10 days self drive in Hokkaido

Dear Sir

We are planning for a 10-day self-drive Hokkaido itinerary in Oct. To enjoy natural scenery, Trekking and onsen.

We have drafted an itinerary below and hope that we can get some suggestions, and see if this plan is workable, etc.

Thank you

Day 1- collect car at 1pm
Lake Shikotsu to Noboribetsu

Day 2 - Noboribetsu - Lake Toya - Hakodate

Day 3 - To Niseko

Day 4 - To Otaru - Jozankei

Day 5 - To Furano - Biei - Asahidake

Day 6 - To Sounkoyo

Day 7 - To Abashire and Shiretoko NP

Day 8 - To Lake Kussharo and Lake Akan

Day 9 - Back to Sapporo

Day 10 - Afternoon flight back

Question
1. Can I rent a car at New Chintose airport?
2. Can you suggest places to visit in our route?

We did a self drive in September last year and your itinerary *seems* rushed. We found it takes about half the day to drive from 1 location to the next. Towns look close to each other but there are a lot of mountain roads and the speed limit is very slow. Don't get tempted to go over the limit, we saw at least 1 police speed radar trap on our 1 week trip.

We also regretted not staying for longer at most places. We stayed 2 nights in Furano and wished we stayed longer. We also only did an over night stay in Otaru and wished we stayed at least another night.

We rented our car online and designated to pick it up from the airport and drop it off in Sapporo city near our hotel near Susukino. Worked out perfectly for us as the drop off location offered to drive us in their mini-van to our hotel. We purchased a lot of stuff on our week driving around Hokkaido so had a LOT of luggage.

There's also a counter at the airport where you check-in and a shuttle bus will take you to collect your car. We rented our car through ToCoo and elected for a Toyota (we got a nice little purple prius c aqua with English GPS).