Review my 7-day Hokkaido itinerary

Hello, I reside in Malaysia and will be visiting Hokkaido with my parents from the 15th to 22nd this coming June. Although I say '7-day', it really is only 6 days because our flight home will be departing early in the morning on the 22nd.

I have heard Hokkaido in Summer is all about nature: flower fields, mountains, lakes and other sceneries. I have put together an itinerary in hopes that it will give us a good indication of what Hokkaido in the Summer is like. Please view and comment; any suggestions will be much appreciated!

14/6:
- Night flight into Hokkaido

15/6:
- Arrival at Shin-Chitose Airport in the morning
- Visit Porotokotan
- Noboribetsu: Jigokudani
- Stay 1 night in Noboribetsu

16/6:
- Visit Lake Toya
- Reach Otaru by the evening
- Sapporo by night
- Stay 2 nights in Sapporo

17/6:
- Sapporo
- Beer? Food?
- Mt Moiwa for night view

18/6:
- Sapporo
- Asahidake Onsen via Asahikawa
- Stay 2 nights in Asahidake Onsen

19/6:
- Asahidake Onsen
- Hiking

20/6:
- Biei
- Furano
- Back to Sapporo

21/6:
Spare day for now

22/6:
- Flight back home from Shin-Chitose Airport


As you might have noticed, the route is essentially a figure-8 loop around Sapporo. Alternatively, I could use this route:
Chitose - Sapporo - Asahikawa - Asahidake Onsen - Biei - Furano - Sapporo - Otaru - Toya - Noboribetsu - Chitose.

Would that be better?

Questions:
1. Aside from hot springs, what else can I do in Noboribetsu?
2. Is half a day enough time in Lake Toya? Or should I allocate more time there?
3. What are some of the attractions in Sapporo you might recommend?
4. Are two days too much at Asahidake Onsen? What else can I do in that area besides hiking?
5. Is half a day enough for flowers? Or should I spend a night in Furano/Biei?
6. Where can I best spend my spare day?
7. Would it be better if I rented a car for this trip (or parts of it)?

Nevertheless, please do not feel restricted by the questions I pose. All of your opinions on this itinerary will be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

- Q

Whoops sorry, I miscalculated. It is 7 days after all hahaha! The morning of departure is actually the 8th day.

To me this appears a very packed schedule but I realize that this of course very personal. For me this schedule would be for a 2 week trip and probably still feel that I would have spent more time here or there.
Last January I spent a week in Biei alone :-)

My recommendation would be to plan more visits to onsen, there aresome awesome ones in Hokkaido: http://hotspringaddict.blogspot.lu/2015/05/intercultural-experience-in...

Separate Biei and Furano if you want to enjoy more of the flowers. In Furano, you can visit the cheese factory and attend their workshops or visit the winery. Do have your hotel to make reservations in advanced. The first hotel I stayed in booked one class for me even though the workshop class is in 4 days time. Upon arrival at the cheese factory, you can book additional classes according to the time slot available. I had a back to back session starting off with butter followed by cheese making.

Strongly suggest you overnight in Asahikawa to visit Furano and Biei. I'm not sure if you're driving or taking the public transport but either way, Asahikawa is much closer.

Following next day, you can head over to Farm Tomita to try their lavender ice cream, melon fruit and sweet corn. I just came back 2 days ago and there weren't melon or sweet corn available yet but the season when you're there, those will be readily available. One of the staff told me that I was relatively early to try all these.

Also, Porotokokan may not be worth it. I went to Noboribetsu hiking and soaked my legs deep in the mountain. My mom and I were the first to be there followed by others in an hour or so.

Otaru by afternoon would be nice if you want to look around. Visited most of the recommended places mentioned on the Internet.

Sapporo's chocolate factory if you have nothing much to do or the historical village. Sapporo factory for shopping. Sapporo beer museum to tour and samples available at the end of tour for 500 yen. Didn't went there because it was closed for a few days during my stay. Opted for Nikka Distillery whereby they offered free whisky and good view of the mountains. It's outside JR Yoichi station, after JR Otaru station.

Lake Toya has horse riding but not sure if your budget will explode. I can't give much sight info on this since I never really wanted to go there with my mom given her health condition.

I'm sorry that my replies are all over the place. I bought the JR Hokkaido pass and covered all the expenses for my mom even though I just started working with miserable pay. I like how you bring your parents overseas because not every family have such opportunities.

Hello, thank you both for taking the time to respond to my queries.

@Jim, one week sounds really long. May I know what did you do for the week while in Biei? January is winter, so I suppose the things on offer might be quite different than in summer?

@lynnkaylen, hmmm okay, I might give Porotokotan a pass, then. Thank you for the detailed response!

I am also planning a potential trip and I came across the thread. For me it seems quite interesting but I was wondering, if anyone knows, will the flowers still be in bloom in August?

Probably you can still see them from early to mid August. Have not been there in August but even if you don't get to see the full bloom stage, you can always opt for fruit picking.

Are you driving?
This makes a huge difference as your speed of travel changes immensely.
For example, I would not recommend doing Porotokan if you are not driving. (Trains in Hokkaido are real slow)

20/6 seems awfully packed
Should be two days worth of activities
Answers:
1. There is little else to do except to view bears. It is not in the onsen town but there is a cable car from the town to the bear park. There are also various hiking trails though they do not seem anything special from my own walks of the area. Nearby (45min by cab) is Lake Kuttaro. Really scenic and circular. Beautiful in the morning with the mist/fog covering it.

2. What do you plan to do here? If purely for going around the lake. Taking the cruise in the lake. Seeing the small town area that surrounds the lake, than 3 hours is more than sufficient. Getting in from Noboribetsu onsen takes about an hour or so, so it wouldn't even be half a day.
If you would like to see the earthquake museum, enter the hot spring, etc (do it all), 7 hours is a good estimate.

3. If you like to see people make chocolate... then then chocolate factory. I personally only care about eating it....
The downtown area has some nice and unique architecture but in terms of a city, Tokyo has far more things to see/do. Even your nation's capital is more bustling than Sapporo. If you want a quiet place that has the convenience of a developed city though, come here. Seriously though, I wouldn't spend any time here if I can help it. Hokkaido has much more things to see/do.

4. Visit the hot spring. See flowers. Hike. Trek. Yup, that's about it. Oh yes, get a good Ryokan for good local delicacies.

5. Full day.
Also Biei has much landscapes that has little to do with flowers like the blue pond but is worth exploring. Two days is a better estimate. Again, are you getting a car? The train that serves from Furano to Ashikawa via Biei is not only slow but infrequent (about one an hour, though slightly more frequent during lavender season). Plus the distance in between is far. Furthermore, lots of walking or taking the bus is needed after that long train ride.

6. Furano/Biei (As mentioned)
Or go to Hakodate and cut time from Sapporo. It is a more charming city and the night view atop Mt. Hakodate is not only famous within Japan, but worldwide.

7. Oh. Didn't see this question. Yes. A car is great. Makes Furano/Biei in one full day much more possible. Also getting from Noboribetsu onsen to Lake Toya and then to Otaru a lot easier.

@lynnkaylen
Didn't know about the sweet corn
I had a ryokan to go back to, and I am sure the OP plans to stay overnight in one too, so having a free foot bath is meaningless to me (the OP)

Lastly, note if you do not wish to get a car that there is a bus service from Noboribetsu Onsen to Sapporo if you stay at Daiichi Takimotokan hotel. It cost little and uses the highway. Only issue is that it leaves the hotel in the late morning (11am if i remember right). If so, then your trip would be airport to Lake Toya, Noboribetsu onsen, Sapporo and then getting the JR Lavender Pass to Furano/Biei.

Hello,

I agree with some of the above writers who think that you are trying to visit too many locations in one week, especially if you use public transport. I could spend more than a week in Furano alone. The hot spring in this blog, http://hotspringaddict.blogspot.jp/2015/05/intercultural-experience-in..., is not too far from Furano, and it is just one of many onsen in the area. You can hike, camp, eat like a king, and study Japanese culture in and around Furano. Hokkaido is like a small version of Hokkaido.

Having just returned from Hokkaido, agree with the writers that the trip appears to be slightly packed and you may be rushing around a little. Definitely recommend driving if you can - it is much more convenient in Hokkaido.

Hello everyone, thank you for your replies, especially jh for the very comprehensive response to my queries.

Having read your replies and also a bit more on the internet, I think we will be renting a car for the convenience it provides.

I would have liked to visit Hakodate as well, but it seemed rather inconvenient considering the rest of the locations which interest me are all located around or east of Sapporo.

Lastly, I have also noted that most of you think that this itinerary is too packed; what locations would you suggest I cut from this trip, and where to allocate the freed up time? My priorities are to view the flowers and nature that Hokkaido in summer is known for. Please advise! :D