Hokkaido in Winter - Travelling Around

Hi all, I will be going back to Japan for the 3rd time in February and hope to spend most of my two weeks visiting the North.

This will be the first time I've visited Japan in Winter, having been there in early Autumn the previous two times.

On previous occassions I found it very easy to travel around Honshu and visit little towns and some relatively off-the-beaten-track areas, which I absolutely loved. I do realise though, that this was not only because of the weather at that time of year, but also because Honshu is fairly well serviced in terms of its infrastructure.

I know that Hokkaido is famed for the beauty of its rural landscape, but I also realise that most of it will be under a layer of snow at that time of year :)


So while I would love to repeat what I was able to do in Honshu and visit some smaller places here and there, I would like to ask if this is realistic objective for someone who will be relying on public transport (i.e., planes and trains, no hired cars).

Will I be able to get around, visit different places and do much besides ski and visit some hot springs?

Or should I realise that there are less options available at that time of year, head back South after a few days of skiing, and visit the places South of Hokkaido that I've missed out on so far?

Kind regards,


Adrian.

There are LESS options of course, and there are more cars per capita in Hokkaido compared to busier places elsewhere - make of that what you will I guess. But, yeah, sure, you can go anywhere on public transport - I certainly have. Just not as convenient, time efficient as some other places.

Go for it!!