Spots in Hokkaido
Each spot shows when its facts were last checked against official sources.
Most viewed on Verified in Japan (past 30 days)
- 1
Photo: melvil / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)Manabe GardenHokkaido - 2
Photo: Photo ACGoryokaku ParkHokkaido - 3
Photo: HOKKAIDO LOVE! Photo Library (Hokkaido Tourism Organization) / not for reuseGoryokaku TowerHokkaido - 4
Photo: 663highland / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5 (resized)Mt. UsuHokkaido - 5
Photo: Kzaral / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (resized)Sapporo Beer MuseumHokkaido
Ranked by how many people opened each spot's page on this site in the past 30 days (one count per person per day; bots and our own staff are excluded).
Select a square pin to open the spot. Zoom with Ctrl/Cmd + scroll, or two fingers on a phone.
Not on the map (location not confirmed on an official source yet): Lake Shikotsu Visitor Center, Noboribetsu Jigokudani / Hell Valley, Onuma Quasi-National Park
Photo: HOKKAIDO LOVE! Photo Library (Hokkaido Tourism Organization) / not for reuseAbashiri, HokkaidoAbashiri Prison MuseumAn open-air museum preserving the old buildings of Abashiri Prison, including four Important Cultural Properties, on a site about 3.5 times the size of Tokyo Dome.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: 欅 (Keyaki) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized)Asahikawa, HokkaidoAsahiyama ZooA zoo run by Asahikawa City, open in a summer and a winter season, with houses for penguins, seals and polar bears and a penguin walk.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: Lkj12344321 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)Abashiri, HokkaidoAurora Drift Ice Sightseeing Icebreaker, AbashiriA one-hour icebreaker cruise into the Sea of Okhotsk drift ice, running only from late January to March; with no ice nearby it becomes a coastal cruise to Cape Notoro.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: MIKI Yoshihito / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (resized)Obihiro, HokkaidoBanei Tokachi, Obihiro RacecourseThe only horse race of its kind in the world: draft horses weighing about a ton pull iron sleds over two slopes on a 200 m straight course. Entry is free.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: Highten31 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized)Muroran, HokkaidoCape ChikyuThe southern tip of the Etomo Peninsula in Muroran, with cliffs about 100 m high and the Chikyu-misaki lighthouse (lit in 1920); from 130 m above sea level the horizon seems to curve.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
Photo: Douglas P. Perkins / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (resized)Nemuro, HokkaidoCape NosappuThe easternmost point of mainland Japan, where the sun rises first in the country; Hokkaido's oldest Western-style lighthouse (lit in 1872) stands at the tip, and on clear days you can see the Northern Territories.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
Photo: Raita Futo / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (resized)Wakkanai, HokkaidoCape SoyaThe northernmost point of Hokkaido's main island at 45°31'22"N, marked by a triangular monument; on clear days you can see Sakhalin more than 40 km away.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: Photo ACSarufutsu, HokkaidoEsanuka LineAn endless straight road in Sarufutsu, Japan's northernmost village, with no man-made structures on either side: only the asphalt and pastures as far as the eye can see. Apart from two crank bends, the road runs straight towards the horizon.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
Photo: Jolly Yau / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized)Nakafurano, HokkaidoFarm TomitaA flower farm famous for its lavender fields, with free entry and free parking; the lavender peaks in early to mid July.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: Photo ACMonbetsu, HokkaidoGarinko Drift Ice Breaker CruiseA sightseeing icebreaker in Monbetsu that cuts through Okhotsk drift ice with two giant Archimedean screws at the bow; the Garinko, a Hokkaido Heritage, now runs as the Garinko III IMERU, with summer cruises too.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
Photo: Shift / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized)Kamikawa, HokkaidoGinga and Ryusei Falls, SounkyoTwo falls on the Sounkyo gorge cliffs, among Japan's Top 100 Waterfalls: the slender, silky Ginga and the single powerful Ryusei, seen up close from the car park.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: Photo ACHakodate, HokkaidoGoryokaku ParkA star-shaped Western-style fortress, a Special Historic Site and the last battlefield of the Boshin War; about 1,500 cherry trees bloom in spring, and the Hakodate Magistrate's Office was restored in 2010.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
Photo: HOKKAIDO LOVE! Photo Library (Hokkaido Tourism Organization) / not for reuseHakodate, HokkaidoGoryokaku TowerA tower whose observation deck, 90 m up, looks straight down on the star-shaped Goryokaku fort, a Special Historic Site, and across Hakodate to Mt. Hakodate.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: MaedaAkihiko / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (cropped and resized)Hakodate, HokkaidoHachimanzaka SlopeA stone-paved slope running straight down to Hakodate port, with the Seikan ferry Mashu Maru at its foot; named after Hakodate Hachimangu shrine that stood here until after the 1880 fire.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
Photo: Photo ACHakodate, HokkaidoHakodate Morning MarketAbout 250 stalls and eateries next to Hakodate Station selling crab, salmon and other seafood, with rice-bowl restaurants open from early morning.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: HOKKAIDO LOVE! Photo Library (Hokkaido Tourism Organization) / not for reuseSapporo, HokkaidoHistorical Village of HokkaidoAn open-air museum where buildings from across Hokkaido, built from the Meiji era to the early Showa era, have been moved and restored on 54.2 hectares, opened in 1983.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: Sapporo Tourism Photo Library (City of Sapporo)Sapporo, HokkaidoHokkaido Jingu ShrineA Shinto shrine in Sapporo, 15 minutes on foot from Maruyama-Koen subway station, whose gates open and close at different times through the year.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: HOKKAIDO LOVE! Photo Library (Hokkaido Tourism Organization) / not for reuseAbashiri, HokkaidoHokkaido Museum of Northern PeoplesA museum on Mt. Tento in Abashiri about the peoples of the far north, from the Inuit of Greenland to the Sami of Scandinavia, and the ancient Okhotsk culture.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: HOKKAIDO LOVE! Photo Library (Hokkaido Tourism Organization) / not for reuseHakodate, HokkaidoKanemori Red Brick WarehouseRed-brick warehouses on Hakodate's bay, rebuilt in 1909 after the great fire and turned into shops, a beer hall and a hall in 1988; some are still working warehouses.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: lienyuan lee / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (resized)Kushiro, HokkaidoKushiro Japanese Crane ReserveA park 10 min from Kushiro Airport where red-crowned cranes, a Special Natural Monument, can be seen all year; in 1970 it achieved the world's first artificial hatching of the species.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: MaedaAkihiko / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)Kushiro, HokkaidoKushiro Marsh ObservatoryA city-run observatory over Kushiro Marsh, Japan's first Ramsar wetland, with exhibits, a rooftop view and a 2.5 km boardwalk loop.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: Midori / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (resized)Kushiro, HokkaidoKushiro Washo MarketKushiro's market by the station, where you build your own "katte-don" rice bowl by buying rice at one stall and seafood toppings at others.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: Inti-sol / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0Kushiro, HokkaidoLake AkanA caldera lake formed about 150,000 years ago between Mt. Meakan and Mt. Oakan, the only place in the world where large marimo moss balls grow in colonies (a Special Natural Monument); Akanko Onsen lies on its south shore.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
Photo: 663highland / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5 (resized)Teshikaga, HokkaidoLake Kussharo (Sunayu)Japan's largest caldera lake, 57 km round and the largest in Akan-Mashu National Park, with Nakajima island, the Wakoto Peninsula and open-air hot springs along its shore; canoeing and windsurfing are also possible.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
Photo: Suicasmo / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)Teshikaga, HokkaidoLake MashuA caldera lake about 20 km round and up to 212 m deep, among the clearest in the world, ringed by 150-350 m cliffs; its deep "Mashu blue" and summer fogs are seen from three viewpoints.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
Photo: melvil / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)Ashoro, HokkaidoLake OnnetoA lake about 20 min by car from Lake Akan, known for its reflection of Mt. Meakan; there is a viewing deck on the shore with room to park.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: Photo ACKitami, HokkaidoLake Saroma Wakka Primeval Flower GardenA 20 km sandbar between the Sea of Okhotsk and Lake Saroma, one of Japan's largest wild-flower grasslands (a Hokkaido Heritage) with over 300 coastal plants; cars are banned, so visitors rent bicycles at the nature centre.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
Photo: 663highland / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5 (resized)Chitose, HokkaidoLake Shikotsu Visitor CenterThe national-park visitor centre by Lake Shikotsu, with exhibits on the volcanoes, forests and lake life, a kokanee salmon tank and a 15-minute film; the bus from New Chitose Airport takes about 55 min.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: 663highland / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5 (resized)Toyako, HokkaidoLake Toya and Toyako OnsenJapan's third-largest caldera lake, with Mt. Usu and Mt. Yotei in view and a lakeside hot-spring town that holds a 20-minute firework show every night from late April to October.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: melvil / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)Obihiro, HokkaidoManabe GardenA large garden in Obihiro combining a Japanese garden, a conifer-filled European garden and a landscape garden; open late April to late November, with pets and wheelchairs welcome.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: HOKKAIDO LOVE! Photo Library (Hokkaido Tourism Organization) / not for reuseMatsumae, HokkaidoMatsumae CastleJapan's last castle built in the traditional style (completed 1854) in Hokkaido's only castle town; the rebuilt keep is a museum, and the park has about 10,000 cherry trees of 250 varieties.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: 663highland / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5 (resized)Higashikawa, HokkaidoMt. AsahidakeHokkaido's highest peak at 2,291 m, the symbol of Daisetsuzan National Park; a ropeway reaches Sugatami Station at about 1,600 m in about 10 minutes, where a 30-minute trail circles Sugatami Pond, and the autumn colours are the earliest in Japan.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
Photo: Photo ACHakodate, HokkaidoMt. Hakodate RopewayA three-minute ropeway ride up Mt. Hakodate (334 m) to one of Japan's best-known night views of the city.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: Sorah Fukumori / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (resized)Sapporo, HokkaidoMt. Moiwa Ropeway, SapporoA ropeway and mini cable car up Mt. Moiwa, the classic spot for Sapporo's night view; open until 22:00 and wheelchair accessible all the way to the summit deck.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: 663highland / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5 (resized)Sobetsu, HokkaidoMt. UsuAn active volcano that erupted four times in the 20th century (1910, 1944-45, 1977-78, 2000), part of Toya-Usu, one of Japan's first UNESCO Global Geoparks; a ropeway takes you to viewpoints over the crater and Lake Toya.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
Photo: Oga / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized)Kutchan, HokkaidoMt. Yotei (Ezo Fuji)A mountain called "Ezo Fuji" for its well-shaped form. Four climbing routes are maintained, about 80 kinds of alpine plants bloom near the summit in summer, and from the top a 360-degree panorama takes in the Sea of Japan to the west, the Pacific to the east and the town of Niseko and farmland below.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
Photo: HOKKAIDO LOVE! Photo Library (Hokkaido Tourism Organization) / not for reuseYoichi, HokkaidoNikka Whisky Yoichi DistilleryNikka's Hokkaido distillery, 5 min on foot from JR Yoichi Station: a free guided tour of the outdoor production area with tasting (booking required), plus a museum, shop and restaurant you can visit without booking.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: Photo ACNiseko, HokkaidoNiseko Takahashi Dairy Farm Milk KoboA dairy farm shop in Niseko selling soft-serve, cream puffs and drinking yogurt made with its own milk.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: Calistemon / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)Noboribetsu, HokkaidoNoboribetsu Jigokudani / Hell ValleyAn explosion crater about 450 m across, full of steaming vents, that supplies some 10,000 tonnes of hot-spring water a day to Noboribetsu Onsen.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: Sapporo Tourism Photo Library (City of Sapporo)Sapporo, HokkaidoOdori ParkA 1.5 km park strip through central Sapporo, from West 1-chome to West 12-chome, and the main venue for the Snow Festival, Autumn Fest and other events.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: lumoplank / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0 (resized)Nanae, HokkaidoOnuma Quasi-National ParkLakes Onuma and Konuma, dotted with 126 islets joined by bridges and walking paths, beneath Mt. Komagatake; 10 min by limited express from Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: HOKKAIDO LOVE! Photo Library (Hokkaido Tourism Organization) / not for reuseOtaru, HokkaidoOtaru Art BaseFive museums in Otaru's old bank buildings and stone warehouses near the canal, including the former Mitsui Bank Otaru Branch, an Important Cultural Property.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: Suicasmo / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)Otaru, HokkaidoOtaru CanalThe symbol of Otaru, a canal completed in 1923 and lined with stone warehouses; the North Canal keeps its original 40 m width, and 63 gas lamps light the stone path at dusk.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
Photo: Twilight2640 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized)Otaru, HokkaidoOtaru Museum: Main Building and Canal BuildingOtaru's city museum: the Main Building in Temiya, where you can ride carriages pulled by the steam locomotive "Iron Horse", and the Canal Building beside the Otaru Canal, 1.5 km away.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: Photo ACShari, HokkaidoRoad to HeavenA straight road of 28.1 km linking National Routes 244 and 334, named because it looks as if it continues up to the sky. Near the top of the hill is a nameless observation deck overlooking the road and the Sea of Okhotsk, and only twice a year, around the spring and autumn equinoxes, the sun sets on the line of the road.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
Photo: Photo ACNakasatsunai, HokkaidoRokka no MoriA 100,000 m² forest garden of the wildflowers drawn on Rokkatei confectioner's wrapping paper, with galleries in relocated Croatian farmhouses; open from late April to mid-October.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: Kzaral / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (resized)Sapporo, HokkaidoSapporo Beer MuseumA museum telling the story of beer-making that began in Sapporo as a Hokkaido development project, with a smartphone audio guide in Japanese, English, Korean and Chinese, and paid tastings.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: Sapporo Tourism Photo Library (City of Sapporo)Sapporo, HokkaidoSapporo Clock TowerThe former drill hall of Sapporo Agricultural College, built in 1878 and now a museum; a National Important Cultural Property in the city center.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: S5A-0043 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)Sapporo, HokkaidoSapporo TV TowerA 144 m tower by Odori Park, with an observation deck at 90.38 m open until 22:00, right by exit 27 of Odori subway station.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: Saigen Jiro / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (resized)Hakodate, HokkaidoSeikan Ferry Memorial Ship Mashu MaruThe Seikan ferry Mashu Maru, which once linked Aomori and Hakodate, moored at Hakodate port as a museum; see the bridge, radio room and exhibits, and look over Mt. Hakodate from the deck.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
Photo: lumoplank / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0 (resized)Biei, HokkaidoShikisai-no-Oka Flower FieldsHillside flower fields in Biei with an alpaca farm and tractor-bus rides; entry is charged only from July to September, and most payments are cash only.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: Highten31 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized)Kyowa, HokkaidoShinsen-numa PondSaid to be the most beautiful of the lakes around Niseko, a pond in a wetland reached by a boardwalk of about 20 minutes through alpine plants; grasses turn gold in autumn.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
Photo: lumoplank / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0 (resized)Biei, HokkaidoShirahige FallsA 30 m waterfall where groundwater gushes from the rocks into the cobalt-blue Biei River at Shirogane Onsen, lit up every evening all year.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: 663highland / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5 (resized)Shari, HokkaidoShiretoko Five LakesFive lakes in virgin forest below the Shiretoko mountains, seen from a free elevated boardwalk or, with rules that change by season because of brown bears, from ground trails.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: AndyLeungHK / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0 (resized)Biei, HokkaidoShirogane Blue PondA pond formed behind an erosion-control dam below Mt. Tokachi, whose water looks strikingly blue among standing dead larches.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: 掬茶 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)Sapporo, HokkaidoShiroi Koibito ParkThe theme park of Hokkaido's famous Shiroi Koibito biscuits: factory lines, a sweets workshop, a rose garden and a clock tower, 5 min from Miyanosawa subway station.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
Photo: NEXT-EXIT / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized)Nemuro, HokkaidoShunkunitai Wild Bird Sanctuary Nature CenterThe visitor centre for Shunkunitai, a sand spit between Nemuro Bay and Lake Furen with tidal flats, grassland and a rare pure forest of Sakhalin spruce; about 340 bird species have been recorded, and rangers are always on hand.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
Photo: MaedaAkihiko / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)Kamishihoro, HokkaidoTaushubetsu River Bridge (Old Shihoro Line Arch Bridges)Concrete arch bridges of the disused Shihoro railway line around Lake Nukabira, a Hokkaido Heritage; the Taushubetsu bridge appears from around January as the lake begins to freeze, and sinks beneath it by around August, earning the name "phantom bridge".Official check: 26 Sept 2026
Photo: Photo ACTsurui, HokkaidoTsurui-Ito Tancho Crane SanctuaryA sanctuary run by the Wild Bird Society of Japan on land given by a dairy farmer, where up to 300 red-crowned cranes gather in winter; from mid-February pairs perform courtship dances, watched from a warm nature centre.Official check: 26 Sept 2026- No photo yetEsashi, HokkaidoEsashi Oiwake Hall and Float MuseumA hall in the old Kitamae-ship port of Esashi with live performances of the folk song Esashi Oiwake from late April to October, and a museum showing two of the 13 floats from the Ubagami Daijingu festival, Hokkaido's oldest.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
- No photo yetKushiro, HokkaidoLake Akan Ainu Theater IkorAn indoor theatre in the Ainu village (kotan) at Lake Akan, where traditional Ainu dances and a digital-art performance are staged daily without booking.Official check: 25 Sept 2026
- No photo yetMonbetsu, HokkaidoOkhotsk Sea Ice Museum of Hokkaido (GIZA)A hands-on science museum where you can touch about 100 tonnes of real drift ice in a -20°C room year-round, see Japan's largest collection of clione, and watch a 15 m 360-degree dome theatre.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
- No photo yetAsahikawa, HokkaidoOtokoyama Sake Brewery MuseumA free museum of Otokoyama, a sake with over 350 years of history, brewed in Asahikawa with groundwater from the Daisetsuzan range; wooden casks and Edo-period ukiyo-e are on display.Official check: 26 Sept 2026
