Hokkaido – nature’s paradise. Enjoy the whole of this extensive land to your heart’s content – its mountains, highlands, rivers, lakes, the sea, and its azure skies.

Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island, was aggressively settled from the 18th century on, and today, as in olden times, still abounds in natural splendor.

Giant Snow Castle in Sapporo	Historical Village of Hokkaido in Sapporo Forest Park

Sapporo is the aerial gateway to Hokkaido from Tokyo and Osaka and is the island's cultural, economic, and political center. The city is marked by its neatly laid out checkerboard-like streets.

The city's main thoroughfare is the flower-adorned Odori Park, where the internationally popular Sapporo Snow Festival attracts viewers every February. Sapporo's historical monument, the Clock Tower Building, adjoins a museum exhibiting the city's history. The popular hot spring resort Jozankei Spa, is only a short trip from Sapporo. It is a popular haven for many day visitors as well.

Lake Shikotsu, 1 hr. 20 min. by bus from Sapporo, is a beautiful caldera lake tucked among soaring cliffs. The water is deep blue, and never freezes over.

The circular caldera Lake Toya is another highlight. Four thickly wooded islets, dubbed the Nakanoshima Islands, grace the lake's center.

Sapporo's Clock Tower Building	Skiing in Mt. Hakodate	River Rafting

Hakodate, accessible by train from Aomori, is another popular Hokkaido tourist spot. Hakodate is a port town noted for its splendid night view. The starshaped Goryokaku fortress is a principal attraction in the city along with scenic Mt. Hakodate. Well worth a visit is the morning market with buyers and onlookers alike thronging its 360 small shops and stalls filled with fresh fish and vegetables. Simply watching the market's lively hustle and bustle is a great attraction in itself.

Asahikawa in central Hokkaido can be reached in 1 hr. 30 min. by limited express from Sapporo. Another 1 hr. trip by local train brings you to Furano celebrated for its lavender fields in early summer. A vast undulating expanse of fields form exquisite flowery belts of narcissi, lavender and cosmos.

Former Hokkaido Government Office Building in Sapporo	Furano's Flower Fieds

Driving through the flowering fields of Furano in this grand natural setting is highly popular among visitors of all generations and a truly unforgettable experience.

Kushlro, the largest city in eastern Hokkaido, is 4 hrs. by limited express from Sapporo. In eastern Hokkaido area you find a world of pristine nature, dotted with crystalline lakes. The greatest highlight here is the Kushiro Marshland which is a wildlife sanctuary. Canoeing down the Kushiro River, which weaves its way through this spectacular marshland, will remain a lifelong memory.okkaido, a land of verdant nature, provides the nature lover with an extensive array of outdoor activities. Attractions include dolphin and whale watching, white-water rafting, horseback riding, woodland trekking, hot-air ballooning, and so much, much more.

© 2002 by Japan National Tourist Organization. For more information on any of these sights please contact JNTO at: 213.623.1952 www.jnto.go.jp