July 6 - 17, 2009
$4,000 per person
(based on double occupancy)

Tour Includes:
• Tour Escort from Hawaii
• Hotel Accommodations as indicated
• Airfare from Honolulu to Japan roundtrip
• Ground Transportation as needed
• Daily Breakfast and eight dinners
• Admission to all sights, attractions, and tours as indicated by itinerary

We journey northward by train for Wakkanai.  Upon our arrival, we will experience ryuhyo.  During Hokkaido’s winter, Soya’s waters freeze over creating chunks of ice.  You will be able to get a small taste of winter.  You will also see the memorial to the Korean Air jetliner that was shot down by a Russian MIG jet. 

Iroribatayaki is the style in which dinner will be cooked.   It features a pit in the floor around which you sit and your food is cooked over charcoals in the pit.  Their specialty is fresh King Crab.

This morning we drive back to Wakkanai.  On the way we may have a chance to look at konbu harvesting.  Hokkaido’s konbu is considered the best in Japan, which a large portion goes to Okinawa for its high consumption.   

We will also stop at Wakkanai Park that has a number of memorials, such as the one for Jiro and Taro, a pair of dogs who had been left at the South Pole with the rest of their dog sled team and managed to survive the harsh winter.  It also offers beautiful views of the surrounding area.

As we drive down the coast, we may be lucky enough to see Rishiri-Fuji, a large mountain located on Rishiri Island just off the coast.  Together with Rebun Island and Sarobetsu, they form the Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu Park.  We will take a stroll through Sarobetsu.

We hop back on the train and head south to Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido.  Once we arrive in the afternoon, we will check in to our hotel.  From there we will go to Oodori Park to enjoy the summer beer garden or fresh corn and baked potatoes.  Food is at your own expense.  You may also browse through the nearby shopping arcade.

This morning we will take a city tour of Sapporo.  First we will visit the site of the 11^th Winter Olympics in 1972 and the annual Sapporo Snow Festival, where we can ride the ski lift to the location just above where the skiers launch from.  Then there we head to Mt. Moiwa for a ride on the ropeway for a magnificent view of Sapporo. Our last stop will be the Sapporo Beer Factory.   The afternoon is free at your leisure.

Our first stop of the day is the Ishiya Chocolate Factory which is famous for its Shiroi Koibito or while loved ones, a cookie with two thin wafers with a layer of white chocolate between.  It is sold only in Hokkaido.

Our next stop will be Otaru, a western coastal city whose location was convenient for trade with the Soviet Union and the herring fisheries.  However, we are here to see the Music Box museum.  At this museum, you will see and hear antique music boxes.  At a nearby store, you will be able to buy a music box that plays a song of your choice or design the box itself.  Also in Otaru is the Museo Del’Arte Veneziana, an imitation of the Glass Palace in Venice.  On display are over 20,000 works of glassware with its décor reminiscent of the luxury of Venice.  There is even a steam powered clock for us to see.  We will also stop at Kitaichi Glass, a glassware factory.

The last stop of the day is a visit to a cherry farm to do a little fruit picking.

Today you may enjoy the onsen or you may enjoy a leisurely ride on a local train to Yoichi.  Upon our arrival we will visit Nikka Whiskey.  Of course, you can sample some of their products for free and buy some to bring home.  From here we will do a little shopping before catching the train back to Niseko.  Try the indoor Rotenburo before dinner.

We continue south as we head to the Kutchan Station to catch a train to Oshamambe, where we will catch another train to Hakodate.  We will arrive in Hakodate and once we have dropped off our luggage at our hotel we will take a quick tour of the city.  Included in the tour is a ride up Mt. Hakodate via a tramway.  The 335 meter mountain offers an excellent view of the city. The Torapischinu Convent (Japan’s first convent for Catholic Trappist nuns) was established in the 1890s.  We stop at this religious community which engages in farming, making handicrafts, and baking their famous cakes and cookies.  They also happen to have the best ice cream.  At Goryokaku Park, Japan’s first western-style fort was built to defend Ezo.  Completed in 1864, it is surrounded by a moat and takes its name from the fort’s five-pointed star shape. 

If you are an early riser, you may go to Hakodate’s Morning Market, which opens at 5:00 am and in walking distance of the hotel.  This market specializes in fresh seafood from Hokaido.  Crabs in particular are quite large and tasty. 

We check out of the hotel in the morning and head for Hakodate airport.  From there we will catch a flight to Tokyo, where our last flight to Hawaii awaits us.