Hokkaido has been named Japan’s most attractive prefecture for an incredible 18th consecutive year in the 2026 Regional Brand Survey.

And this year, the northern island’s appeal shone just as brightly across its cities: Sapporo, Hakodate, and Otaru took the top three spots in the nationwide ranking of Japan’s most attractive municipalities.

Sapporo returned to the number-one spot for the first time in three years, marking its 10th time leading the municipal ranking. Hakodate, last year’s top-ranked city, followed at number two, while Otaru reached third place for the first time. Furano also landed comfortably inside the top 10 at number seven.

For travelers, those results might not be terribly surprising. Hokkaido manages to pack some remarkably different experiences into one prefecture, from snowy city breaks and seafood markets to lavender fields, hot springs, ski resorts, and some of Japan’s most dramatic wilderness.

So what makes these Hokkaido destinations so appealing, and which should you add to your trip?

The Regional Brand Survey has been conducted annually by the Brand Research Institute since 2006, with prefectures included since 2009. The 2026 edition collected 31,666 responses and evaluated all 47 prefectures and 1,000 municipalities across 91 measures covering attractiveness, recognition, tourism interest, local products, regional image, and more.

And Hokkaido’s place in the public imagination has remained remarkably steadfast. It has ranked number one in attractiveness in every prefectural edition of the survey so far, marking 18 consecutive years of unwavering high regard.

What makes that particularly interesting for international visitors is that Hokkaido isn’t really a single-destination trip. Japan’s largest prefecture covers an enormous area, and traveling between its major destinations can feel like moving between completely different regions.

A winter weekend eating miso ramen in snowy Sapporo is a very different trip from cycling through Furano’s countryside in summer or soaking in volcanic hot springs at Noboribetsu. That variety is arguably one of Hokkaido’s greatest strengths.

After placing fourth in 2025, Sapporo is back at the top spot, being named Japan’s most attractive municipality for the 10th time. It also ranked first nationwide for tourism interest.

For a first-time Hokkaido visitor, it’s easy to understand the appeal. Sapporo combines the convenience and food scene of a major Japanese city with surprisingly easy access to nature.

Within the city, visitors can explore Odori Park, Sapporo Clock Tower, Nijo Market, the Susukino entertainment district, and the historic red-brick Former Hokkaido Government Office. Mt. Moiwa offers sweeping nighttime views, while the Sapporo Beer Museum introduces another of the city’s best-known exports.

Then there’s the food. Sapporo has become practically synonymous with miso ramen, soup curry, jingisukan grilled lamb, seafood, and Hokkaido dairy products.

Winter transforms the experience again. The Sapporo Snow Festival fills central Sapporo with enormous snow and ice sculptures each February, while ski areas such as Sapporo Kokusai and Sapporo Teine make it possible to combine city sightseeing and skiing without relocating to a resort town.

Why foreign visitors should consider it: Sapporo is perhaps Hokkaido’s easiest all-round introduction. It’s particularly good for travelers who want great food, nightlife, snow, and sightseeing without giving up the convenience of a major city.

Hakodate shifted down just one position after holding the nationwide top spot in 2025, and it remains one of Hokkaido’s most distinctive cities. It also placed second nationally for tourism interest in the 2026 survey.

The city’s character is quite different from Sapporo. Hakodate was one of Japan’s first ports opened to international trade in the 19th century, and that history left behind an unusual cityscape of Western-style buildings, churches, Japanese architecture, and old warehouses.

The Motomachi district is particularly good for exploring this side of the city, while the red-brick warehouses around the waterfront have been converted into shops and restaurants.

Then there’s Mt. Hakodate. Ride up after sunset and the narrow city spreads below between two dark stretches of water, creating one of Hokkaido’s most recognizable views.

Come morning, Hakodate Morning Market makes a convincing argument for seafood at breakfast. Kaisendon rice bowls piled with crab, salmon roe, sea urchin, and squid are among the local specialties.

Why foreign visitors should consider it: Hakodate is ideal if you want somewhere atmospheric and walkable with strong local food and history. It’s also reachable directly from Honshu by Hokkaido Shinkansen to nearby Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station, making it a logical gateway for travelers entering Hokkaido by rail.

Otaru achieved its highest position yet in 2026, climbing into third place and completing an impressive top-three showing for Hokkaido destinations.

And for travelers based in Sapporo, it’s remarkably easy to visit. The former port city is best known for the Otaru Canal, where rows of old stone warehouses recall the city’s days as a major trading and financial center. Wander farther through town and you’ll encounter historic buildings alongside glass workshops, music-box stores, dessert shops, and seafood restaurants.

Otaru also punches well above its size when it comes to food. Sushi is the obvious specialty, thanks to the city’s proximity to some of Hokkaido’s rich fishing grounds, but sweets are another major attraction, with well-known Hokkaido brands such as LeTAO closely associated with the city.

Winter adds another dimension. Snow piles up around the canal and historic streets, while the annual Otaru Snow Light Path fills parts of the city with small lanterns and candlelight.

Why foreign visitors should consider it: Otaru is one of the easiest additions to a Sapporo itinerary. Trains take roughly 30–45 minutes, making it perfectly realistic to eat breakfast in Sapporo, spend the day exploring Otaru, and return that evening.

It wasn’t only Hokkaido’s big cities that resonated strongly with survey respondents. Furano ranked seventh nationwide in 2026, putting this small central Hokkaido city alongside some of Japan’s most famous destinations.

Summer is Furano’s headline season. Lavender fields turn the surrounding countryside purple, with nearby Farm Tomita among the region’s best-known flower destinations. The wider Furano and Biei area is also famous for rolling agricultural landscapes that feel completely different from Japan’s densely populated major cities.

But Furano isn’t exclusively a flower destination.

Come winter, Furano Ski Resort draws skiers and snowboarders with Hokkaido’s famously light powder snow. The region also produces wine, cheese, vegetables, and dairy products, giving food-minded visitors plenty of reasons to linger.

Its central location also makes Furano useful as part of a wider road or rail trip incorporating Biei, Asahikawa, and other parts of central Hokkaido.

Why foreign visitors should consider it: Furano delivers the wide-open landscapes many travelers imagine when they picture Hokkaido. Visit in summer for flowers and countryside scenery, or return in winter for a completely different landscape covered in snow.

Noboribetsu ranked 40th in 2026, with the survey noting a broader rise in the rankings of municipalities associated with major hot-spring destinations.

The reason to come here is simple: onsen.

Noboribetsu Onsen sits in an intensely volcanic landscape centered around Jigokudani, or “Hell Valley,” where steam rises from vents and mineral-rich water bubbles through the earth.

Those geothermal waters feed the surrounding ryokan and baths, with the area notable for the variety of mineral spring types found in a relatively compact area.

That makes Noboribetsu especially appealing as an overnight stop rather than just another sightseeing destination. Check into a traditional ryokan, change into a yukata, soak in an outdoor bath, and settle in for a multi-course dinner.

Why foreign visitors should consider it: If your mental image of a Japan trip includes sitting outdoors in a steaming hot spring while snow falls around you, Noboribetsu is one of Hokkaido’s classic places to make that happen. It’s also relatively straightforward to incorporate into journeys between Sapporo and Hakodate.

Hokkaido destinations also stood out in more specialized categories elsewhere in the survey.

Yubari ranked first nationwide for “food recall,” which measures the foods or dishes consumers associate with a place and would like to buy or eat. According to the survey organizers, respondents’ answers for Yubari were overwhelmingly...Yubari melon.

That’s hardly surprising. Yubari King melons have become one of Japan’s most recognizable luxury fruits, famous for their exceptionally sweet orange flesh and perfectly round appearance.

For travelers, melon season adds another reason to venture beyond Hokkaido’s best-known cities. Fresh Yubari melon generally appears from late spring through summer, when visitors can find everything from freshly cut melon to melon-flavored desserts.

Why foreign visitors should consider it: Japanese fruit culture can be an attraction in itself, and Yubari is an interesting example of an entire destination becoming closely identified with one premium regional product.

There’s no single Hokkaido experience, and that may be exactly the point.

A traveler could spend one trip skiing through powder snow and soaking in outdoor hot springs, then return several months later for lavender fields, seafood markets, hiking, cycling, and road trips through rolling farmland.

Even its major destinations have remarkably different personalities. Sapporo delivers big-city energy and food. Hakodate mixes seafood with port history. Otaru is compact and nostalgic. Furano opens onto enormous rural landscapes. Noboribetsu is all about volcanic scenery and hot springs.

The 2026 rankings are based on Japanese consumers rather than international travelers, so they aren’t necessarily a measure of which places overseas visitors will enjoy most. But after 18 consecutive years at the top of the survey, the high regard Japanese respondents hold for Hokkaido is undeniable.

If anything, the bigger question for your next trip may not be whether to visit Hokkaido, but which Hokkaido you want to experience first.


Survey results are from the Regional Brand Survey 2026 conducted by the Brand Research Institute.