Need advice for Hokkaido Itinerary

Hi everyone,

I have searched the forum but couldn't find close answer for my reference.

I am visiting Hokkaido in early June 2016 for 7D6N (i.e arriving Chitose airport about 2pm and leaving same airport about 3pm). This is my 1st time driving and visiting Hokkaido. My domestic tickets had been bought thus I cannot do fly out airport A and fly out airport B route. We have two drivers to rotate the driving.

If I want to visit these places, how should I plan for self-drive route? Really appreciate if someone can give me some suggestions or to re-suggest my itinerary. Thank you.

Sapporo/Otaru (overnight)
Furano
Lake Shikotsu (overnight if possible)
Lake Toya
Hakodate (overnight)

All the mentioned places are worth going, just note that Furano and the other places are on opposite direction coming out from Sapporo.

If you are going early June I would suggest to keep Furano last as the latter half of June is a better time for lavender. And while visiting Furano don�ft miss out Biei which has the best countryside scenery in Hokkaido, IMO.

Marukoma Onsen in Shikotsu-ko would be a unique stay, but that apart I would rather stay overnight in Noboribetsu for a bit more on sightseeing. Even if you are not spending a night there Noboribetsu is still worth a visit between Toya-ko and Shikotsu-ko.

Not sure if you can still spare time but a drive west of Otaru to the Shakotan Peninsula is also nice for some spectacular coastal scenery all the way to Cape Kamui. You can also stop enroute for a cherry u-pick excursion in the Yoichi/Niki region.

Hi william5, thkq for your kind suggestions. Will consider them during planning.

May I chk, if my domestic flight arrives new chitose airport at 1:30pm, what time should I register to pick up rental car from Toyota outlet? I know the office is outside airport and need a shuttle service. For example, If I arrive at the outlet at 4:30pm, will my booking be cancelled? How long is the shuttle service?

Thks.

Unless your fight is seriously delayed I don�ft think you need to worry. Clearing custom and immigration in New Chitose Airport shouldn�ft take long and you will do some of the car rental paperwork in the rental counter inside the airport terminal before taking the free shuttle to the outlet. The shuttle from airport to rental outlet is less than 10 min.

Having said that I would suggest picking up your rental car in Sapporo after your tour in Sapporo and Otaru. Apart from saving a day or 2 on rental fee a car is of little use in Sapporo and Otaru and you don�ft have to deal with traffic and parking issue. Sapporo has an excellent subway network for touring around town whereas Otaru has frequent and direct rail link with Sapporo and it is best explored on foot.

Hi William5,

thkq for your explanation regarding the rental sequence in chitose airport. my tentative plan is to pick up rental car from airport and drive southern with 1st stop and overnight at Marakuma onsen ryokan in Lake Shikotsu. We will return car in Sapporo and travel within the city via subway thereafter.

May I enquire further, if I have booked Toyota rental car at 4pm:
a) Must I arrive at the rental counter in airport by 4pm?
b) or must I arrive at the outskirt pick up point by 4pm?
c) if I arrive at rental counter in airport much earlier than 4pm, say 2:30pm, will they allow me to do the rental paperwork and start my rental timing?

thks in adv for any answers.

If you are renting the car for a few days there shouldn�ft be any problem if you arrive early to pick it up as the car should be sitting there waiting for you. Only if you are renting on a hourly bases that it may (and still may not) affect your rental period if you pick it up early. But if you arrive late especially if you are renting on a hourly bases your booking may get cancelled. Large outlets such as those in airports will have surplus cars �gin waiting�h to cater for walk-in customers, so if a booking is cancelled there is a good chance that a car is still available for renting.

Though their rental fee is sometimes higher Toyota is one of the best (if not THE best) car rental we have come across in Japan. Ask them and I�fm sure they can provide you with better answer than my limited experience. Below is their online email webpage.

https://www.toyotarentacar.net/english/company/contact/

Have you thought of fruit picking? That period looks like a good time to taste some good harvest. You can check the fruit picking calendar.

Hi lynnkaylen, thks for suggestion on fruit picking. will definitely keep a lookout in our planning.

Hi William5,

Thks for the Toyota rent a car Sapporo website.

Btw, I am given this website. What is the difference between this and the Sapporo website? Both belong to Toyota isn't it? Any cost different?

https://rent.toyota.co.jp/eng/

Thkq.

The site you listed is the nation-wide Toyota rent-a-car website. You can make enquiry and booking through their overseas phone in English and the request will be forwarded to wherever you wish to reserve your car including Hokkaido. The online email webpage I posted earlier is their specific outlet in Sapporo (which includes their service in New Chitose Airport) as I understand you are renting from the airport and returning in Sapporo so you can seek direct assistance from them.

We too were a bit puzzled how it operated. On one of our rental experiences in Hokkaido we went for Toyota but we booked through the budget rental agency of ToCoo instead of directly from Toyota. To confuse further the Toyota outlet in New Chitose Airport goes by the name of Poplar!
http://www.toyotarentacar.net/english/shop/n-c-airport/

Thank you for info, William5!