missed it. A pink tori gate is still pretty cool though. All of this would be bright pink. We will have to come back! We have a long day of driving, let’s get some coffee. The pink flower park is near the coast. We will visit the Lake Mashu crater lake. Then drive through the national park. The weather is unpredictable up here. It’s very foggy with little visibility. The rain stopped! We can see the lake! The lake water is so still and clear. These are marimo! Moss balls from the volcano lake! Watch out for wildlife! It’s a cute fox! This is a difficult drive through the national park. Very dangerous in low visiblity. We made it safely to the next spot. This is a cool resort. Now let’s eat! We feasted on uni, sweet shrimp, octopus, and desserts. The next morning, we had the resort to ourselves. Such a peaceful place to be. Let’s enjoy our Hokkaido strawberries and milk. This resort is popular for skiing in the winter. In the summer it’s a comfortable way to enjoy nature. With many restaurants on site! Let’s go eat some meat! Big restaurant, but we’re the only ones! A feast with a view! We love cooking our own food. Listen to that sizzle. This was so good! Let’s go for a much needed stroll. Hello are you stuck? It just wants the grass it can’t reach! Team work makes the dream work. What a cool place to relax. Let’s try the cafe. Sandwiches, baked goods, and ice cream. Delicous! We got cheesecake, milk pudding, ice creams, and iced coffee. This is a great spot to enjoy the views! We relaxed here before leaving. The resort was starting to get crowded! We are leaving at the perfect time. The final drive is to Sapporo! Only a few hours. There is a summer festival with a parade in the street! This is something we love about Japan, rich culture everywhere! The float is pulled by rope. With live performers playing traditional songs. The parade goes through the streets toward the shrine. This was quite the experience! This oyster bar is so cool. Very chill vibe. The oysters here are amazing! Our last day, let’s enjoy the city. So much fresh seafood. It’s not too busy actually. Pretty easy to walk around. This spot looks promising. Izakaya style. And we have the place to ourselves! What will we eat… Oysters!! And of course sashimi. The sweet shrimp is so good too. It will be nice to wash down the food with something sweet. Boba! We love all of the shopping streets here. Perfect for a walk! We can’t resist these strawberries. What a beautiful day to relax and think about our trip across Hokkaido. Such a cool part of Japan. Amazing views and food! We can’t wait to be back!
Captions on for commentary.
Join us on an unforgettable 1 week road trip across Hokkaido, Japan! 🇯🇵🚗
In this video, we explore the unseen side of Japan’s northernmost island, from stunning flower fields in Furano to breathtaking mountain views in Kamikawa, scenic national parks, and the remote coast of the Sea of Okhotsk.
✨ What you’ll see:
🌸 Colorful flower fields & lavender ice cream in Furano
🍈 Juicy melons & artisan cheeses
🏞️ Mount Kuro cable car ride & panoramic views
🌊 The magical Blue Pond & crater lakes like Lake Mashu
🦊 Encounters with Hokkaido wildlife (foxes, squirrels, and more)
🛀 Luxurious onsens & private resorts
🍣 Fresh seafood, sushi, and oysters in Sapporo
🎎 Local festivals, Ainu culture, and traditional shrines
Why visit Hokkaido?
If you love natural beauty, delicious food, and off-the-beaten-path adventures, Hokkaido is a dream destination. Whether it’s flower festivals in summer, powder snow in winter, or colorful foliage in autumn — there’s something for every season.
👉 Timestamps:
0:00 Furano flower fields
3:00 Melons & cheese factory
7:00 Blue pond & waterfall
9:35 Kamikawa & Mount Kuro
12:30 Mountaintop hikes
17:00 Ainu crafts & shrine visit
19:00 Ryusei Waterfalls
22:30 Private onsen resort
24:00 Flower fields & crater lakes
26:35 Hoshino Resorts Tomamu
32:00 Sapporo summer festival & city eats
36:00 Reflections on the trip
🎥 Filmed in early summer — stay tuned for future seasonal videos!
👍 Like, subscribe, and comment: Have you visited Hokkaido? What season would YOU choose?
#HokkaidoRoadTrip #JapanTravel #UnseenJapan #HokkaidoSummer #TravelVlog #Furano #Sapporo #JapaneseFood #Onsen #NatureLovers
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