Things to do — Hokkaido

Hokkaido offers a range of experiences unique in Japan, built on nature, outdoor sports and gastronomy rather than temples and built heritage.

In Sapporo, the agenda organises around several highlights. The Sapporo Brewery (Sapporo Bier-Garten), housed in the original brick building of Japan's first major brewery (1876), offers guided tours and tastings in a warm atmosphere. Nijo Market is the right address for fresh sea urchin and seafood at reasonable prices. Odori Park, the spine of the city, hosts the Yuki Matsuri in February and the Beer Garden Festival in July. The Sapporo TV Tower offers a panoramic view over the city's grid layout. In the evening, the Susukino district — one of Japan's largest entertainment quarters after Kabukicho — unfolds its izakaya, karaoke bars and themed venues.

At Niseko (winter), the Niseko United ski area groups four resorts on the slopes of the Annupuri volcano. Lifts run until 10pm for night skiing, and powder can accumulate 50 to 80 cm in 24 hours after a heavy Siberian dump. Off the slopes, outdoor rotenburo (open-air baths) at Niseko and Iwaobetsu hotels allow you to soak in steaming water under the stars.

At Furano and Biei (summer), the flower route between Biei and Furano is one of Asia's most spectacular photographic circuits: lavender, poppies, sunflowers and salvia cascade in colour waves across gentle hills. Farm Tomita, whose lavender fields peak in mid-July, is the island's single most photographed site.

In the national parks, hikes in Daisetsuzan (Asahidake circuit, 2,291 m, accessible by gondola from Asahikawa) deliver alpine panoramas over calderas and high-altitude tundra. At Shiretoko, boat cruises hug the peninsula's cliffs to observe bears, deer and peregrine falcons at water level.