2008 DEEP IN HOKKAIDO

Thursday, July 3 (Day 01)
HONOLULU TO NARITA TO CHITOSE
Our tour commences this morning when we assemble at the Japan Airlines lobby at the airport for baggage check in procedures. We will depart Honolulu on Japan Airlines for Narita International Airport. A meal and a snack will be served on board the flight. After completing entry and customs formalities at Narita Airport, we’ll check in for our domestic flight to Chitose International Airport in Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost and second largest island.

Friday, July 4 (Day 02)
ARRIVE CHITOSE
Upon arrival at Chitose Airport, we’ll transfer by motor coach to the city of Sapporo to spend the next two nights.

Accommodations at SAPPORO CENTURY ROYAL HOTEL or similar

Saturday, July 5 (Day 03)
CHITOSE - SAPPORO (B)(D)
This morning we’ll enjoy a visit of the Historical Museum of Hokkaido, featuring interesting exhibits and displays of the lifestyle and culture of Hokkaido. The main exhibition covers the history of Hokkaido from about two million years ago up to the present day. Divided into eight chronological stages, the exhibits covering the Ainu, the native aborigines, and the Early Modern Era are particularly impressive. Sapporo is also known for its delicious ramen and for lunch, you may want to try some at Ramen Yokocho - an alley with many small shops serving a wide selection of ramen. We’ll drive by “Tokei-dai” (Clock Tower), the symbol and landmark of Sapporo mounted in the Russian-style Memorial Hall and we’ll make a photo stop at Odori Park, a wide promenade dividing the northern and southern part of the city bordered with beautiful flowerbeds. Odori Park is the location where the annual Winter Snow Festival is held during the month of February. This evening, enjoy a delicious “Genghis Khan” dinner at the Sapporo Beer Garden.

Accommodations at SAPPORO CENTURY ROYAL HOTEL or similar

Sunday, July 6 (Day 04
SAPPORO - RUMOI - HORONOBE - WAKKANAI (B)(D)
This morning we’ll journey north along the coast through Rumoi to Horonobe, visiting the Reindeer Farm. Offspring of reindeer from Finland and the ones originally from Horonobe are raised here in this vast farm. Every year in early summer at this farm, reindeer babies are born and Blue Poppy called “Maboroshi no Aoi Keshi (ultra rare blue poppy flowers) blooms. We’ll continue on to Wakkanai, the northernmost fringe of Hokkaido and the access point for the islands of Rishiri-to and Rebun-to, two windswept islands off the northern tip. On arrival, we’ll visit Noshappu-misaki where you can command a view of the Northern Territories. (weather permitting) It is famous as the spot where the morning sun rises the earliest in Japan. We’ll spend the night in Wakkanai.

Accommodations at WAKKANAI ANA HOTEL or similar

Monday, July 7 (Day 05)
WAKKANAI - NAYORO - ASAHIKAWA - SOUNKYO (B)(D)
From Wakkanai Park on a ridge west of the city, you can see Sakhalin, an island taken over by the Russians at the end of World War II. (weather permitting) Nearby are a number of monuments, including the “Gate to Ice and Snow”, a memorial to the former Japanese settlements on Sakhalin and “Monument to the Nine Ladies”, which commemorates nine postal workers on Sakhalin who committed suicide at their post office in Maoka (on Sakhalin) after Japan’s defeat in World War II. At the northernmost tip of Japan is Soya-misaki, a lonely but significant spot with several monuments marking the end of Japan’s territory. We’ll travel south through the towns of Nayoro and Asahikawa and continue on to Sounkyo, a popular hot-spring resort to spend the night.

Accommodations at HOTEL TAISETSU or similar

Tuesday, July 8 (Day 6)
SOUNKYO - KITAMI - ABASHIRI (B)(D)
The geographical center of Hokkaido and the largest of Japan’s national parks - Daisetsu-zan - contains the very essence of rugged Hokkaido: vast plains, soaring mountain peaks, hidden gorges, cascading waterfalls, forests, and wilderness. The main route through the park is Sounkyo Gorge, a ravine that extends into the park and for a 5-mile stretch, sheer cliff walls rise on both sides of the canyon as the road winds into the mountains. This tame gorge is renowned for its waterfalls and we’ll make a photo stop at two of the main ones: Ryusei-no-taki (Shooting Star Falls) and Ginga-no-taki (Milky Way Falls). En route to Abashiri, we’ll visit the Fox Village to see “Kita Kitsune” or wild northern foxes, then continue on to Kitami city, visiting the Kitami Flower Paradise with a wide variety of flowers and trees planted on a beautiful landscaped site. Enjoy a scenic drive through Bihoro Pass with a spectacular view overlooking Lake Kussharo in Akan National Park. We’ll proceed north to Abashiri, a fishing port overlooked by Mount Tento-zan and the Sea of Okhotsk for a one night stay. Before checking into our hotel, we’ll visit the Okhotsk Ryuhyo (Drift Ice) Museum with photos and illustrations that explain the history of the drift ice that flows into the Sea of Okhotsk from the Sea of Russia during the winter season.

Accommodations at ABASHIRI KANKO HOTEL or similar

Wednesday, July 9 (Day 7)
ABASHIRI - SHIRETOKO (B)(D)
The Abashiri Prison Museum was the actual prison used until the year 1984 and only the most heinous criminals were banished to this forbidding northern outpost, the ‘Alcatraz’ of Japan. The cells, watch towers, and prison farm buildings show how stark and monotonous life was for inmates, relieved only by restricted bathhouse visits. Anguished-looking mannequins bring it all to life and we’ll retrace the history of convict labor and the harsh life of a prisoner on a tour of this open-air site. Located on a long and narrow sand hill between the Okhotsk Sea and Lake Tofutsu is the Koshimizu Natural Flower Garden, a natural flower field where approximately 40 species of wild flowers bloom in succession (weather permitting). We’ll proceed east to Utoro, located on the west coast of Shiretoko to make a photo stop at the Oshin Koshin waterfall - selected as “one of the 100 most beautiful waterfalls of Japan”. The peninsula, Shiretoko-hanto, remains one of the most remote wilderness in Japan and known for its healthy brown bear population. As we enter the Shiretoko National Park at Utoro - the main gateway to the park - we’ll enjoy a cruise on the Shiretoko Sightseeing Boat, skirting the shores and rounding the cape’s tip with impressive views of the rugged cliffs and mountains. Within the peninsula are the Shiretoko Go-Ko (Five Lakes), a collection of five small lakes grouped together between the sea and the mountains for a photographic opportunity.

Accommodations at SHIRETOKO DAI-ICHI HOTEL or similar

Thursday, July 10 (Day 08
SHIRETOKO - RAUSU - KUSHIRO (B)(D)
We’ll continue on through Rausu, a small fishing village that once grew wealthy on herring fishing. We’ll drive southwest to enjoy a spectacular view of Lake Mashu from an observation point (weather permitting). The small isle (actually a lava hill rising from the lake bottom) in the centre of the lake is known to the Ainu as the “Isle of the Gods”. On a clear day, the clarity of the water and its intense blue color is quite startling - its transparency depth was once a world record. We’ll travel on south to Kushiro, the main gateway to Akan National Park for a one night stay. The Kushiro Shitsugen National Park (Kushiro Marshlands Park), is a swampy area famed for its flora and increasing numbers of protected tancho-zuru (red-crested white cranes), traditional symbols of Japan and longevity. The Akan International Crane Center was recently opened to help in the study and conservation of these cranes - which is still an endangered species and we’ll be provided with interesting information about the cranes as well as close up views of them on a tour of this facility. Currently housed in a market building, the Washo Market has about 80 shops selling fresh seafood products, fruits and vegetables and other goods. Sample various dishes made from the freshest seafood available - the seafood quality here is some of the best in Japan.

Accommodations at KUSHIRO ANA HOTEL or similar

Friday, July 11 (Day 09)
KUSHIRO - LAKE AKAN - ASHORO - FURANO (B)(D)
Smoking volcanoes, “Me-Akan” and “O-Akan” watch over Akan-ko (Lake Akan), but this lake is best known for its marimo , a rare spherical green algae designated as a Special Natural Monument. Marimo is formed when separate pieces of algae at the bottom of the lake roll around and eventually forms into a ball, gradually growing larger and larger. We’ll enjoy a boat We’ll continue on our journey through the town of Ashoro and on to Furano, nestled between the Tokachi mountain range to the east and the Yuubari mountain range to the west. We will spend one night in the city.

Accommodations at FURANO PRINCE HOTEL or similar

Saturday, July 12 (Day 10)
FURANO - BIEI - ASAHIKAWA - OTARU (B)(D)
The city of Furano is noted for its breathtaking lavender flowers in bloom during the summer season and we’ll make a photo stop at Farm Tomita to enjoy this extraordinary sight. We’ll visit Kami-furano Flower Land, a vast flower garden with a variety of flowers blooming on the hillside for another photo opportunity. We’ll drive north through the picturesque town of Biei, noted as the “town of beautiful hills” and one of the highlights there to view is “Patchwork Hill”, a hillside covered with various colors of shrubbery. Our drive continues on through Asahikawa and on to Otaru, a charming port city best known for the historic Otaru Canal. Sections of the canal are lined with many photogenic Meiji and Taisho-era buildings, giving it the atmosphere of an old harbor town. Otaru is also known for its glassware and we’ll visit a glass shop to see some of their intricate products available for purchase.

Accommodations at OTARU HOTEL NORDE or similar

Sunday, July 13 (Day 11)
OTARU - YOICHI - NISEKO - MT. USU - MT. SHOWA SHIN-ZAN - LAKE TOYA - NOBORIBETSU (B)(D)
Lying between Yotei-zan and Niseko Annupuri, the Niseko area is the best place to discover the Hokkaido countryside and also one of Japan’s leading ski area during the winter season. The perfect cone-shaped Mount Yotei - Hokkaido’s Mt. Fuji - is surrounded by a farming region with many villages and hot springs. After a series of earthquakes, Showa Shin-zan, emerged as a little bump, then continued to surge upwards to reach its present height. It is still an awesome sight as it sits there, hissing and issuing steam. The growth of Showa Shin-zan was accompanied with explosive eruptions and mud flows. A view of Usu-zan, a stratovolcano that was the force behind the creation of Showa Shin-zan can be seen in the distance. Before checking in for the night, we’ll visit a fruit road running along the Osaru River in the town of Sobetsu. (weather permitting) Taste the fresh cherries we pick at one of the orchards at the Fruit Village. Part of the Shikotsu-toya National Park, “Toya-ko” is a large and attractive lake and we’ll enjoy this scenic drive as we continue on to spend the evening in Noboribetsu, Hokkaido’s most famous hot spring resort surrounded by forested hills.

Accommodations at NOBORIBETSU GRAND HOTEL or similar

Monday, July 14 (Day 12)
NOBORIBETSU - CHITOSE - NARITA TO HONOLULU (B)
This morning, we’ll drive to the Chitose International Airport to check in for our domestic flight to Narita International Airport and continue on for our flight home to Honolulu, arriving in the morning of the same day due to the crossing of the International Dateline.

The tour price is based on double occupancy and a minimum group size of 20 passengers. Fare adjustment may apply for groups of 20 or under. The rate is based on tariffs and exchange rates effective 12/15/07. Tour fare is subject to change according to any airfare increase, increase in government taxes, additional fuel surcharges and fluctuation of the rate of exchange between U.S. and foreign currency. In the event of revaluation, the land portion of the tour price may be adjusted prior to your final statement.