The first thing to do upon landing at New Chitose Airport is to head to one of the many rental car shops nearby and make arrangements to rent a car for the entirety of your trip.

Once that's done, drive to Otaru to enjoy the scenic sight of sakura in full bloom. The Dō-Ō area, which Otaru is a part of, is about an hour and 20 minutes away from New Chitose Airport by car.

As you approach the coast leading towards Otaru, the beautiful sight of the Sea of Japan right will suddenly unfold before your very eyes. As mesmerizing as this can be, remember to keep your eyes on the road!

Located about a 15-minute walk straight from Otaru Station is the Otaru International Information Center. This tourist information center has staff who speak English, Chinese, and Korean (availability may vary by day), and offers a currency exchange machine and foreign language tourist maps. They provide various information and sightseeing assistance. The center also houses Port Marche Otarue, a shop selling specialty products from Otaru, Shiriuchi, and Hokkaido, with tax-free shopping available. Be sure to stop by before exploring the city.

The Otaru fishing ground is a priceless treasure trove of delicious seafood. Just a short 200 meters (about 656 feet) away from the scenic Otaru Canal is an area known as Otaru Sushi Restaurant Street, where five well-established sushi restaurants have set up shop to provide visitors to Otaru with easy access to the freshest seafood in town.

While you're here, you absolutely have to try the Hokkaido-caught shako, or mantis shrimps sold in any of these restaurants. Like prawns and crabs, mantis shrimps are crustaceans and are often used as sushi ingredients. Open season on mantis shrimps in Hokkaido is between late April to late June.

Because it's springtime during this period, the mantis shrimps caught are often filled with roes. This gives the cooked shrimps a unique taste and crunchy texture that can't be enjoyed at any other time of the year! This is one of the must-try local specialties of Otaru during spring.

Drive towards Shukutsu from Otaru Canal and you'll see a signboard directing you to Temiya Park, where about 690 sakura trees, including the delicate Somei-Yoshino species, await your admiration.

The park is situated on elevated ground and overlooks the Sea of Japan, and the contrast between the sakura's pastel pink and the deep navy blue of the sea is a captivating sight that draws many to it every spring. On your visit, you may even encounter an artist or two set up with their easels, trying to capture this beautiful scene on canvas! Temiya Park is a great way to spend a leisurely and relaxing afternoon surrounded by the peaceful sights and sounds of nature.

Otaru Port was the gateway to Hokkaido in the early days when the land was still under development, and Otaru Canal was completed in 1923 to increase the berthing clearance distance for vessels docking here.

While it has since been retired from this particular duty, the canal continues to serve the city of Otaru in a different capacity these days - that of a major tourist attraction, along with 63 vintage roadside gas lamps lined up against the entire stretch, as well as stone warehouses on the opposite side that have been preserved in their original forms.

Taking a stroll down the paved roads here can feel a little bit like you've traveled back in time to the canal's heydays.

After exploring Otaru City, it's time to head to Sapporo City to turn in for the night, so that you can get ready for the next day.

To bask in the city's lively energy, book a hotel in the downtown area of Susukino, or if you prefer a slower pace, choose something that's a little farther away from the city centre. Can't decide? Maybe our pick might be just what you're looking for!

Choine Hotel is located on the outskirts of Sapporo City in Teine Ward. Cozy little bed spaces are carved out in a large shared room with black-out curtains as separators, giving guests a basic level of privacy despite the hostel-like environment.

Although the hotel does not serve food itself, there are plenty of restaurants and eateries nearby, and guests are welcome to use the shared kitchens to make their own meals as well.

Parking is free at the hotel, which is strategically located near the very convenient Dō-Ō Expressway Teine Interchange. You can also choose to book a bed just for morning naps (6 AM – 10 AM) or afternoon naps (noon – 4 PM), even if you don't intend to stay overnight here. Note that staff here will communicate with foreign language-speaking guests using a Pocketalk interpreter device.

Also, as part of the hotel's countermeasures against Covid-19, the facilities are regularly and thoroughly disinfected, and all guests are required to put on face masks.

After checking out of your hotel, get back onto the Dō-Ō Expressway and drive towards Asahikawa City. As you catch glimpses of splotches of unmelted snow still clinging onto the peaks of the mountain range you'll pass by on the way there, it will slowly start sinking in that it is indeed spring in Hokkaido now!

It takes about two hours of driving on the expressway to get to Asahiyama Zoo from Sapporo. Mini fun fact: This is the northernmost zoo in Japan! Much effort has gone into presenting the animals here in ways that will show off their natural activities.

As such, visitors will be able to observe how penguins swim underwater in their tanks, or how wild beasts tear into their meat during mealtime. No wonder the zoo is so popular among local and foreign visitors alike!

Family groups can also have fun together here with the children-friendly Kids' Farm petting area, where everyone is encouraged to come in contact with domestic animals like rabbits and guinea pigs and familiarize themselves with their touch and smells.

Hop back into the car after your romp at Asahiyama Zoo and drive for about 40 minutes to Shirogane Blue Pond, an interesting product of the marriage of man-made events and natural activity.

The pond was created when the dam made during disaster prevention work in Tokachi started filling up with water that contained fine white-colored particles, giving the pond its stark blue appearance.

The pond is surrounded by Tokachi's magnificent natural world, and the withered Japanese larch tree trunks looming silently over the water surface gives this scenic site a fantastical, otherworldly vibe.

Finished taking all the amazing pictures you can of Shirogane Blue Pond? Then it's time to drive for about 45 minutes to the next stop: Tokachidake Onsen.

Although spring greens and blooming flowers should have taken over most of the low-lying lands by now, the area near Tokachidake Onsen Village, located 1,280 meters (about 4,200 feet) above sea level, is still covered with pockets of snow here and there, allowing you to experience a simulated winter experience in spring.

Note that this also means parts of the roads leading up the mountain may still be frozen, so ensure that your car is equipped with winter tires before driving up!

After having your fill of pseudo-Hokkaido winter, drive carefully down the mountains and head towards B&B plus+ Shooting Star via regular roads. This should take about 40 minutes.

This hotel is being run by a Japanese and Singaporean couple, whose goal is to, in their own words, "Let us color your life!"

To live up to this mantra, the hotel has a few unique activities that visitors can sign up for, such as a yoga retreat, and Singaporean home cuisine is also available for those with adventurous taste buds!

The three guestrooms in this hotel are brimming with the owner couple's excellent sense of design and hospitality. Looking out from within the building gives you either a view of the Tokachidake Mountain Range or the area's peaceful and idyllic surroundings. What a great way to relax in luxury!

Overcrowding is quite unlikely in this small hotel, but the facilities are thoroughly and regularly disinfected as part of their countermeasures against Covid-19.

The owner and his wife both speak English and are great conversation partners to talk about your trip with!

Day three is (mostly) nature day, because you'll be driving down a route in the Tokachi area that will take you through and beyond the dynamic views of Karakachi Pass from Furano to Obihiro.

Stay alert and keep an eye out for wild animals, though, like the yezo sika deer, as they may sometimes jump out onto the road as you're driving along!

After bidding the owners of B&B plus+ Shooting Star farewell, drive for about 20 minutes to Furano Marche, a central mall where you can experience all the charms of Furano in one spot.

Building 1 contains plenty of Furano-made produce and specialty souvenirs, including snacks made from fresh food ingredients. Building 2 is chock-full of eateries and general stores selling local goods.

Restaurants regularly rotate the items on their menu, so each visit during a different season is bound to yield some pleasant and delicious surprises!

After leaving Furano Marche, drive for about two hours on regular roads through the Tokachi area, enjoying the sights along the way until noon. For lunch, drop by Garden Spa Tokachigawa Roadside Station in Otofuke Town, where freshly baked Tokachi curry bread buns are being sold at the Yorimichi Bakery here.

This tasty morsel is made using dairy products made from raw milk produced in the Tokachi area. There's also Kokage Cafe and their aromatic soybean-based menu, Table Veggie and their generously cheese-laden pizzas (using Tokachi cheese, of course!), Karaage House and their simple but tasty fried chicken cooked with premium Nakasatsunai chicken meat, and many other restaurants serving food made with fresh local ingredients.

Tokachi is well-known as one of Japan's top agriculture and cheese production region, so your trip to the area would not be complete without at least trying a meal or two featuring these products!

Once you've recharged yourself at Roadside Station Garden Spa Tokachigawa, hop over to the Tokachi Nature Center just next door and sign up for their Tokachigawa Canoe Tour, a 2.5-hour canoeing activity.

This will put you on a two-person canoe through a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) stretch of the massive Tokachigawa river's midstream section, where you can taste the pure air of nature and listen to the song of wild birds at the same time.

Midway through the activity, participants will take a tea break on the river sandbank while being surrounded by the area's natural landscape, and time will pass so quickly, the canoe tour is over before you realize it.

If you happen to be there at the right time, you may even encounter some white-tailed eagles or red-crowned cranes. This tour is conducted by an experienced outdoor guide who will show you the best and safest way to enjoy the great outdoors on a canoe.

After all that vigorous paddling, you're likely keen to warm yourself up before dinner. Rejoice! For Tokachigawa Onsen is located right next to Tokachi Nature Center, and the hot spring resort is famous for its unusual moor baths that contain both plant essence and rock minerals.

The spring water is thus like a natural lotion that helps to lock in moisture and leaves your skin feeling smooth and supple, earning it the moniker of Beauty Bath.

The village also has lodgings for all budgets, from luxury inns to value hotels, so pick one that your budget can accommodate! Check into your lodgings early so that you can spend the rest of the day soaking up as much hot spring goodness as you can.

It's time to leave Tokachi behind and set off for Hidaka. Take the Japan National Route 336 expressway that stretches for 33.5 kilometers (about 20.8 miles) from Hiroo Town to the Erimo Town's Shoya district.

Much time and money went into the construction of this highway that is now known as The Golden Road because of the scenic view along the coastline of the North Pacific Ocean that drivers and passengers get to enjoy as they make their way to their next destination.

After departing from Tokachigawa Onsen, drive for about 50 minutes to reach Rokka Forest, a landscaping project by Rokkatei, one of Hokkaido's most iconic confectionery companies.

You may be wondering what confectionery has to do with planting a garden. The concept behind Rokka Forest is to bring to life the flowering plants often depicted on the company's candy wrappers in the form of a living, breathing field of flowers.

The result is a large garden covering an area of 100,000 square meters (about 1 million square feet) that is filled with beautiful blossoms such as clustered gentians, beach roses, trillium camschatcense, Asian fawnlilies, and marsh marigolds.

A few relocated traditional Croatian folk houses serving as galleries can also be found on garden grounds. With so much to see and do, there's never a dull moment for visitors here!

As you drive farther away from Tokachi and get closer to Hidaka, you'll reach Erimo town in about two hours, and your first stop here should be for lunch at Farm Restaurant Maburitto, located atop a small hill.

The restaurant is operated by Takahashi Dairy Farm and serves beef that comes from the rare Japanese shorthorn being raised on the farm, which results in reasonably-priced favorites like beef rice bowls and Hamburg steaks. There's even a grilled meat bar space as well!

This is the perfect place for a road trip lunch. The Erimo shorthorn cattle are raised on spacious pastures that thrive because of the minerals carried by the sea breeze sweeping over this part of the land, allowing the grass to survive even the harsh Hokkaido winters.

This produces lean meat rich with glutamic acid and savory umami. The more you chew on the meat, the more its fragrant taste spreads throughout your mouth, so take your time to enjoy your satisfying meal!

In order to really help visitors to fully appreciate the allure of Erimo's shorthorn cattle as well as its natural environment, the farm offers lodgings in the form of a Farm Inn (per night including two meals), an isolated building located on the farm itself that is surrounded by pastures on all sides and grazing Japanese shorthorn cattle.

The region's gentle sea breeze brings cool comfort during the day, and skies are filled with clearly visible twinkling stars at night! Staying here allows you to experience a lifestyle that's completely different from modern city life, adding a different sort of depth and flavor to your Hokkaido trip.

About a 5-minute walk from Farm Restaurant Maburitto is your next destination for today: Cape Erimo, one of the places in Japan with the strongest winds! Speeds can reach up to 10 meters per second (about 22 miles per hour) for more than 260 days a year.

Not sure how that translates to real-life? Get a simulated experience of the strength of the winds at Kaze no Yakata, a building located on the cape itself, and you may be astonished by what you find out!

Some 600 seals reside on the shores of the cape, and every March to April is birthing season for them. Which means if you're visiting between mid-April to June, you'll be able to use the telescope in the observatory deck to catch a rare glimpse of some adorable little baby seal pups swimming alongside their parents.

Springtime is also fishing season for the Hidaka area, so this is the period when you'll see a lot of tasty sea urchins that have been raised on nutritious seaweed feed, such as Hidaka kombu being sold on the market.

The unique aroma of this marine delicacy fills your senses as you bite into its sweet and succulent meat. Fresh sea urchin is only available between early April to May and will be offered by most sushi restaurants and eateries in Erimo Town, Samani Town, Urakawa Town, and Shinhidaka Town.

The shopfronts will have brightly colored banners advertising their shipment of haru uni, or spring sea urchin, so they'll be very hard to miss! Don't miss out on this rare chance to savor a time-limited Hokkaido delicacy while you're in town!

To round off your last night in Hokkaido, check into the rustic and relaxing Natural Resort Hygeia that's about a 1.5-hour drive from Cape Erimo.

The hotel is aptly named after Hygeia, the Greek goddess of beauty and health, for its soothing atmosphere, because this is a place where you'll be able to experience the healing benefits of nature, from the comforting breeze coming from Hidaka Mountains to the relaxing murmurs of a nearby brook, the aromatic fragrance of seasonal flowers, and much more.

Local organic produce and fresh seasonal ingredients are generously used by the hotel's head chef to prepare meals that taste every bit as good as they look. Each dish is a memorable experience in itself!

After dinner, take some time to go stargazing and be amazed by the star-filled sky outside, a sight that isn't always available in a well-lit city. The hotel regularly disinfects its facilities as part of its countermeasures against Covid-19.

Staff are also able to handle foreign languages, so feel free to communicate your requests to them even if you don't speak much Japanese!

For the final day, drive back to New Chitose Airport from Hidaka while taking in the sights of the area's majestic flora and fauna thriving in spring. As sad as it is to have to say goodbye, remember that you now have many great memories to bring home with you from this fulfilling trip!

Now that you're all well-rested and ready, depart from Natural Resort Hygeia and drive towards a popular sakura spot in Shizunai known as Nijukken Road Cherry Blossoms, so named because the roads are nijukken (about 36 meters or 118 feet) wide.

Every year between early May to mid-May, the more than 2,200 sakura trees lined up along this roughly 8-kilometer (or 5-mile) long road will greet drivers with sakura blossoms of all sorts of species, including north Japanese hill cherry, Prunus Leveilleana, and miyamazakura.

When the wind picks up and rustles through the branches in full bloom, petals come loose and flutter about the air in a spontaneous performance that plunges those seeing the sight into a fantastical world. This is one of the most memorable scenes of the trip that is likely to stay with you for a long time to come.

Continue heading towards New Chitose Airport, now with the image of the beautiful sakura-lined avenue imprinted onto your mind! After about 1.5 hours, take a little breather at Lake Utonai Roadside Station and enjoy a panoramic view of Lake Utonai, a bird sanctuary listed in the Ramsar Convention.

In total, at least 270 different species of resident and migratory wild birds can be spotted here, such as great spotted woodpeckers, marsh tits, and eastern crowned warblers.

Around the lake is a well-maintained nature trail that visitors can feel free to take walks in, and the Nature Center offers tours and experiences that will provide information about the natural environment here, as well as how it is being studied and conserved.

You don't want to be late for your flight home, so be sure to reach the airport with plenty of time to spare! It won't be for nothing, either, because the airport is full of shops with snacks, souvenirs, and local produce for you to peruse and purchase.

Even if you've already done all your shopping, you can still check out the activities available for visitors here, such as a theme park, movie theater, or even a hot spring! Who knows, you may even end up lamenting not arranging to come to the airport earlier.

In fact, many Hokkaido residents visit the airport regularly just to have some fun, even if they're not intending to take a flight anywhere.

Feed your growling stomach at Hokkaido Ramen Dojo, a ramen theme park in the airport featuring 10 ramen shops that each serve different styles of ramen from popular stores around Hokkaido.

Pick an item from any shop and it's bound to be delicious! This is a great place to relish your last taste of Hokkaido before finally making your way home.

As your flight takes off from the tarmac and you gaze out of the cabin window, the twinkling street lights of the streets below pull farther and farther away until the window becomes enshrouded in darkness, giving you pause to reflect on all the wonderful memories you've made during this trip to Hokkaido in spring, a season that marks the end of the region's relatively long winter and the start of revival, both in natural and human activities.

So if you haven't already gone on a road trip in Hokkaido during spring, consider turning this into a chapter in your book of travels today!

Text by: Masakazu
*This article was originally published in April 2021. For the latest information, check the official websites.

English translation by: Huimin Pan