Hokkaido: Land of Fire and Ice

For a quick, jet-lag busting fix of old Tokyo, we recommend the eastern Asakusa district, home of the venerable Senso-ji temple. Watch worshippers light incense and bow before the city’s oldest shrine, then enjoy the Japanese atmosphere of the surrounding streets, with their antique kimono boutiques and traditional kitchen utensil shops. For dinner, head for the main Ginza branch of the famous Kyubey chain, where you’ll find out what real sushi should taste like. As with most high-end sushiyas, each piece is made in front of you and served one at a time. The flavours are nothing short of a revelation!

Meiji Jingu is Tokyo’s spiritual nerve centre, attracting vast crowds of worshippers year round. Among the crowds you may, with luck, spot a bride and groom in traditional Japanese attire. Having admired the royal regalia in the adjacent Treasure Museum, and had your fill of gleaming samurai blades at the Sword Museum, head down Omotesando, Tokyo’s own ‘Champs-Elysees’ for a round of the big department stores. In the afternoon, enjoy a cruise on the Sumida Gawa River to Hamarikyu-Teien, and exquisite Edo Period garden encircled by skyscrapers, where you can pause for a green tea and traditional sweet in the lakeside teahouse.

Start your round of Hakodate’s sights with a visit to its standout monument, Goryokaku Fort, then hop on the cable car up Mount Hakodate for a spectacular sunset view over the city – a huge sprawl of sparkling lights framed by a hinterland of shadowy mountains.

Continue your sightseeing in Hakodate with an exploration of the city’s picturesque old quarter, with its pretty streets of 19th century European and Russian buildings, including a delightful onion-domed Orthodox Church. Then head over to Asaichi market to marvel at the selection of local seafood landed the previous night, before breaking for lunch at one of the fish restaurants in the famous Donburi Yokocho arcade – a Mecca for sashimi aficionados.

You should aim to reach Sapporo shortly after lunch, in good time for a round of its highlights. Start with a wander down to Odori Park, the green belt scything through the heart of the city, to see if a festival is in progress – in summer, the annual beerfest is a lively and sociable event, while in the autumn, the scarlet maple trees are the main attraction. For supper, don’t miss the chance to sample Sapporo’s famous, miso-rich ramen noodles at a local restaurant. The local variety is typically topped with sweetcorn, butter and bean sprouts, and think slices of melt-in-the-mouth roast pork, though there are many variations with seafood. One of our favourite ramen joints is the pint-sized Ramen Mokuren, near Maruyama Park.

The route up the mountain starts with a cable car ride and proceeds via a path that’s clearly defined and a joy to walk, with wonderful views over the volcanic uplands ranged around the peak. Return by the same route in time for supper at the lodge. Plenty of lower level walks are also available in the park. Ask one of our consultants for more details.

While chugging around Lake Akan, keep an eye out for the trademark balls of green marima algae on the bed of the caldera lake, which has a dramatic backdrop of smouldering peaks. The national park in which this lake is situated is regarded as Japan’s most beautiful. Patches of bubbling mud and steaming sulfuroles are also common in this area of intense geothermal activity.

Numerous hot spring sites around the larch-lined shores of Lake Kussharo provide plenty of incentive to explore. With a circumference of 35 miles (57km), this is the largest lake in Hokkaido. A colony of hooper swans can usually spotted paddling across it, even in winter, when the water freezes solid except in a few spots where thermal vents keep the surface ice-free.

Spend the remainder of the day exploring the harbour, and sampling local urchins, crab, rock fish or salmon roe in the local restaurants. Some of the best are those on the approach road to the fishing harbour, where you’ll see vast nets being removed from the trawlers by cranes each morning. A good place from which to watch the action is Oronkoiwa Rock overlooking the port.

The summer months, between June and September, are the best time for spotting Orcas, which here congregate in pods of thirty or more. Blakiston's Fish Owl, Stellar's Sea Eagle, and White-tailed Sea Eagles are rare birds of prey you may also be lucky enough to spot. In the afternoon, either relax back in town, waiting for the fishing fleet return, or jump in the car for a drive up to the Shiretoko Pass, from where in clear weather you can see as far as the distant Kunashiri Islands.

Access from the car park to the first of the lakes is via stilted board walk. The route around all five takes about ninety minutes and is scenic from start to finish. In the afternoon, follow the narrow, winding forest track further up the Peninsula’s north coast to reach the Kamuiwakka Hot Falls, where a thermally heated stream cascades through the forest and plunges into the sea – one of Shiretoko’s signature sights.