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Key points
Recommended stay: 2–3 days
Best season: Snow Festival in February, lavender in Furano in July. In winter, warm clothes and non-slip shoes are essential.
Getting there: About 40 minutes from New Chitose Airport on the Rapid Airport train.
Every February, giant snow sculptures up to 15 m tall draw two million visitors. Some are built by the Self-Defense Forces.
Sapporo Miso Ramen
Miso ramen was born in Sapporo around 1955: a broth of stir-fried bean sprouts and minced pork, topped Hokkaido-style with butter and corn. Ramen Alley in Susukino is where it started.
Otaru Canal
Stone warehouses line a canal completed in 1923. Gas lamps at dusk, glass crafts and a street of sushi restaurants; in February the Snow Light Path festival.
Sapporo Ramen Alley
Seventeen miso-ramen shops in a Susukino alley. Miso ramen with butter and corn was born in Sapporo.
Farm Tomita Lavender Fields
In July, hillsides of purple lavender — and admission is free.
Biei Blue Pond
Dissolved aluminium scatters light and turns the pond a glowing blue. Once an Apple wallpaper.
