Advice on Hokkaido summer itinerary

I request input on my proposed itinerary for a short trip to Hokkaido in early July. We have 8 full days (not including our arrival or departure days). There is so much to see and do, I know we can not do everything, but we hope to get a good taste of Hokkaido in the summer.
We enjoy sight-seeing and scenery, photography, good food, easy hiking, nature, learning about culture and history. We are OK with some long days and lots of driving.

Here is my proposed plan...
Day 0: arrive by air to Sapporo/Chitose in early evening. Dinner and sleep in Sapporo.
Day 1: up early, pick up rental car. Drive east. This will be a long driving day! Destination is Kushiro (estimate about 5 hours driving). Along the way, we may stop for melon (near Yubari), "Sea Of Clouds" view (near Tomamu if the weather cooperates), iris flowers near Memuro, arrive in Kushiro afternoon. If we arrive early enough and light is good, weather is good, maybe go to observe cranes around Kushiro Marshlands and get photos. Sleep Kushiro.
Day 2: another chance to see/photograph the cranes in the early morning around Kushiro Marshlands, before we next continue to drive east. Destination is Nemuro (estimate 2-3 hours drive). Spend the afternoon sightseeing around Cape Nosappu and Cape Hanasaki. Sleep Nemuro.
Day 3: Drive north towards Shiretoko National Park, destination Utoro (estimate about 3-4 hours driving), with stops for scenery and sightseeing. Possible stop at Hot Springs Waterfall between Rausu and Utoro. Sleep Utoro.
Day 4: Shiretoko National park all day. Boat cruise to see scenery and wildlife, and hiking if possible. Sleep Utoro.
Day 5: This will be another long driving day. Drive west, back from Utoro to Daisetsuzan National Park - stop at Asahidake Onsen. Take Ropeway up to first station, short hike (if weather is good and we have enough time, maybe go up to upper station). Return back down to car at Asahidake Onsen. Then continue driving to west, destination Asahikawa (total drive time today: estimate 5-6 hours). Sleep Asahikawa.
Day 6: Gardens, flowers and rice paddies around Asahikawa and Biei. Destination is Furano. Sleep Furano.
Day 7: Lavender fields and flower farms around Furano all day. Drive to Sapporo in early evening. Dinner and sleep in Sapporo.
Day 8: Early morning drive or train to Otaru. Half-day in Otaru. After lunch/early afternoon, drive or train return to Sapporo. Late afternoon/early evening: baseball game in Sapporo (Nippon Ham Fighters and Shohei Otani - I already have tickets - I hope he will recover from his current illness by then!!!). Sleep in Sapporo.
Day 9: Fly to Tokyo.

I know this is an ambitious plan. My question is: is this just ambitious, or is it just too crazy?

There are two days when we will be doing a lot of driving (Day 1 and Day 5) - that is OK. I think the other days the driving times will be more reasonable, and I think we will get to see many of Hokkaido's sights in this short trip.

I had hoped to include both Daisetsuzan National Park and also Akan National Park, but I also very much want to go all the way to the east and see Shiretoko National Park - a dilemma. I chose to spend the time at the eastern coast (we also love seafood) and this time get just a small taste of Daisetsuzan National Park. We will return another time to go to Akan (and also to Hakodate, Shikotsu-Toya National Park and other places in the south of Hokkaido, plus north to Wakkanai and Rishiri & Rebun Islands - I wanted to go to all these places but we will have to come back for those places).

Please offer your honest opinion on my plan above and any suggestions you may have to improve it.

Thank you very much for your help!!!

I think your overall itinerary is fine. It is not overpaced and you will see the most beautiful sites in eastern Hokkaido.

However, honestly early July is not a good season for eastern Hokkaido weatherwise: In early July high atmospheric pressure of the pacific sea is dominant so the wind tend to blow from the east. This wind is stopped by the �gcentral high mountain area�h including Hidaka mountains and Daisetsuzan volcanic group. This results in the rain in the east side of the mountains, so the weather tend to be rainy in the eastern part of Japan, including Kushiro, Nemuro (and Tokyo in the Kanto region). On the other hand, the weather tend to be sunny in the western part (with reference to the central mountains). Furano and Biei is included in this region and Wakkanai also has relatively fine weather. Of course the weather changes day by day and year by year, and we cannot predict the weather precisely, but the probability is that the weather in early July will be better in northern Hokkaido (Wakkanai, Rishiri and Rebun) than in eastern Hokkaido (Kushiro and Nemuro). The weather in Abashiri and Utoro will be good because it is in the west of Shiretoko mountains.

You can find the actual weather from the Japan Meteorological Agency. Below is the data for Nemuro.

http://www.data.jma.go.jp/obd/stats/etrn/view/nml_sfc_d.php?prec_no=18...

English translation

https://translate.google.co.jp/translate?sl=ja&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=j...

You can change the place by choosing �gSelect a prefecture/region�h.

If you are planning next trips (maybe in the other month) you might better consider going north and Daisetsuzan this time. The weather in autumn (Sep to Oct) will be better in eastern Hokkaido (and worse for northern Hokkaido).

Thank you, frog1954, this is very helpful information. It is good to know the pace of this proposed itinerary sounds reasonable. The weather info is helpful but a little bit of a surprise for me.
Some additional information: I live in Seattle USA, and we have very predictable seasonal weather here also, along the ocean coastal areas. In fact, looking at eastern Hokkaido, it appears to me to be very similar in some ways to the coastal areas on the northwest USA/Canada/Alaska (the weather patterns, the landforms, lifestyle, and even cultures of the aboriginal peoples). So I am familiar with these places that get lots of rain from the ocean during their wet season. It makes these places very beautiful, but sometimes it is very wet so it helps to plan for this and be prepared.
OK, so usually the wet weather in early July comes from the east (maybe from east-southeast) direction. So, the coastal areas (not protected by a mountain range) that are directly exposed to the ocean and facing east/southeast, will usually get the most rain at this time - places like Kushiro, Nemuro, and Rausu. But simply by going over the mountains to the west, the weather is typically better (less constant rain) at this time. Maybe just a small mountain group - for example, going from Rausu to Utoro - not a long distance, but over a moutain range - can make a big difference, I think.
If that is the case, and if we want to ensure a better chance of fair weather, we could change part of the itinerary, maybe skip Kushiro, Nemuro, Rausu, and instead going to the far north: Wakkanai and Rishiri & Rebun Islands, where the chance of dry weather is better. Hmmm. I will consider this option.
How about the areas in Akan National Park? Are these places usually also very rainy in early July, or are they far enough from the ocean that they have some protection from the rainy weather? I know Akan Park is a large area - perhaps the eastern parts of the park get more rain, but the western parts of the park get less? I will now consider an alternate itinerary that goes to the far north, and will post that for further input.
Thank you again for your very helpful insights!!!

In fact, looking at eastern Hokkaido, it appears to me to be very similar in some ways to the coastal areas on the northwest USA/Canada/Alaska (the weather patterns, the landforms, lifestyle, and even cultures of the aboriginal peoples).

Yes, in Japan, Hokkaido is sometimes called "Canada in Japan" (sorry for Americans, but we know the USA have some very hot places :). However as for rain, the west coast of notrh America is rainy in winter but sunny in summer. On the contrary the west coast of Japan is rainy in summer and sunny in winter. Even in the sunny winter, it sometimes rains. In general Japan is the second rainy country next to the Phillipines. Therefore although I wrote northern Hokkaido will have better weather in early July that does not mean it is always sunny. Rather you might have caught by rainy days in Rebun in early July ;).

So I am familiar with these places that get lots of rain from the ocean during their wet season. It makes these places very beautiful,

Yes, though I love the dry climate in the western country, but as for the forest, I love Japan's forest. In general, Japan is good for plants though it is not comfortable for human :).

How about the areas in Akan National Park?

Well, Akan is in between Kushiro and Abashiri weather-wise as well as geographically. I picked the data from the JMA site.

Early July
Sunshine hours (daily average) Precipitation (10 days, mm, Early July)
Wakkanai 5.64 21.2
Abashiri 6.12 21.1
Kushiro 3.8 40.3
Akan 4.37 29.5
Furano 5.76 33.2
Sapporo 5.56 24.6
Tokyo 3.93 61.7

Early October
Sunshine hours (daily average) Precipitation (10 days, mm, Early July)
Wakkanai 5.25 43.4
Abashiri 5.71 27.2
Kushiro 5.66 36.5
Akan 3.26 48.5
Furano 3.92 35.8
Sapporo 5.4 34.6
Tokyo 3.49 93.1

I will now consider an alternate itinerary that goes to the far north

How about fly first to Wakkanai or Rishiri? From Tokyo to Wakkanai, the airfare is 10,800 yen if you are foreign travellers. The route from Wakkanai to Abashiri (to Utoro) is one of the most popular driving route in Japan.