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Hokkaidō: Powder, Patience, and Very Good Ramen

Hokkaidō, JapanMira Okonkwo@mira2 min readTravelled With friends

Trip notes

If you are going yourself

Everything practical for Hokkaidō, Japan in one place — where it actually is, where to sleep, how to move, what to eat, what the weather does, and what to put in the bag. The story itself follows.

Travelled

With friends — Four of us: two who could ski properly and two who could eat. Both skills got used.

The route

5 stops · 5 slept in · 12 nights · 117 km by road

Stayed the nightPassed throughBy road — follows the actual roadBy train

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  1. Sapporo

    3 nights

    Reached 18 Jan, 14:10Good with kidsDogs welcome

    Arrive via New Chitose. Three nights eating, before any snow is involved.

    Good signal — 5G everywhere, plus free wifi in the subway and most cafés.

  2. Asahikawa

    1 night

    Reached 21 Jan, 11:20Good with kidsDogs welcome

    One night, mostly for the darker, cleaner soy ramen the city is known for.

    Good signal — Solid 4G and 5G, and free wifi at the station.

    By train

  3. Asahidake Onsen

    2 nights · 1,100 m

    Reached 22 Jan, 15:40Good with kidsNo dogs

    One ropeway, one volcano, almost nobody. Ryokan with dinner included.

    Patchy signal — One carrier reaches the ryokan. The top of the ropeway has nothing at all.

    By road · 46.7 km · 1 hr 3 min driving

  4. Furano

    4 nights

    Reached 24 Jan, 13:00Good with kidsNo dogs

    The main base. Reliable snow, a real town, half the lift queues of Niseko.

    Good signal — 4G in town and on the lower lifts; thin at the top of the mountain.

    By road · 70.5 km · 1 hr 6 min driving

  5. Hakodate

    2 nights

    Reached 28 Jan, 12:30Good with kidsDogs welcome

    Long train south to finish. Morning market, clear salt ramen, night view.

    Good signal — 5G, and tourist wifi across the old quarter and the morning market.

    By train

Furano — the quieter base in the story43.3421° N, 142.3833° E

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Day by day

14 days, start to finish · 18–31 January 2025

  1. Days 1–318–20 Jan

    SapporoSaw: Nijō MarketSaw: Miso ramenSaw: Soup currySaw: An onsen each evening

    Staying Sapporo

    • Snow, -3°/-15°
    • Snow, 2°/-18° · 4.3 mm
    • Overcast, 3°/-3°

  2. Day 421 Jan

    Starting from SapporoBy train toAsahikawaSaw: Asahikawa soy ramen

    Staying Asahikawa

    • Overcast, -1°/-13°

  3. Days 5–622–23 Jan

    Starting from AsahikawaBy road toAsahidake OnsenSaw: The Asahidake ropewaySaw: Asahidake volcano

    Staying Asahidake Onsen

    • Overcast, -5°/-14°
    • Snow, -7°/-14° · 1.4 mm

  4. Days 7–1024–27 Jan

    Starting from Asahidake OnsenBy road toFuranoSaw: Furano powderSaw: Furano town in the evening

    Staying Furano

    • Snow, 3°/-9° · 1.7 mm
    • Snow, 2°/-8°
    • Overcast, 0°/-15°
    • Overcast, 0°/-16°

  5. Days 11–1228–29 Jan

    Starting from FuranoBy train toHakodateSaw: The coast line southSaw: Ekiben on the train

    Staying Hakodate

    • Snow, 5°/-1° · 1.1 mm
    • Snow, 4°/-2°

  6. Days 13–1430–31 Jan

    HakodateSaw: Hakodate morning marketSaw: Shio ramenSaw: The night view from Mount Hakodate

    Staying Hakodate

    • Overcast, 0°/-3°
    • Overcast, 0°/-3°

What to pack

Dressed for −15 °C with wind, then a hot spring

Clothing
Thermals
Shoes
Snow boots
Money
Carry cash
Medicine
Motion sickness

Where to stay

Getting around

Food stops

Main attractions

14 in 14 days

The story

Eight to fourteen metres of snow a year, off the Sea of Japan. So dry it does not pack — it moves out of the way.

Late January, off the resort

  • Furano — reliable snow, a real town, half of Niseko's lift queues.
  • Asahidake — one ropeway, a volcano, almost nobody. Check the avalanche forecast properly.
  • Sapporo as a base: an hour or two from everything, and the food is the point.
  • An onsen at the end of every single day. Non-negotiable.

The ramen argument

  • Sapporo: miso, with lard on top to keep the broth scalding. Engineering, not garnish.
  • Asahikawa: soy, darker and cleaner.
  • Hakodate: a clear salt broth that undoes your assumptions.
  • Nineteen bowls in fourteen days. One regret, and only for not being hungry yet.

Two weeks chasing snow across Japan's north island, and a strong argument for travelling in the off-season.

  • #winter
  • #japan
  • #food

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