This post has been written by Guest Blogger, Tracey. Tracey travelled in Japan with her family in Autumn (during the Rugby World Cup.)
Tracey lives on the east coast of Australia and loves exploring her own country and travelling to different parts of the world with her husband and two boys in tow whenever they get the chance. She loves being able to share her hints and tips from her travels to help other families have the confidence to explore near and far.
You can find her on Instagram @gogogoexplore
This trip was an idea 4 years in the making.
When a couple of our mates were over and it was Rugby World Cup time we checked where the next one would be…. Japan!
Perfect !
Let’s go!
And who would’ve thought that we would actually follow through with travelling as a group with 3 families of 4 with kids ranging from 3-15?
A joint bank account was set up, weekly deposits were made and, of course, many a “planning session” was had.
When we managed to score tickets in the first round ballot to a game in Sapporo – Hokkaido was added to our itinerary.
I’d heard lots about Hokkaido from friends but mainly for its snow and ski fields so, when I was researching what to do in early Autumn with kids, there wasn’t a lot of information out there and it wasn’t until quite late in the piece that I finally locked in a plan for our time in Hokkaido.
We all decided early on that we would hire cars after our stay in Sapporo for the game and have some independence and hit the road.
I was really undecided about where to go and what to see and in the end decided to keep it simple and not have too bigger days in the car otherwise we wouldn’t get to experience the places we would visit.
Here’s a summary of our Hokkaido itinerary:
3 nights – Sapporo
1 night – Otaru
2 nights – Niseko
1 night – Noboribetsu via Lake Toya
1 night – Chitose via Lake Kuttara and Shikotsukoonsen (Lake Shikotsu)
Sapporo
We enjoyed a 3 night stay in Sapporo at the APA Hotel and Resort in a quad share room. It’s bit out the city itself but, due to the Rugby World Cup and needing 3 family rooms for our group, it suited our needs.
(As it turned out, it saved a lot of time when it came time to get home from the game as we were heading away from the city and we didn’t have to line up for hours for a shuttle bus.)
After landing in the afternoon on our first day and the game being an afternoon game we essentially had one day to explore Sapporo. We ventured off to visit Mount Moiwa via a trip on the ropeway and cute two car cablecar. The return trip was 1,700 JPY per adult and 850 JPY for kids over elementary school age (so 6 and over).
The top has a great 360 degree view overlooking Sapporo stretching all the way out to the coast. At the top, as well as the obligatory binoculars, there is the “happiness bell” and an area where people can attach lovelocks. It’s also said that if a couple rings the bell and attaches a lock they will have long lasting love.
I didn’t do either.
Like at most good lookouts, there are a variety of signs showing the landmarks and mountains that you are looking at. Apparently the view has been voted the third best night view in all of Japan.
We choose to skip the cablecar on the way down and walked back to the top of the ropeway via the winding path that runs alongside the cablecar to let the kids burn off some energy.
At the top, there is a nice grassed area with seats and some tables where you could have a picnic and enjoy the scenery.
There were lots of Japanese hikers in the area that were all wearing bells and then it dawned on us that it was to keep bears away, so we sent the kids down first as they were loud enough to scare any wildlife away.
After taking the ropeway back down we took the Streetcar (similar to a tram) into Sapporo itself to explore the Autumn Festival at Odori Park. We were lucky to be here during the festival that ran from 6 – 29 September. Each section of the park has food and drink stalls and is a great way for 12 people to get the food they want and to have space for the kids to run around too.
There’s a great playground area in the park with an amazing wide concrete slide that all the kids, big and small, had fun sliding down over and over again. There was a pre-school group there at that same time and it was entertaining watching them try and all slide down holding hands and watching them all somehow avoid any carnage. There’s also an area that would be a great water play area in the hotter months as well as some old school and more modern play equipment, it’s definitely worth a visit with kids for them to have some free play time.
We walked all the way along Odori Park to the Sapporo TV tower but decided after being to Mount Moiwa it wasn’t worth paying to go up the tower so like all good parents we caught the bus and made the trip out to the Sapporo Beer Garden.
The grounds and buildings at the Sapporo Beer Garden are beautiful but don’t be fooled by the name beer garden, from all our looking around the Beer Garden in fact refers to a number of different restaurants and the precinct rather than an outdoor drinking space. At the beer museum you can opt to do a paid “Premier Tour” for 800 JPY that’s in Japanese and includes 2 beers to taste at the end or you can walk around for free in the same area with numerous information boards and a video showing the history of Sapporo beer. We opted for the free tour, after my nine year old declared it to be worse than a winery, and at the side of each of the information boards there are smaller cardboard sheets with the English translation of the boards on them. After reading up on the history of the beer you can then sample the famous beer. For 800 JPY you can sample 3 beers, you just need to pay at the vending machine and collect a ticket and show it at the bar to get your drinks, there are also some non-alcoholic drinks for the kids and non-beer drinkers. There is a 30 minute time limit in the tasting area before they move you on and you need to leave. We were hoping to have dinner at the beer garden and you can make a reservation in reception area on the first floor before you enter the beer museum but unfortunately it was all booked out so we took a taxi back to our hotel and ate at the restaurant next door.
The following day we went to our rugby world cup match to watch the Wallabies play Fiji at Sapporo Dome. We decided to kill some time before the game by having a hit at the New Makomanai Golf Centre just down the road from our hotel and took to the third floor to smash some balls into the nets. It cost us 1620 JPY to hire one tee for an hour including a club for everyone. They had kids clubs but no left handed clubs for our little lefty but he gave it a good crack anyway. Each time you hit the ball a new ball pops up in its place on a tee so you don’t even have to bend down to pick up or place a ball, magic.
It was tonnes of fun and all of us really enjoyed it but if you have little ones please be careful as on the upper levels there is no barrier to stop them falling a couple of floors down to the ground.
If you get a chance to have a go it’s definitely a family friendly activity for kids that are big enough to concentrate for an hour and take turns.
Then it was off to the rugby at the Sapporo Dome. It was a great atmosphere and a new experience watching a game indoors. If you get a chance to watch any sport played at the stadium it’s a great venue although unfortunately during our visit they were not allowing people to bring food or drink in from outside so the lines for food were crazy and so were the lines for merchandise, strangely enough you could walk straight up to the beer-only bars and buy 6 full strength beers, which was also a new experience for me at a sporting event because in Australia there are quite strict rules around purchasing alcohol. They also had vendors walking around with beer inside the stadium that you could buy beer from during the game. The game was great, I met a new Japanese friend who played rugby and was the station master at JR Nara Station and had a lovely time talking with him and asking him why the referee was awarding certain penalties (half the time no one knows anyway so it was quite funny with the language barrier too).
Car Hire
On Day 4 we hit the road and headed to Otaru.
We chose to hire a medium SUV through Times Car Rental and got a Mazda CX-5 which was comfortable and fitted all our luggage in the boot. It cost us 47, 380 JPY for the 5 nights we had the car which included a 2,500 JPY one way fee because we dropped it off at New Chitose airport and 500 JPY for booster seat hire. A couple of things to remember when hiring a car in Japan make sure you have all the relevant documents with you when you pick up the car including your passport, international driver’s licence and your licence issued from your home country.
The pick up process can take some time especially in the morning when everyone else is checking out of their hotels and rocking up at the same time.
Also car seats for kids aren’t necessarily consistent with your home country. We hired a booster seat for our 5 year old and it was just the bottom seat portion so not as much as much support that’s legally required at home or what our son is used to, but it worked for us. Our car hire also included an ETC card rental but we needed to pay 7,200 JPY to load the ETC with credit and I believe the balance will be refunded to us but it hasn’t to date (I hope it is refunded as we only used about 1,000 JPY).
Otaru
We set off just before lunch from Sapporo towards Otaru, it’s a nice drive along the coast and takes about an hour. Otaru is known for its picturesque canal with its vine covered buildings that reminds me of a tiny town in Europe. The pretty vine covered buildings are only a small portion on one side of the canal and then it becomes quite industrial looking, which I found beautiful in its own way.
You can jump on a canal boat with for a 40 minute tour with Otaru Canal Cruise at Chuobashi Bridge to get a closer look at the canal and get some more information about the area. The captain provides the commentary in Japanese but there is an option to get an audio guide in English. Alternatively, you can walk its entire length and see the exact same thing. The boat ride costs 1,500 JPY per adult 500 JPY per child 6-12 and 1,800 JPY per adult for night cruise (kids are still 500 JPY for the night cruise). The boats leave every 30 mins starting at 10:30am.
We opted to walk the entire length of the canal for the kids to burn some energy. At the end of the canal you’ll find Ironaifuto Park which has a big open park space as well as play equipment which was great for our kids to run around and have some fun. They loved the slide that was a series of rollers that you bump down because it was so different to any of the equipment at home.
The township itself is super cute with many historical buildings covered in vines. Sakaimachihondori Street is where you’ll find most restaurants and quaint buildings but there’s also plenty of gems down the side streets including an entire street called Sushi Street. We opted for a low key restaurant with the kids where we ordered from a tablet at the table in English which suited us, our budget and restless kids perfectly . Afterwards we treated the kids to ice cream sundaes and donuts from Bakery and Sweet’s Octagon.
You could definitely drop into Otaru as a stopover but I think you should factor in at least lunch or dinner and enjoy some of its delicious seafood.
Also the added bonus of staying the night was we found this super cute breakfast place via some Google research. It’s run by an elderly couple and has the sweetest vibe with classical music playing and a grand piano in the corner of the room. They do a 100 JPY breakfast set when you buy a drink, yes that’s not a typo, 100 JPY!! I ordered a cafe latte and the boys all ordered hot cocoa (warning it is hot for the little ones!!!) and each drink cost 390 JPY. The cocoa was served in gorgeous tea cups. Then, the amazing breakfast had thick cut toast, butter, honey, scrambled eggs, bacon, a sausage, mashed potato, and some slices of a peppery cheese. Our total bill for the 4 of us was a complete bargain for 1,960 JPY and unlike most other places it opens a bit earlier at 9am. We highly recommend if you’re in Otaru for breakfast. Here are the details: Maruichi Gotou Shouten, 色内食堂 1 Chome-6-27 Ironai, Otaru, Hokkaido 047-0031.
This is what the restaurant looks like from outside. It is called Maruichi Goto Shouten. They accept major credit cards and are closed on Mondays.
After our delicious and filling breakfast we hit the road headed to Niseko.
In Otaru, we stayed at AMS Riverside Apartment in a one bedroom apartment that we booked via booking.com. The apartment was a good size and fully self-contained with a big (by Japanese standard) kitchen, a nice lounge and dining area with fold-down sofa bed for the kids, decent size bathroom that included a washing machine and a separate toilet. The room also had the bonus of a balcony with great views over the water. The apartment block is perched on the hill overlooking Otaru and is in easy walking distance the main eat street and action in Otaru. The apartment was self-check in and the owner sent through all the instructions and house manual before our stay.
Niseko
There are few different ways to head down to Niseko from Otaru.
We took Road 36 and, after about half an hour driving, we came across Aris Farm.
This is the sort of place that I love finding when you have the flexibility of stopping in a car.
It’s a blueberry farm that has a series of cute red barn type buildings and they sell a range of jams, vinegars ice creams and berry smoothies. They also have a muffin of the day (plus a couple of other varieties) so of course we had one each. The kids got a blueberry (350 JPY), hubby got pumpkin (370 JPY) and I went for a blueberry and cheese muffin (390 JPY).
They were all yummy and got a thumbs up from everyone. The have cute little gift/garden shop on site and on a good day there is plenty of room for the kids to stretch their legs and run around. Unfortunately when we visited it was raining so they didn’t get to try out the tree house or the swing. There’s a pretty elevated eating area under the trees with the treehouse perched above and a resident goat in his little red house. If you’re there in the right season you can also pick blueberries.
Another 45 minutes drive down the road and we arrived at Yamada, Niseko in the pouring rain, not the best start to our plans to explore the great outdoors in this beautiful part of the world. We drove through the small township and stopped in at the Niseko Adventure Centre (NAC) and had lunch at the upstairs café called JoJo’s. JoJo’s overlooks the NAC’s indoor climbing centre, so you can watch the kids climb while enjoying some food or a drink (alcoholic or otherwise). Lunch was mainly a western affair, hubby chose a burger set (there are a number of different burgers to choose from) that includes a soup, drink and fries for 1,480 JPY. There are two sets to choose from for the kids either pasta or mini burger which includes salad, fries (chunks of fried potato rather than traditional fries) and a drink for 1,180 JPY, our big kid got the pasta set which was spaghetti bolognaise. It’s also worth checking out the sides our little one got a cheese pizza for 980 JPY and I got a serve of minestrone soup for 580 JPY. All up our meal cost 4,950 JPY for the 4 of us which also included a coffee and an extra lemonade.
Due to the dreadful weather, our boys decided to tackle NAC’s Indoor Rock Climbing Centre.
There are only two options, 5 minutes or 2 hours (seems a bit extreme but that’s the way it is).
We weren’t sure if the kids would enjoy it as it was the first time trying it for our little guy and we thought 2 hours might be a bit too long for our eldest son. It was 850 JPY for 5 minutes and included harness hire and climbing shoes and a staff member being their belay (anchor/safety person). Kids need to be at least 100cm tall and kids are aged up to 12 years old. The 2 hour session is 1,500 JPY for kids and 1,800 JPY per adult. They have a small wall for beginners to start on, in 5 minutes our little guy got 4 turns up the small wall and the older one had one go on the small wall and progressed to the more difficult higher wall and had two goes on it. The staff member was fantastic and super encouraging and gave both the boys tips on where to place their hands and feet as they progressed up the wall.
NAC also provide all sorts of adventure options if the weather is fine, they have a nearby adventure park with ziplines and ropes course and run whitewater rafting, kayak and stand-up paddleboarding tours and they also hire a heap of outdoor equipment including mountain bikes. We were there towards the end of the season and due to the approaching typhoon they had finished up the mountain biking season early and the family whitewater rafting for kids aged 3 and over finishes up on 31 August so if you want to make the most of the outdoor sports in the area perhaps plan to get there by August but that being said there is still lots to do in Summer and early spring.
In Niseko we stayed at Nest at the Trees ( recently rebranded as Miru Niseko) which is located about a 5 minute drive out of Yamada. It’s probably best if you have a car if you’re staying here, but they also provide a shuttle bus service which you can use on an on demand basis outside of the snow season. They can also pick you up and drop you off at the train station.
We loved our stay here, the staff were fantastic and super helpful and our room was amazing and such great value.
We stayed in a Prime Apartment with Garden View and had a king bed in a separate bedroom and the two sofas were made up as single beds.
The room had a small but adequate kitchenette which included a fridge, coffee machine, electric jug and microwave.
The bathroom had a deep bath overlooking the neighbouring forest and there was a handy second sink located just outside the bathroom which prevented congestion in the bathroom in the morning rush to get out the door.
Right outside our room was the holy grail of travel, a laundry with a washing machine and dryer that’s shared between 4 rooms. We were lucky enough to be there in a quiet period and had it to ourselves. Our rate included breakfast which was buffet style with limited options but more than enough to leave full ready for a day’s activities. They also gave the kids their own amenity set which included kids slippers, toothbrush and face washer.
The wonderful staff recommended some public onsens where we could hire a private onsen to use as a family and booked us into Kira No Yu opposite the JR Niseko train station which was just under a 10 minute drive away. We booked in for an hour which cost 1,000 JPY for private hire plus 500 JPY per adult and 250 JPY per child and kids under 6 are free. You can also hire towels if you need to, but the hotel was happy for us to take theirs. The onsen was lacking toiletries other than the basics of body wash, shampoo and conditioner. The onsen itself wasn’t anything special just a rectangular bath fortunately with a large sliding window that we could open and let the cool night air in to cool off. That being said it was a great experience to share as a family (even if we had to remind the kids not to jump in or splash numerous times).
After our (relatively) relaxing onsen it was off to dinner at Niseko Pizza. Thankfully we got dropped off by the shuttle bus right at the front door because it was pouring with rain. We met up with the 2 other families we were travelling with for a fantastic meal. The restaurant has a great atmosphere, it has cozy booths both downstairs and upstairs on the mezzanine level where we were seated. They even had a massive big screen projected on one of the walls which the boys were quite pleased with because they had a Rugby World Cup match on.
There were lots of different options on the menu including pizza (of course), calzone, pasta, seafood, steaks, schnitzel, salad, soup etc. Warning: the family size pizzas live up to their name and are huge. They also offer gluten free pizza if you order the day before and you can order gluten free pasta with no prior notice and choose from any of the sauces to go with it. The menu has codes in it for vegetarian, vegan and kid friendly options. It was a bit of a pricey meal (including a “few” drinks) but everyone in our group of 12 really enjoyed their meals which were a really generous size too. We got the restaurant to call Nest at the Trees ( recently rebranded as Miru Niseko) to get the shuttle bus to pick us up (as we may have had a “few” drinks) to get back by 10pm and got picked up and dropped off at the hotel door again.
We weren’t too sure what to do the next day because due to our little guy’s age and things closing early for the season, including the nearby gondola, a lot of the outdoor activities were not an option.
A friend had mentioned the nearby Rusutsu Amusement Park which is about a half an hour drive away and it sounded like as good an idea as any. As we arrived we were worried it wasn’t open, turns out it was just super quiet. It is a bit pricey but we got a full day of fun for the price and there were NO lines so we went on rides over and over again, sometimes without even getting off because we were the only ones on the ride.
It costs 5,000 JPY per adult, 4,000 JPY per child aged 6-12 and 1,200 JPY per child aged 4-5 and 3 and under were free. Parking was free of charge as it was out of the peak season but there is 500 JPY charge during weekends and peak periods. Rusutsu has 8 roller coasters, one which wasn’t operating during our visit and due to it being quiet it seemed they would rotate which rides were open and would shut one for a period of time while staff manned another one.
There were plenty of rides for the kids like a carousel, ferris wheel, 2 seat go-karts (that the parents drive but the kids get a steering wheel too), small rollercoasters, small pirate ship, a safari ride, water log ride, chair swing, a pedal yourself monorail, ropes course and a waterpark (which was closed when we were there). The rollercoasters were all very different to each other – there were a couple of more traditional coasters, one you stand up on it and do a loop (very strange experience), another your feet swing beneath you and another one is like a corkscrew on steroids (which was my favourite).
Every time you would take a ride the staff would tell your all the safety precautions in Japanese and then get you to say the parks slogan “BEEEEEEEE HAPPPPPY!!!”, this became the slogan for our trip, especially when one of the adults was in a bit of a “mood”, hahaha.
There are plenty of food options in the Park, including both Japanese and western options, which was surprising that most of them were open because of how quiet it was. We opted for the 500 JPY per person all you can eat and drink pass and totally under-utilised it and probably broke even on it. If you get it you can use it at all the snack stalls as well as at the bigger cafeterias. By the time we were leaving and had time to eat the stalls that were still open weren’t accepting the pass. Another thing to remember is you have to show your ticket every time you ride, EVERY time. For the kids it might be worth taking a lanyard with a clear pouch attached to save them losing it our having to get it in and out all the time.
We stayed until the park closed and after going to Universal Studios later in the trip, it was good value for money because of all the rides we could go on in the time we had in the park and I’m not really one for merchandise that’s available at the more well-known parks. No one got frustrated lining up for hours and battling crowds but it could be a different story if you went on a weekend, public holiday or peak season (we were there mid-week in late September).
We were pretty tired from our action packed day and didn’t feel like taking on a restaurant with the kids and the little guy fell asleep in the car so it wasn’t an ideal situation. Yamada has a Seicomart supermarket so we got the kids some noodle pots and karage but we weren’t feeling like fast food. Fortunately the Niseko Branch of Fuji Sushi was right across the road so we divided and conquered and hubby ordered us a delicious feast to take back to Nest at the Trees to eat. Not everything was available to take away but we ended up with gyoza, mixed nigiri, karage, rice, pork cutlet rice bowl and mixed tempura and there may have been another dish but we had more than enough.
This is Niseko Station all decorated for Halloween/ Autumn.
Lake Toya and Noboribetsu
After our lovely stay at Nest at the Trees we were off again to explore some more Hokkaido magic. The eastern part of Hokkaido is blessed with numerous beautiful lakes due to its volcanic activity. About a 45 minute drive away and close to Lake Toya we stopped at the magical Lake Hill Farm. This place is a kids dream, they serve gelato, there’s a tractor to play on, plenty of space to run wild (or wrestle in my kids’ case) a little hut full of ball games, animals to feed and the resident goat you can visit, all surrounded by gorgeous flowers and with Mount Yotei as the backdrop.
The building is split in half with one side serving gelato and the other a café with coffee and a limited food menu. I decided to get a coffee and piece of cheesecake from the café while the boys all got a double scoop gelato. It was all amazing.
Just a little further down the road is the Silo Observatory with great views over Lake Toya and you can get an obligatory photo with the “Toya” sign. There’s a box of timber letters hiding behind the sign if you want to put your initials up on the sign to take a photo (if it’s not too windy).
As we drove on a bit further we made the short descent into Toyamachi to Okimido Park and its cute little temple. Our boys loved jumping from rock to rock out to the temple and it has such a beautiful backdrop of Lake Toya and the mountains.
We continued on to Noboribetsu along the northern side of Lake Toya. The windy road was gorgeous at this time of year with the green trees arching over it and glimpses of the lake through the trees. Unfortunately we were a bit too early for the autumn colours (or it was too late) but it would be spectacular once the trees start to turn. The road can be a little narrow in places and a bit hairy but as the passenger I felt fine (even in a hire car) and it was an enjoyable drive. On our way to Noboribetsu we stumbled across a sign to a waterfall so we pulled in and drove down a dead end street for a look. It turned out to be Sobetsu Falls, after crossing a little bridge there was a lovely narrow track running alongside the river with the green canopy of the trees making it feel magical. Our boys ran almost the whole way to the waterfall where there’s wooden steps and little boardwalk area leading nearly right up to the base of the waterfall and you can feel the spray of the water. Again, the joy of the hidden gems you find during a road trip.
We drove through the town of Sobetsu where there’s lots of roadside shops to buy fruit from the local orchards. We pulled over at one and bought some massive apples the size of the kids’ heads and a bunch of grapes (be warned the grapes in Hokkaido don’t all taste the same as what we’re used to in Australia, they reminded me of the lollies called Nerds that I used to have as a kid). As we kept driving and were heading towards our turn off on to Route 2 in the little town of Kubonai we were flagged down by about half a dozen men wearing uniforms. Even in Japan I was feeling a bit worried about what was going on and thinking maybe the road ahead was closed or something. The lovely, mostly elderly, gentlemen passed my husband a plastic bag through the window and inside were two apples and 2 packets of tissues….ok then. Then when the light turned green we were on our way and I waved madly at the lovely smiling gentlemen. Turns out on closer inspection and a little help from Google translate the gift was part of an anti-drink driving campaign, how kawaii (it would never work in Australia) but love the different way they get a message across in Japan.
We kept driving on to Noboribetsu with a short stopover at a lookout over the lake and arrived at 4pm. I was a bit nervous about our accommodation for the night because it was by far our most expensive but included a buffet dinner and breakfast and also had great facilities in a great location so I was happy to take the risk. After finding the hotel, Dai-ichi Takimotokan, via booking.com I went to their website and booked directly with the hotel which also made me a little anxious. I had nothing to worry about it was fine and we had a great stay.
The hotel is huge and overlooks Jigokudani (otherwise known as Hell Valley). We opted for a traditional tatami room and were in the recently renovated southern wing. Our room was comfortable, large and modern for a tatami room. Before heading up in the lift to our room after check in there was a lady handing out yukatas for the kids. Our room overlooked the driveway into the hotel but that didn’t really bother us. We thought due to its handy location we’d set off and explore Hell Valley. It’s a short walk to the main lookout area over Hell Valley and there’s a fantastic boardwalk that runs alongside the valley and then takes you right into the middle of all the action. Be warned due to sulphur and hydrogen sulphide the area does stink like rotten eggs but we didn’t find it too bad and got used to it after a while.
There are a number of walking tracks in the area and you can walk to a natural foot hot spring. Due to our later arrival than anticipated and less than enthusiastic kids we chose to check out some those areas the next day. We scooted back to the hotel to change into our yukata and check out the pool and waterslide area.
In the swimming pool area, you can wear swimwear and enjoy swimming and hot tubs together as a family but you still have to enter separately via the male and female changerooms and meet up at the pool. Apparently, for the males, you still have to walk through the onsen itself so be prepared for some nudity especially if you’re with unsuspecting kids (it lead to some interesting conversations within our family.)
There’s a spectacular outdoor hot tub that you can enjoy as a family overlooking all of Hell Valley that’s worth the visit to the swimming pool.
The waterslide and kids area isn’t anything to write home about but it kept our two kids occupied for about an hour and was a welcomed break from walking and sightseeing.
Getting out of the pool area I broke all the onsen rules, you need to take your wet swimwear off before you enter the changerooms and you can put it in a little spin dryer for a few minutes and they have plastic bag that you can put it in afterwards. I then thought I’d be clever and shower our little guy before dinner but the showers were in the onsen itself and then I got the towel etiquette all wrong, I went to take a big towel in and you can only take the small modesty towels in and then I didn’t take one in for my son and he needed one. Anyway it was all ok the staff politely indicated what I needed to do each time and didn’t seem angry at me and I didn’t really feel embarrassed it just meant I knew what to do later on when I actually went in the onsen.
We dashed back to our room to change for our buffet dinner time slot of 5:30pm – 7:00pm that we chose during check in. We were given an option of 3 time slots the others being 7:00pm-8:30pm and 8:30pm – 10:00pm. You just had to enter within the allocated timeslot and show them the card you are given at check in and you can stay until the end of the next time slot. When you get seated at your table there’s a card you can flip over from vacant to occupied so no one takes your table while you’re at the buffet, I love how organised the Japanese are (and every buffet needs these!!!). Also if you head to dinner in your yukata you will fit right in, we didn’t and I kind of wish we did, fortunately I wore what my sister-in-law and I call an “eating dress”.
I don’t think the word buffet adequately describes what we experienced, the food was plentiful and there were so many different options including lots of desserts. There was sushi, tempura, seafood, seafood and more seafood, amazing beef and they had a dedicated kids’ buffet area. The kids section included spaghetti, hamburger patties, fried rice, karage, french fries, baby sausages and also had a chocolate fountain with marshmallows, cream puffs and tinned pineapple to dip into it. My kids were sorted and happy. You had to pay extra for drinks other than water, tea and coffee. They do a 60 minute alcoholic drinks package for 2,000 JPY (but that’s just taking up valuable food space if you ask me.) A 400ml beer was 800 JPY and a small wine was 500 JPY so we both just had one drink and ate our weight in food.
After stuffing ourselves silly we thought we better walk some of it off and ventured up to Hell Valley again to experience it at night.
The boardwalk is all lit up at night and it’s a great experience and well worth it if you stay overnight in the area. I definitely thought it was best to do it during the day first so you know what you’re kind of looking at in the dark.
After the walk, I took on my first proper onsen experience during this trip.
I got my brave on and met my friend in the onsen (which actually adds a bit to the awkwardness by knowing someone – but it was fine).
Our friends were staying across the road at Takimoto Inn and had full access to our hotel’s onsens. There are a huge range of baths to try inside and each bath has a different mineral make up which can help with various ailments. Each one has a little sign beside it and tells you the relevant information about it and there is also a dry and humid sauna. Outside there are 4 baths – 2 small ones and 2 larger one and one of the larger ones is completely uncovered (which was my favourite) while the others have a cover over them.
Also – a hot tip (see what I did there) if you are at the onsen between 3:30pm and 8:30pm you can get an icy cold beer in the outdoor pools. Unfortunately, I didn’t get there until about 9:00pm.
All in all I really enjoyed the experience and am so glad I did it especially because that is what the area is known for.
I headed back to the room which the magical bed making fairies had set up with our very comfortable futons in and settled in for the night while my husband headed to the onsen.
Noboribetsu, Lake Kuttara, Lake Shikotsu and Chitose
The buffet breakfast was just as good a spread as dinner and had a range of Japanese, Asian and western food to fill you up for days and great to keep you going for a full days adventure.
We set off and made a stop at River Oyunuma Natural Footbath to soak our feet in the running stream.
We drove up and parked nearby and walked about 5 minutes to reach the footbath area.
You can also access it via walking tracks from Hell Valley. It’s definitely a unique experience being surrounded by the forest and soaking your feet in a warm spring fed natural stream to ease the aches and pains of adventuring in Japan. There’s a wooden boardwalk type area where you can sit and take your shoes off to enjoy the footbath. They even provide small silver mats to sit on to keep your bottom dry if the boardwalk is wet.
After soaking our feet we hopped back in the car and drove over to Oyunuma Pond for a look. The car park costs 500 JPY but if you have the time you can also walk there via a trail from Hell Valley. There are two ponds one large and one small of hot bubbling mud and beautiful blue steaming water (there’s also public toilets here if you need them). You don’t need much time to check them out and it’s a bit different to Hell Valley.
We decided to continue along Road 350 and drive around Lake Kuttara. You can only get small glimpses of the lake from the road and there not many places to stop for a closer look. As we descended down closer to the lake there was a spot where we could pull over and clamber down the bank to check out the lake. It’s beautiful and surrounded by lush green forest and there was only a solo kayaker out on the lake. I would’ve loved to grab a stand up paddle board and go for a paddle on its glassy protected waters. We got back in the car and of course all of 50 metres round the bend was a carpark area and open space where you could easily get to the shore of the lake but where’s the fun in that. There was an old lodge that didn’t seem open any more where it looks like you used to be able to hire paddleboats and kayaks, perhaps it was just closed for the season.
We kept travelling towards Lake Shikotsu via the E5 toll road. It cost us 660 JPY on our ETC from Noboribetsu to Shiraoi where we stopped to grab a quick 7-Eleven lunch. After lunch we thought we would take the coast road rather than head back on to the toll road but instead of scenic coastline it was quite an industrial area.
We took Road 141 up to Lake Shikotsu and arrived at the lake town of Shikotsukoonsen and parked the car for 500 JPY for the rest of the day. Turns out the wind also arrived and there were almost waves breaking in the lake so we weren’t able to use one of the many types of watercraft available to hire as there were all closed due to the conditions. There’s also a glass bottom boat that does tours of the lake that wasn’t operating due to the wind.
The foreshore of the lake has lots of picnic tables and a great grassed are where the kids can run around and stretch their legs. We met up with our friends grabbed a table and chilled out for the afternoon.
There’s a nice walk along the lakefront that you access by crossing the bright red former Yamasen Railway Bridge that crosses Chitosegawa River. The bridge is the oldest existing railway bridge in Hokkaido being built in 1899 over the Sorachigawa River. In 1924 it was relocated to its present site where it was used for a light rail now but now it’s just used as a pedestrian bridge.
After crossing the bridge you can keep following the path along the lake until you come to a wide set of stairs that leads down to the edge of the lake.
The rocky foreshore is perfect for kids to pass the time throwing rocks into the water like our kids did.
Back near the shops there’s a variety of small restaurants and cafes where you can eat. If you are staying in the area for the night the shops all close at 5pm so be prepared for dinner and buy something before everything closes. We gorged ourselves on the deliciously naughty deep fried brie cheese and potato snacks from the lovely ladies at the stall on the lakefront corner near the Lake Shikotsuko Visitor Information Center. So good but so bad.
Both the other families we were travelling with were staying the night at Shikotsuonsen before heading to New Chitose airport for our flight to Tokyo the next day (another tip if you do stay overnight make sure you leave the visitor carpark before 9am otherwise you need to pay another 500 JPY for parking, our friends found that out the hard way). We booked the night in Chitose itself at the Best Western Plus Hotel Fino Chitose which is only about a half an hour drive away.
Best Western Plus Hotel Fino Chitose is a great hotel to stay in if you are flying into or out of New Chitose airport and need comfortable and affordable overnight accommodation. We stayed in an Executive Quadruple Room that was modern and really generous in size with 4 single beds and enough room for a lounge area in front of the TV. The room size was great for us as we had plenty of room to rearrange our bags before our flight the next day.
It’s only a 10 minute drive from the airport and really convenient for us as the drop off for the car was on the way to the airport too and the car hire company provided a free shuttle to the airport. There’s onsite parking located behind the hotel that’s on a first come first served basis and costs 800 JPY for 24 hours and you can come and go as many time as you like, you just need to collect a pass out ticket from reception before you leave. The staff were wonderful and super helpful. They were nice enough to call a Karaoke place in Tokyo for us to book a room for the next leg of our adventure. There’s a 7-Eleven next door to the hotel where we were able to pick up breakfast supplies the next day. We opted for an easy dinner at the Uobei conveyor belt sushi a 5 minute drive away from the hotel. It’s so entertaining for the kids when their food arrives either by Shinkansen or a red Formula 1 car and it’s so cheap too.
After a comfortable night’s sleep at the Best Western we headed to the airport for our flight to Tokyo and said goodbye to the beautiful and scenic Hokkaido.
Hopefully we’ll be back and maybe even for some winter action next time.
Tracey lives on the east coast of Australia and loves exploring her own country and travelling to different parts of the world with her husband and two boys in tow whenever they get the chance. She loves being able to share her hints and tips from her travels to help other families have the confidence to explore near and far. She also doesn’t mind a glass or two of Prosecco or Rosé. You can find her on Instagram @gogogoexplore
If you enjoyed this post by Tracey I think that you’ll also like my write up on one of the most kid-friendly airports I’ve ever visited, Chitose Airport.
