8-Day Hokkaido Summer: Lavender Fields, Furano, Biei & Shiretoko National Park

Tour Overview

Itinerary Highlights

Day 1: Arrive Sapporo

Welcome to Hokkaido! Airport pickup. Evening visit to the Sapporo TV Tower for city views. Ramen Alley for miso ramen — Hokkaido’s signature dish. Overnight in Sapporo.

Day 2: Furano & Biei — Rainbow Fields

Drive to the heart of Hokkaido’s flower country. Farm Tomita — the iconic lavender farm with its rainbow flower stripes stretching to the horizon. Biei Blue Pond — an otherworldly turquoise pond framed by white birch trees. Patchwork Road — rolling hills with colorful crop mosaics. Shikisai no Oka — panoramic flower gardens with the Tokachi Mountains as backdrop. Overnight in Furano/Asahikawa.

Day 3: Asahikawa & Daisetsuzan

Morning at Asahiyama Zoo — famous for its penguin walk and polar bear underwater viewing. Afternoon: Daisetsuzan National Park — Hokkaido’s largest national park. Take the ropeway up Mount Asahidake (2,291m, Hokkaido’s highest peak) for alpine flowers and volcanic steam vents. Overnight near Sounkyo Onsen.

Day 4: Shiretoko — UNESCO Wilderness

Drive east to the Shiretoko Peninsula (UNESCO) — one of Japan’s last true wildernesses. Cruise along the Shiretoko coast to spot brown bears, eagles, and seals. Walk the Shiretoko Five Lakes boardwalk with stunning mountain and sea views. Overnight at Utoro Onsen with ocean-view hot springs.

Day 5: Shiretoko to Lake Toya

Scenic drive south. Pass through dairy farm country. Arrive at Lake Toya — a caldera lake with Mount Yotei (“Hokkaido’s Fuji”) on the horizon. Afternoon: Lake Toya cruise and the lakeside hot spring foot bath. Evening: nightly fireworks over the lake (April-October). Overnight at Lake Toya Onsen.

Day 6: Noboribetsu — Hell Valley

Morning at Lake Toya. Visit the Showashinzan active volcano and bear park. Drive to Noboribetsu Onsen — Hokkaido’s most famous hot spring town. Walk Jigokudani (Hell Valley) — steaming volcanic vents, sulfurous streams, and bubbling mud pools. Soak in 9 different types of therapeutic hot spring water. Overnight at Noboribetsu Onsen.

Day 7: Otaru Canal & Return to Sapporo

Drive to Otaru — romantic canal city with preserved Meiji-era warehouses. Walk the canal path, visit the Music Box Museum, and sample fresh seafood at Sankaku Market. Return to Sapporo. Afternoon free for last-minute shopping at Tanukikoji Arcade. Farewell Hokkaido seafood dinner. Overnight in Sapporo.

Day 8: Depart Sapporo

Morning visit to the Sapporo Central Wholesale Market for the famous uni (sea urchin) and ikura (salmon roe) donburi breakfast. Airport transfer. Safe travels!

Inclusions

• 7 nights accommodation (city hotels + onsen ryokans)
• Daily breakfast + 5 dinners (kaiseki at ryokans)
• Private vehicle with English-speaking driver-guide
• Farm Tomita, Asahiyama Zoo, Shiretoko cruise, Noboribetsu entry
• Daisetsuzan ropeway

Why Hokkaido Summer

• Cool summer escape — average 20-25°C while Tokyo swelters
• Furano lavender rivals Provence
• Shiretoko — Japan’s most pristine wilderness, brown bears in the wild
• World-class onsens with volcanic landscapes