HOKKAIDO

TRAVEL • OCT 2017 • HOKKAIDO

It was two weeks' worth of only the purest quaint Japanese countryside experience. Deciding on exploring Japan's northernmost prefecture on a selfdrive arrangement couldn't have been a better decision. There is simply no other way to cater to our unique itinerary of exploring Hokkaido's everyday life at the break of autumn than to take control of the wheel.

Our tiny but trusty Honda N Wagon travelled close to 1000km, covering a variety of sights from touristy towns and souvenir streets to sleepy fishing villages and abandoned houses, with bouts of spontaneous detours triggered by sightings of strange looking views and structures, and the need to drone.

And yet I'm not done with Hokkaido, having covered perhaps 20% of the key areas. The next trip back will be in a different season, and a different itinerary.

Key itinerary: Chitose > Furano > Biei > Asahikawa > Sounkyo > Toyako > Oshamanbe > Hakodate > Rankoshi > Otaru > Sapporo