It is an island surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Japan, and the Sea of Okhotsk.
It is an island located in the northernmost part of the Japanese archipelago, and this island is one prefecture.
The area is the largest in Japan, accounting for about 22.1% of Japan's area.
This has a larger area than the two islands of Kyushu and Shikoku combined, which is almost the same area as Austria.
The map of Hokkaido is as follows.
Hokkaido can be roughly divided into four areas: "Central Hokkaido" where the prefectural office is located in Sapporo, "Northern Hokkaido" in the northern area, "Eastern Hokkaido" in the eastern area, and "Southern Hokkaido" in the southern area.
The charm of Hokkaido
Hokkaido is a very popular travel spot for Japanese people, as it has been ranked number one for 11 consecutive years as of 2019 in the "Prefecture Attractiveness Ranking" by the Japanese Brand Research Institute.
Because in the vast Hokkaido, which occupies about 22.1% of Japan's land, there are popular urban areas such as Sapporo, Hakodate, and Otaru, Shiretoko World Natural Heritage, Furano, where lavender fields are popular, Tomamu, where Unkai is a hot topic, and Saruyama Onsen. This is because there are many tourist spots such as the popular Yunokawa Onsen and Tobetsu Onsen, which is said to be a hot spring department store.
The food is delicious
Seafood
Hokkaido is surrounded by the sea, so there are plenty of seafood.
Horsehair crabs from the Sea of Okhotsk and sea urchins from Rebun Island and Shakotan Peninsula are famous as popular seafood.
You can also enjoy fresh seafood from all over Hokkaido at the seafood izakaya and conveyor belt sushi restaurants in Sapporo.
"Unidon" with lots of fresh sea urchin
Ramen
Sapporo's "Miso Ramen", which is very popular for its rich taste, "Soy Sauce Ramen" that combines Asahikawa's seafood and soy sauce soup stock, and "Shio Ramen" that is based on Hakodate's pork bones are also famous. It is called "Hokkaido's Three Great Ramen".
Rich taste "miso ramen"
Genghis Khan
"Genghis Khan" is a must-have for Hokkaido gourmet.
Genghis Khan is a grilled meat dish using lamb such as mutton and lamb.
It is a typical meat dish in Hokkaido, and there are many specialty stores.
Hokkaido's representative meat dish "Genghis Khan"
The foods introduced here are just a few of the Hokkaido gourmet foods.
There are still many delicious foods in Hokkaido.
Many Japanese people come to Hokkaido in search of the delicious food.
Vast scenery
Hokkaido, which boasts the largest area in Japan, has many tourist destinations where you can enjoy the vast landscape.
In Eastern Hokkaido, there is the Kushiro Wetland, which is the largest marshland in Japan and is famous as a habitat for many wildlife, including waterfowl such as Japanese cranes, which are designated as special natural monuments.
Northern Hokkaido is the northernmost land of Japan, and on a clear day there is "Cape Soya" where you can see the appearance of Russian Sakhalin.
In Central Hokkaido, the mysterious "Blue Pond" and the "Patchwork Road" where you can see the scenery of each season are all magnificent.
Feeling the magnificence of nature is one of the highlights of sightseeing in Hokkaido.
"Kushiro Wetland" illuminated by the setting sun
Abundant hot springs
Hokkaido is the prefecture with the highest number of hot springs in Japan.
There are also many hot springs where you can enjoy the magnificent scenery from the large public baths and open-air baths.
As particularly popular hot spring areas, "Noboribetsu Onsen", "Jozankei Onsen", and "Yunokawa Onsen" are said to be the three major hot springs in Hokkaido.
Noboribetsu Onsen
It is a hot spring resort that represents Hokkaido in terms of popularity.
It is a rare hot spring area in the world with a natural amount of 10,000 tons per day, a high temperature of 45 to 90 ° C, and nine types of hot springs, and is called a "hot spring department store".
The source of Noboribetsu Onsen
Jozankei Onsen
It is a hot spring resort located about 30km southwest of Sapporo, the prefectural capital of Hokkaido.
It is very popular as the back room of Sapporo, and many people enjoy hot springs on a day trip from Sapporo.
The quality of the spring is sodium chloride spring, and there are 56 sources.
Jozankei Onsen Hotel on the river
Yunokawa Onsen
It is a hot spring in Hakodate City, Southern Hokkaido.
Located along the coast, it is a hot spring town integrated with a residential area and a student area on the outer edge of the city.
Good quality powder snow ski paradise
The attraction of Hokkaido in winter is the best snow quality called "powder snow".
Skiers and snowboarders gather in Hokkaido from home and abroad in search of the quality of the snow.
One of the overwhelmingly popular ski resorts in Hokkaido is Niseko.
It is very popular with foreigners, and in winter it is crowded with many foreigners.
It is famous as a popular ski resort because it is a ski resort that can be enjoyed by beginners to advanced skiers and has a wide variety of courses because it is composed of four mountains.
In addition to "Niseko", there are plenty of high-quality powder snow ski resorts in Hokkaido, and there are many activities such as banana boating and dog sledding in addition to skiing and snowboarding, so be sure to visit Hokkaido in winter. Please enjoy powder snow.
Niseko's high quality powder snow
The articles introduced so far are only a part of the charm of Hokkaido.
Hokkaido is a treasure trove of wonderful charm.
Therefore, many Japanese also visit Hokkaido.
We strongly recommend that you visit Hokkaido when you come to Japan.