Is it easy to get around Hokkaido?

Hokkaido is much larger than any other prefecture in Japan and you may have heard or been told that much of the region is only accessible by rental car. While traveling by car is a popular option, it is much easier than you might imagine to get around by public transport in Hokkaido!



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Hokkaido is underpopulated, so has huge empty spaces for walking. With mountains up to 2,100m, there is plenty of challenge. There is a huge selection of remarkable walks in Hokkaido, from demanding mountain climbs and long treks to meanders through gorgeous but gentler scenery.

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Travel to Hokkaido, Japan's gorgeous northernmost island, and you'll find spectacular scenery, incredible food, and friendly people!

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By train, it takes around eight hours from Tokyo. Take the JR Tohoku/Hokkaido Shinkansen from Tokyo to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto, then transfer to the Hokuto limited express to Sapporo. There are also some inexpensive long-distance ferries from Honshu to ports outside of Sapporo.

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With its exceptional fall foliage found all around the island, autumn is one of the best seasons to visit Hokkaido. The weather stays pleasant through September, but nights start to get chilly from mid to late October. Leather, fleece, or thick denim jackets are a must during these months.

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You can easily spend the whole of 3 weeks solely on Hokkaido for a more in-depth exploration. Your time of visit is good for autumn foliage in central and southern Hokkaido. Start in Sounkyo during early Oct and work down south via Biei and Furano to Sapporo and Otaru.

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Hokkaido has had a different history from that of the rest of Japan. In sharp contrast to Japan's mainland, where a farming-based culture thrived from early on, Hokkaido maintained Jomon culture characterized by hunting and fishing until about 2,000 years ago, which was then followed by Ainu culture.

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Languages spoken The Ainu language (spoken in Hokkaido) is critically endangered as a language, and only 15 people identified as speaking in in the late 1990s. Korean is spoken by 0.5% Population and Chinese about 0.2%. Some people may speak English in the major cities but it's not a given.

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Hokkaido daily travel costs – a summary This brings us to around 19,000 – 36,000 yen per day, depending on where you stay, what you decided to eat, and the activities that you may want to do each day.

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According to Expatisan, the cost of living in Sapporo is significantly cheaper than in Tokyo at 18%. The main contributor to this is housing costs, which are 47% cheaper in Sapporo than in Tokyo.

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The relaxed, cool and spacious vibe of Hokkaido contrasts so differently to the hustle and bustle of Japan's megacity capital. Hokkaido frequently tops the charts for the most attractive prefecture in Japan — scoring 73.4 in 2021 on the Regional Brand Survey — in comparison, Tokyo scored fourth, with 47.5.

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Being on the northernmost island of Hokkaido, Sapporo isn't really a walkable option in the winter (with the exception of the Snow Festival each February). But in the summer, while the rest of Japan swelters in the heat and humidity, Sapporo and Hokkaido are very attractive options.

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