Visiting the Island that changed the way I travel to Japan π―π΅ Hokkaido Road trip Part 1
14,125. That’s how many islands make up Japan. Out of all those, only 206 are actually inhabited. The biggest one is Honu, home to cities like Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. If you head a bit south, you’ll find Kyushu, with cities you might have heard of like Fukoka or Nagasaki. Go even further down and you’ll reach Japan’s southernmost region, Okinawa. A paradise with landscapes that look nothing like the classic image of Japan that you probably have in your head. But in this video, we’re heading north to Hokkaido. It’s Japan’s second largest island, and its landscapes also break all the stereotypes about the country. But trust me, that doesn’t make them any less breathtaking. On top of that, this region is way less touristy, so you get to experience a totally different, super aesthetic side of Japan. If you’re in the mood to skip the crowds, avoid the overdone tourist spots, and dive into nature, a stunning scenery, delicious food, and more relaxed vibes, then come along with us to discover Hokkaido. Before we get rolling, quick intro in case you’re new here. This is Alex. I’m Anna. And we love traveling and making videos about it, especially in Japan. Oh, and we also organize personalized trips to Japan, which is basically the perfect excuse for us to keep coming back and exploring lesserk known spots that are totally worth it. If you want us to plan your trip, we’ll leave our contact info in the description. You’ll also find all the links to the places we mentioned down there. And if you have any questions, just drop them in the comments. We’ll do our best to help. All we ask in return is that if you’re enjoying or finding this video helpful, you hit that subscribe button for us. You know how every YouTuber says that it helps a ton. Well, they’re not lying. And only about 15% of people who watch our videos are subscribed. So, if you subscribed, drop a comment and give this video a like. It really means the world to us. All right, so that’s my little promodon. So, let’s get into the video. We actually took this trip almost a year ago in September 2024. And honestly, I really didn’t want to go to Hokkaido at first. It just wasn’t calling to me, but it was Alex’s birthday and he wanted to go, so we went. And yeah, it turns out I was wrong. Alex was right. Hokkaido is amazing. If you’re visiting Japan in summer, it’s one of the few parts of the country I can recommend without hesitation because it doesn’t get nearly as hot as the rest of the country. You can get to Hokkaido by train from Tokyo if you’re heading to the south of the island in the city of Hakodate or by plane like us if you want to start further north in Chitos airport. Hokkaido is huge and while there are trains, we think that renting a car is way more convenient and that’s what we did. Our route took us to Neko, then along the coast, past Cape Camui, up to Sahikawa to see flower farms, then to see the farms and flowers in VA, the volcano in Purano, and finally ending the capital, Saporo. Yes, Saporo, like the beer. We spent a week in total, but in this vlog, we are going to tell you about our first few days in Isco and Cape Camo. So, let’s go. She said she couldn’t believe how waste my time is. mentality isn’t a thing that I miss. Heat. Heat. Heat. Cigarettes you I can’t be so close. It’s the same every time you are frozen like we are finally inco. We are already in the room. We checked in in the hotel and we are in the room. It’s been a very um it’s been a very long trip. I can’t I can barely speak. I’m very tired. And yes, so we flew 12 and 1/2 hours from Germany to Haneda. Then we had a layover there about 2 hours. We didn’t know if we were going to be able to fly because of the typhoon that it that was coming to Tokyo from the south of Japan, but we finally made it with a little delay. And then we flew from Haneda to Chitos airport that is in the east side of Hokkaido around the middle of the island. And from Titos we had to take a car which took longer than expected. It was about an hour because we had to take a bus to the car rental place. Although we thought it was in the at the airport. So if you’re going to come, think that it’s going to take about an hour. And then we drove 2 hours from Titos to Ono. It was a good drive. It was really beautiful, a very scenic drive because there are a lot of deers and the mountains and the tree and it was beautiful. The weather was also nice. So, well, it was a long trip, but a good trip. But now we are finally here. And if you don’t know about MCO, I didn’t know about it before um we came here. It is very famous because of ski because it has very good powder snow. So people that ski love it and it is really popular in the winter. But now in the summer it is low season and there are also a lot of things to do apparently. Uh we’ll discover it in the next couple of days. But there are a lot of things to do. There’s nature, the mountains, there are little hikes and there are farms around. You can also golf if you do golf. And it’s very popular for um bike. I don’t know how it’s called to go with a bike in the mountains um in English, but yeah, it’s pretty popular. Uh you can do a lot of activities. So that’s what we are going to do in the next days. But today we are going to focus on the onen. Um NO is also very popular because of the spring waters. So, that’s what we are going to do today. We are going to go to the spa uh and enjoy the rest of the evening and then we’ll probably go for dinner and call it a day because we are very exa exhausted. I hope you can understand what I just said, but I filmed three times and I can barely speak. So, yeah, hopefully the rest of the vlog I will be more fluent in English. But yes, I’ll take you with me during the whole trip and let’s see how it goes. Heat. Heat. Good morning. It’s the second day in MCO for us and today we have a lot of activities planned. We woke up pretty early because of jet luck at about 5:00 a.m. We had uh lunch. We had breakfast in our room and now we’re going to go out and we are going to go first to see the mount jet and do a little hike around it. Then we’re going to go with the gondola to the mountains up to the mountains. And for lunch, we are going to go to a farmer to a farm that is famous for its dairy products. And after that, we’re going to drive to a lake that is in a natural park about a 1 hour drive from LCO and then come back and probably we will uh spend the rest of the day at the spa. So that’s it for today. Come with us and we’ll show you. From the early warmth of May to the biting cold from the early warmth of May. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. So we are now headed to the gondola. Um the hotel give us free tickets. So, we are going to go and go up to the mountains. I’m not sure what we can do there, but I think the the view is going to be beautiful because we were very lucky. And as you can see here, it’s not cloudy, so we can see the mountain. So, let’s go. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Hey. Heat. Heat. And now we are going to go grab lunch. It’s a little bit early, but after that, well, the car. Um, so yes, it’s a little bit early, but after that, we want to go to a lake that it’s uh about 1 hour driving and yeah, we’re going to go to a farm. Um, I think they make cheese and dairy products. So, let’s see how it is. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. So, we’re back in the car. We had lunch and we went to the coffee shop. We bought coffee because now it’s time to sleep in Europe and yet luck is hitting us hard and Alex has to drive for about 1 hour. 1 hour. And we also bought some sweets in the shop cuz they also have like a chocolate sweet shop or I don’t know how to describe it. And we bought some sweets and some presents for the family. And now we are going to drive to the lake. Bolts of lightning pouring rain crescent moon has taken itself far away to lay down. One more lazy dream. I can’t sleep. used could you and me we was thicker than blood but the sky got inside me. I still hear the words you told me. baby going to be so lonely when I’m gone. But it isn’t true. I was just as lonely with you. I guess I always will be. We’re at Toya Lake at the beach and we’ve been here for a while. It’s really beautiful and the day is gorgeous today. And yeah, we’ve been taking some pictures. This lake, I think I said it before, but it’s like an hour from NCO. It’s to the east and it’s a natural park, a national natural park. And today is Sunday and the weather is really nice. So, it’s full of families that came here to spend the day. And there’s a little beach where you can do um paddles or no, that’s not the name in English. Standing up paddle. I don’t know. I’ll write the name in the screen. The thing is that there are a lot of families and people are swimming and I really wish I would have uh brought a swimsuit because it’s really hot and I would really like to swim. But now we are going to drive back to the hotel because we have reservations for the espa. So that’s it. Let’s go. So here we go again. We’re going for dinner. Let’s see what’s open today. Yo, you me crazy like no one else moment before I lose myself. It’s no use working. Dancing through the night. Stay up until the morning. Stay up until the morning. Good morning. We just checked out from our hotel in Isco. We are leaving the town. I’m a bit sad because we really liked it. And now we’re going to drive along the coast up to Otaro. We’re going to make some stops. The first is Cape Camo. And in the afternoon we will drive to Wasahawa, which is our next stop. So hope you I minded my own business till the day you took me home. You came into my life like a sweet embrace. Swept me off my feet and made me whole again. You came in my life. I want to see your face. Never will I be be the same again. Well, I thought I knew what life was all about. That song had already been sung. I was going on, still minding my own business. Never knew that life had just begun. You came into my life like a sweet embrace. Swept me off my feet and made me whole again. You came in my life. I want to see your face. Never will I be feel be the same again. I want to see your face again. Or let me see your face again. I’m far from being satisfied. I have to see your face again. Oh, let me see your face again. And take me to the place we first met. It came into my life like a sweet embrace. Swept me off my face and made me whole again. You came in my life. I want to see your face. Never will I be be the same again. be the same again. I know it’s nothing new, but it’s so good to see you. We do this every day and I’m still so amazed by you. So hold me tight through the night. It’s just us. I can’t believe you love me. Oh, I hope it never ends. Let’s be more than friends. You know I’m here to stay every single day. We had a coffee and now we are going to drive to Evok. It’s just us two. Me and you. Can’t believe you love me. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Ding ding ding. The weather wasn’t the best, so we decided that instead of doing any more stops, we would drive directly to Asakiwa, which was where we were going to spend the night before going to create on Furano the next day. But we will show you all about that in the next video. If you like this one, please don’t forget to subscribe, give us a like cuz it really help us and leave a comment. We would love to read what you thought about this video and if you could give us some feedback. Thank you so much for watching the video and see you in the next one. Ciao.
Come with me on a super chill summer road trip around Hokkaido, Japan β hitting some of the most beautiful spots like Niseko, Furano, Biei, Cape Kamui and Sapporo. What made this trip really special is that there were almost no tourists around β it felt super authentic, calm, and local.
π In this first part, ee drove through rolling hills in Niseko, explored the dramatic coastline at Cape Kamui and Ebisu Rock. After seeing the crowds in Niseko, it honestly felt like having Hokkaido all to ourselves.
If youβre looking for Hokkaido travel inspiration, thinking about a Japan road trip, or just want to see what itβs like to explore Japan without the crowds, this vlog is for you.
πΏ Expect lots of landscapes, slow travel vibes, and a taste of the real Hokkaido.
Donβt forget to like & subscribe if you want more Japan travel vlogs, and drop a comment if youβve ever been to Hokkaido (or want to go)!
β¨LET US ORGANISE YOUR TRIP!β¨
If you need help organising your trip to Japan, we can help you. Fill in this quick form and we will contact you! The first session is free: π https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfgkO8q_afucwlEnTroGa9o-T3K8THIA51DDkAvnA6-LtZkkA/viewform?usp=header
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Alex: https://instagram.com/movewithalejandro?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Ana: https://instagram.com/sol.travel.guides?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
π Links
Day 0:
– Cena: https://maps.app.goo.gl/KDpRgfLJsowzXeeN7
Day 1:
– Lake Hangetsu Nature Park(dΓ³nde hacemos senderismo): https://maps.app.goo.gl/Th3JQQhoejTrUJPV9
– GΓ³ndola: https://maps.app.goo.gl/8PDyqpw5zqcZxruA7
– FarmNiseko: https://maps.app.goo.gl/tc6SYkLobsAwu2qa6
– LakeToya: https://maps.app.goo.gl/xE7Ks1WJSViKzB6h8
– Izakaya: https://maps.app.goo.gl/nJzB9Bog88MS4Zfe7
Day 3:
– Cape Kamui: https://maps.app.goo.gl/q8eSQvcNPAa4L6NS7
– Shimamui Coast: https://maps.app.goo.gl/pZPsRmeYZYf8Rqg69
– Kamui Farm: https://maps.app.goo.gl/v5peGNWJkd1aZhvP6
– Ebisu Rock: https://maps.app.goo.gl/6u1rkC8UKT14yeSg6
– Sushi: https://maps.app.goo.gl/dnHK8m6ibpARBNKF8
00:00 Intro
03:20 How to get to Hokkaido?
07:40 Dinner in Niseko
08:03 Hike in Niseko
11:51 Gondola and Mount Yotei views
14:31 Niseko Farm & lunch
17:22 Lake Toya
20:20 Dinner Izakaya Niseko
21:17 Wake up Day 2
22:35 Cape Kamui
24:18 Shimamui Coast
25:00 Kamui Farm and lovely casts
26:29 Ebisu Rock & sushi
1 Comment
Outside of touristy Japan but all the landscapes are very cool.