Hokkaido in July without a car

Hi, Is travelling to Hokkaido and around with a 3.5 year old in July-August for about 10 days feasible at all without a car rental? We want to plan an itinerary with the following agenda in mind. Sapporo , Otaru, Furano, Bei, Asahikawa. Want to do flowers, fruit orchard, zoo, dairy farm if possible and anything else that may be kid friendly. Is this practical without a car rental using just public transport? If yes, which should be the stop overs?Open to all suggestions to build on this.

Thanks!

You can do it without a car. Are you flying into Sapporo and are you visiting anywhere else in Japan?

You've got the option of staying in Sapporo the whole time and making day trips using limited express trains. You might find this to be easier than moving luggage and your child around a lot. We did that because we have a 3yr old and a baby. It does mean long days and some train journeys up to 2-3 hours, but you have to decide which is more of a hassle.

It might be worth getting a child carrier that allows you to carry your child on your back. You can get ones designed for 3-5 year olds.

Thank you so much for the reply sal1980. Yes we will fly into Sapporo. Worried if the itinerary falls in August whether getting places or reservations for the public transport will be an issue. Also any recommendations of places to stay at any of the stops I mentioned? Is it possible to stay in Sapporo and also maybe Furano or Bei and then fly back? Are prams even practical?

Thank you for the help.

I would recommend Northern Horse Park.
http://www.northern-horsepark.co.jp/

If anything, only use a lightweight umbrella stroller. I find prams to be impractical because of needing to rely on elevators, taking up space in shops, difficulty of moving around with luggage at the same time, getting on and off trains/buses, etc. If you're more comfortable with one, go with it. But I don't recommend it.

I haven't been to Furano in August but I expect it could be difficult and expensive to get accommodation there so don't delay in booking it. We stayed in Sapporo and did day trips to Otaru, Noboribetsu, Asahikawa (a long day trip so you may prefer to stay overnight). The place we stayed in Sapporo was an airbnb rental which was very affordable but not very convenient for public transport. https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/8044183

Thank you so much.