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JAPAN

Hokkaido

Into the vast northern wilds.

Popular keywords#Nature & scenic views#Art museum#Architecture#Western-style painting#Good fortune#Protection from misfortune#Contemporary art#Sculpture#Nature & scenery
H-akodate · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Introduced by city, ward, town and village within the prefecture.

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SapporoArchitecture, Shrines & Temples · 19 entriesHakodateShrines & Temples, Architecture · 12 entriesAsahikawaShrines & Temples, Art & Crafts · 7 entriesOtaruArt & Crafts, Shrines & Temples · 7 entriesKushiroArt & Crafts, Nature & Scenery · 6 entriesAbashiriShrines & Temples, Nature & Scenery · 4 entries
FEATUREHokkaido now (autumn)Autumn colors beginning in Daisetsuzan sweep across the vast forests.See the feature 掬茶 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Hakodate Night ViewTake in the glittering port-city panorama from Mount Hakodate.Sapporo Seafood TourSample crab, sea urchin, salmon roe, and other northern seafood at a market.Furano Flower FieldsWander among lavender and seasonal blooms covering Furano's rolling hills.

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JAPAN GUIDE

Things worth knowing about Japan

No worries even on a first trip to Japan. Useful things to know, explained clearly.

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Q. What do people get wrong about IC cards (Suica, PASMO) in Japan?

This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete. The answ…

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Q. What do people get wrong about coin lockers and luggage forwarding in Japan?

This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete. The answ…

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Q. What do people get wrong about Golden Week, Obon and New Year travel?

This answer is a draft. It stays unpublished until legal review and source verification are complete. The answ…

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REGIONAL SPECIALTIES

Meet the Japan you don't know yet.

It is not only the big cities. The regions are full of charm, and special experiences you can only have in each place are waiting.

Shiroi Koibito Park / Ishiya SeikaKushiro City Museum of ArtMt. Hakodate

Value Village

Japan's value, to the world.

Regional culture, tradition, food, sightseeing, nature and people. A directory that delivers the appeal of each to the whole world.

About Value Village
Value VillageLocal Value, Global Reach.
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INSTAGRAM / 6

Official and local Instagram photos

Local governments, tourism accounts and local posts are shown with official embeds. Photos are not stored on Value Village; they link to the original posts.

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THINGS TO DO / 6

Things to do in this prefecture

Choose from what you can only do here.

01Furano Flower FieldsWander among lavender and seasonal blooms covering Furano's rolling hills.See related entries →Chensiyuan · CC BY-SA 4.002Explore ShiretokoWalk through primeval forests and encounter a World Natural Heritage ecosystem.See related entries →663highland · CC BY 2.503Ski Niseko PowderExperience the exceptionally light powder snow for which Niseko is renowned.See related entries →S5A-0043 · CC BY 4.004Abashiri Ice CruiseView drift ice covering the Sea of Okhotsk from an icebreaker.See related entries →S5A-0043 · CC BY 4.005Hakodate Night ViewTake in the glittering port-city panorama from Mount Hakodate.See related entries →Chi King · CC BY 3.006Sapporo Seafood TourSample crab, sea urchin, salmon roe, and other northern seafood at a market.See related entries →S5A-0043 · CC BY 4.0

NEED TO KNOW

At a glance

  • AirportNew Chitose Airport
  • ShinkansenShin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station
  • From TokyoAbout 1 hr 30 min by air
  • Best seasonAll year (highlights change by season)
  • Local specialtiesSeafood rice bowl · Jingisukan grilled lamb · Sapporo ramen
  • Typical temperatureSummer: around 23°C / Winter: around -3°C

See all 255 entries in this prefecture →

BEST TIME TO TRAVEL

What each season brings

LOCAL FOOD / 18

Local food

What people have long eaten in this place. We collect the dishes themselves, not restaurants.

See food entries in this prefecture →

Jingisukan

Mutton and vegetables grilled on a domed cast-iron pan. Some marinate the meat before grilling; others dip it in sauce after.

Area：Throughout Hokkaido

Source：Hokkaido Tourism Organization

Miso Ramen

A rich miso broth with medium-thick curly noodles, topped with stir-fried onion, bean sprouts and minced meat. It is said to have been created at a Sapporo shop in 1955.

Area：Sapporo

Source：Sapporo Tourism Association

Soup Curry

Curry not thickened with flour: a thin, spiced broth of chicken bones and vegetables, with large pieces of vegetable and meat. Rice is dipped into it.

Area：Sapporo

Source：Sapporo Tourism Association

Butadon

Thickly sliced pork grilled and glazed with sweetened soy sauce, served over rice.

Area：Obihiro (Tokachi region)

Source：Hokkaido Tourism Organization

MICHI-NO-EKI / 128

Michi-no-Eki roadside stations

RestInformationLocal links

Rest facilities registered by Japan's national government. Each has parking and toilets open 24 hours, and by definition includes a facility that sells local products. This is where the making and the food of this prefecture can actually be bought.

  • IwanaiIwanai, Iwanai DistrictRegistered April 1993Official site
  • Enbetsu FujimiEnbetsu, Teshio DistrictRegistered April 1993Official site
  • OtoineppuOtoineppu, Nakagawa DistrictRegistered April 1993Official site
  • Kamiyubetsu Onsen Tulip-no-YuYubetsu, Monbetsu DistrictRegistered April 1993Official site
  • Shiranuka KoitoikanShiranuka, Shiranuka DistrictRegistered April 1993Official site
  • BifukaBifuka, Nakagawa DistrictRegistered April 1993Official site
  • Star Plaza AshibetsuAshibetsuRegistered April 1993Official site
  • MikasaMikasaRegistered April 1993Official site
  • Minami FuranoMinamifurano, Sorachi DistrictRegistered April 1993Official site
  • ChuruiMakubetsu, Nakagawa DistrictRegistered April 1993Official site
  • Mashu OnsenTeshikaga, Kawakami DistrictRegistered April 1993Official site
  • Boyo NakayamaKimobetsu, Abuta DistrictRegistered April 1993Official site

There are 128 stations in this prefecture in all (national registry).

Source: MLIT register of Michi-no-Eki

LOCAL ACCOUNTS / 3

People posting this city's food

Japanese-language accounts that post this city's food, day after day. They are not made for overseas audiences.

These are third-party accounts. They are not affiliated with Value Village and this is not an endorsement.

CITIES & TOWNS / 35

Find by city or town

Sorted by number of entries. Start from the name of a town.

Sapporo 19Hakodate 12Asahikawa 7Otaru 7Kushiro 6Abashiri 4Esashi 3Obihiro 3Noboribetsu 3Shari 2Muroran 2Toyako 2Kitami 2Matsumae 2Biratori 2Tomakomai 2Biei 2Nakasatsunai 2
See other cities and towns（17）

INTERESTS / 14

Find by interest

Only the interests found in this prefecture.

Where locals eat!1 entries

To the list Hokkaido Jingu · S5A-0043 · CC BY 4.0

Shrines & Temples30 entries

Hokkaido Jingu ／ Hakodate Hachimangu

To the list Shiretoko Goko · 663highland · CC BY 2.5

Nature & Scenery73 entries

Shiretoko Goko ／ Furano

To the list Noboribetsu Jigokudani · Calistemon · CC BY-SA 4.0

Hot Springs5 entries

Noboribetsu Jigokudani ／ Hokkaido Ballpark F Village

To the list Otaru Canal · 肖红军 · CC BY-SA 3.0

Historic Districts1 entries

Otaru Canal

To the list Goryokaku · 肖红军 · CC BY-SA 3.0

Castles & History1 entries

Goryokaku

To the list Sapporo Clock Tower · Balon Greyjoy · CC0

Architecture14 entries

Sapporo Clock Tower ／ Historical Village of Hokkaido

To the list Hokkaido Museum · タクナワン · CC0

Museums11 entries

Hokkaido Museum ／ Hokkaido University Museum

To the list Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art · yasusii · CC BY-SA 3.0

Art & Crafts33 entries

Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art ／ Migishi Kotaro Museum of Art

To the list Moerenuma Park · 掬茶 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Contemporary Art4 entries

Moerenuma Park ／ Sapporo Odori 500m Underground Walkway Gallery

To the list Yoichi Distillery · 663highland · CC BY 2.5

Craft Experiences24 entries

Yoichi Distillery ／ Hakodate Carl Raymon

To the list Hachiman-zaka · くろふね · CC BY 4.0

Culture & History8 entries

Hachiman-zaka ／ Trappist Monastery

To the list Esashi Togyosai · BATACHAN · CC BY-SA 4.0

Festivals2 entries

Esashi Togyosai ／ Sapporo Snow Festival

To the list Sapporo Breweries Hokkaido Brewery · MIKI Yoshihito from Sapporo City,Hokka… · CC BY 2.0

Food & Markets27 entries

Sapporo Breweries Hokkaido Brewery ／ Shiroi Koibito Park / Ishiya Seika

To the list Ningle Terrace · pakku · CC BY 3.0

Experiences9 entries

Ningle Terrace ／ Shiroi Michi

To the list

HIGHLIGHTS

Highlights of this prefecture

From entries with clearly licensed photos.

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Shrines & Temples
Sapporo

Hokkaido Jingu

Founded by decree of Emperor Meiji as guardian of the frontier. Barely 150 years old, yet no shrine in Hokkaido draws more worshippers. It enshrines the three deities of land development.

See details

SMILE NEWS / 136

Smile news from Japan and the world

Stories that lift your spirits a little, collected with their sources.

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Hokkaido

Ainu culture hub 'Chirotto' opens in Makubetsu, Hokkaido

Chirotto, a new hub for Ainu cultural exchange, opens on October 1 in the town of Makubetsu, Hokkaido. On September 30 a completion ceremony was held at its core facility, the town's Ainu Culture Exchange Center, where an Ainu group performed Ashiri Chise Nomi, the traditional rite celebrating a new building.

source: Hokkaido Shimbun
Patagonia National Park, Chile

Women rangers return Darwin's rheas to the wild in Chile

In Chile's Patagonia National Park, a women-led ranger team returned 13 Darwin's rheas to the wild in April 2026. Working with the Rewilding Chile Foundation, they care for the birds around the clock; surveys once estimated only about 11 to 15 remained.

source: Mongabay
Matusadona National Park, Zimbabwe

New 210-million-year-old dinosaur species named from Zimbabwe's Lake Kariba shore

A new dinosaur species, Musango matusadonaensis, has been described from rocks about 210 million years old in Matusadona National Park on the shore of Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe. The bipedal, not-yet-adult animal was about 4.5 metres long, and the find suggests Zimbabwe's dinosaur fauna differed from South Africa's.

source: Phys.org (The Conversation)

INSTAGRAM / 1

Travellers' photos

Public Instagram posts shown with the official embed and the poster's name. Tap a photo to open the original post on Instagram.

Art museum
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Hokkaido Museum of Modern Art · Sapporo · @piyotamanaminon49Open post

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INSTAGRAM

Explore on Instagram

Hashtags often used for this area. Each opens the tag page on Instagram.

#北海道Hokkaido

SEASONS & EVENTS

Seasons & events

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BEFORE YOU GO

Before you go

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Q1Q. What do people get wrong about IC cards (Suica, PASMO) in Japan?Q2Q. What do people get wrong about coin lockers and luggage forwarding in Japan?Q3Q. What do people get wrong about Golden Week, Obon and New Year travel?

TRAVEL

Transport & stays

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Photos of Hokkaido

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HokkaidoEnlarge ↗
Hokkaido663high land · CC BY 2.5 · Original image and source ↗Display size adjusted. The enlarged view shows the whole photo.

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