Hokkaido 4D3N in Autumn (September)

Quick trip to Hokkaido last September (transition from summer to autumn with a dash of typhoon)
Depending on the season, you get to see a different kind of scenery so choose wisely.

Your guide to a (lil) mission impossible 4D 3N trip to Hokkaido

which is actually quite possible! Obviously you can't cover ALL the spots but these were the ones we decided on. It was a real quick fingersnapletsdoit start planning, get the tickets and there we were, off to Hokkaido. It happened in the span of 2 weeks- from planning to flying, no joke.

We took the Saturday night flight and arrived at Shin-chitose airport on Sunday morning 8am. We agreed that this trip would be a zen, chill out one, so we didn't squeeze in too much in our plans.

Tip: It's best to travel by car when it comes to Hokkaido, and we did not regret one bit!
There are plenty of car rental services provided, including ours that we booked online - from ToCoo! (unfortunately I just checked again and somehow they are closed?) and collected the car easily. Just google and you will find plenty. We got the one nearest to the airport so it was easy to start and end our journey. Remember to ask if there is an option of getting an english GPS. I tried using Waze at certain areas and it works, but I'd still recommend the GPS. They function searches by phone numbers of the places (as we don't know how to read/type japanese). So for example if you wanna get to a restaurant, you find out its phone number and key that in! Easy peasy.

Got a little worried looking at the typhoon greeting us.

The first destination we drove to - a 2 hour drive to our accomodation near Daisetsuzan

Pension Ressha House - would highly recommend this place. Affordable stay at a cosy neighbourhood area. It's a house run by a family- or that's what I gathered. It seemed that the uncle who spoke to us (the owner it seems) is a retired man who previously worked under the Japan Railway company. That's probably also why there was an old train carriage at the side of the house. Very instagrammable lol

Set our luggage down and then drove around 1 hour 30 mins to Asahidake Ropeway Station (tel: 0166-68-9111) to Sugatami station, which was our way up to Daisetsuzan. (the other would be the Kurodake ropeway*Sounkyo which is on the east side of the mountain) This is probably the easiest way to reach the prettiest view ever - it was really worth the time.

Our view consist of the autumn colours- it wasn't the most vibrant time but it was still beautiful nonetheless. I think most people do the hike but if you have limited time like us, you can always still enjoy the view and hang around the base. The ropeway brings tourists up to the main area, then it's by foot from there- it's a famous hiking spot and people spend up to 7 hours hiking their way to the summit while exploring the national park. They provided shoe and jacket rentals at the ropeway station. I wore my denim ballet flats (not the best choice) but could walk up a short bit for pictures, but we already enjoyed the view enough even without going way too far. Tip: Best to check the weather first - depending on whether it's winter or raining, or what sort of hike you would like, you'd have to wear something more specific. Double confirm the ropeway schedule too! Spent around 1-2 hours there and hopped on the cable car before it stopped servicing. There were quite a crowd so we had to wait abit in line.

I would say this spot is a MUST DO!

Since we had nothing else in mind after dinner, we found out there was a pretty garden in the near by Furano Prince Hotel - Ningle Terrace. It features wooden cabins and is actually a mini shopping area with pretty lights! I was really looking forward to this....

But it was closed LOL. They actually open from 12pm to 8.45pm, and smart people like us decide to get there at 9pm x_x Tel: 1167-22-1111 So back to sleep we went because it was a long day next!

Day 2, we departed from Pension Ressha to head towards Asahikawa. Before that, we dropped by Biei to visit the Blue Pond (which was not exactly on the way) that was less than an hour drive away.

This is the view I expected

And the view that greeted me.

Actually, the PROCESS of getting to this view was more important. There was a TYPHOON going on while me and dad braved our way through almost falling/breaking trees and strong winds with rain, while they decided to stay safe in the car. I was just being really stubborn (come to think of it we insisted on driving through that wind, thank goodness we didn't fly away) and wanted to get to the lake no matter how drenched we get. It's still beautiful, just not extremely blue.

Asahikawa

Our home while in Asahikawa was a little cottage-like backpackers house surrounded by green fields - P-Dash Garden ... Highly recommend this but it is ONLY accessible by car as it is in the middle of plots and plots of fields. There were a few other backpackers while we were there. Once you step in the house, it just feels like home. The living had a mini reading area full of japanese comics (favorite pasttime), a dining/chillout area and a mini bar. The rooms were generally clean and the showers/toilets although shared, were decent.

Free to park anywhere in front of the house - it's an open area.

It was quite a good pick!

The area was really dark at night and you get to experience a different kind of driving landscape, but with the car, it was easily accessible and we could drive to the tourist spots easily.

If you don't know what to eat, what better to try in Japan none other than RAMEN!
In Asahikawa Ramen Village, there are 2 long rows of ramen shops to choose from. The ramen ranges around 700 to 900 yen with plenty of choices to suit your taste buds. Dropped by for ramen on the way.

Melon and Lavender flavored soft serve! Loved the pure melon taste.

Rows and rows of pretty flowers at FARM TOMITA

One of the shops with lovely scents

Furano melon is a THING here. It's undeniably the best and sweetest. I don't think I've ever tasted a sweeter or yummier melon than this. Apart from tomita melon farm there are alot of places that sell it too around the area.

The typhoon was seriously giving us a taste of it. Strong winds and slight drizzle on and off, we STILL enjoyed the beautiful view surrounding us.

The walkway towards the shops/restaurants. The melon puff was quite memorable too, try to get that.

We never got sick of ramen and this shop had AMAZING scallops.

 
In a local kaiten sushi restaurant we found randomly for dinner. You gotta get some local sushi and fresh sashimi when you're in japan! With true green tea served in powder form with unlimited refills.

Dressing up

The weather at this month was generally on the colder, wetter side. Long sleeves/jackets, yes. Waterproof jackets, yes. Hoodies, yes. Shorts, not so much.. but you can still survive in that. Caps/hats - it probably fly away. Sunnies - yep! No skirts unless you wanna do a Marilyn Monroe scene. Footwear - anything comfy and probably waterproof, just not slippers.

Enjoy your upcoming Hokkaido trip!