Are you planning to visit Hokkaido in March? From beautiful landscapes to winter activities, shopping, and dining, there’s no shortage of things to do and see in Hokkaido in March.
Each year, Hokkaido welcomes millions of domestic and international tourists. Indeed it has become one of the must-see destinations in Japan. Visiting Hokkaido in March could be inexpensive, and you can save a good amount of money, especially on accommodation.
Today, we will show exactly how you can enjoy your Hokkaido trip in March. This itinerary will share some useful travel information so you can fill your time while exploring the best highlights of Hokkaido in late winter/early spring.
Day 1 – Sapporo
Looking for a perfect place to stay in Sapporo? There are many hotels at Susukino and around Odori Park to choose from. This hotel near Odori Park may be the one you are looking for, as it is located in the center of the city.
So, are you ready to travel around Sapporo? We hope you are!
If you’re visiting Hokkaido for the first time, then you will feel like you have arrived in a place where it’s still winter in March and there’s no sign of spring weather. In fact, from early to mid-March, it does feel like late winter in Sapporo and elsewhere around Hokkaido.
One of the first things you would like to do when you arrive in a new city is walk. Surprisingly, you can visit a number of popular attractions in Sapporo on foot, such as Odori Park, Sapporo TV Tower, Sapporo Clock Tower, Nijo Market, and Susukino.
Take a look at Google Maps on your phone, and locate each place we have mentioned. You will find out that those places are located within walking distance of one another.
Start your first day in Sapporo with a visit to Odori Park. This beautiful park hosts the famous Sapporo Snow Festival in February and a number of events throughout the year. It’s the heart of the city, no doubt about it.
Take pictures of the iconic Sapporo TV tower from the park. Then make your way to the TV tower. This tower offers a 360° view of Sapporo and the surrounding mountains. You can experience that once you arrive at the observation deck. The souvenir shops inside the TV tower have many cute items to buy!
From the TV Tower you can take a walk to the Sapporo Clock Tower. This historic building was built in 1878 as a theatrical hall of the Sapporo Agricultural School. Now it’s a popular attraction, which offers a museum and gallery on the ground floor.
For your lunch we recommend you to try soup curry at Soup Curry Garaku restaurant, located nearby the popular shopping street in Sapporo, known as Tanukikoji Shopping Street.
Soup curry is a must-try dish for people visiting Hokkaido, so enjoy your meal there!
When you have finished your lunch, you should head over to Nijo Market. Hokkaido is famous for its fresh seafood and local produce and this historic fish market (developed during the Meiji Era) is a perfect example of that. There are a number of shops selling fresh seafood, dried fish, processed seafood products, local vegetables, and fruits.
Before you call it a day, we recommend walking around Susukino area. This is the entertainment district of Sapporo, offering plenty of shops, bars, restaurants, clubs, izakaya, karaoke bars, and hotels.
The Tanukikoji Shopping Street in the area is a perfect place to buy souvenirs in Sapporo. Finally, if you want to eat famous Hokkaido’s miso ramen, be sure to visit the Ramen Ally (Ganso Sapporo Ramen Yokocho).
Day 2 – Snowmobile Tour at Wonderland Sapporo
March is snowy in Sapporo, especially in surrounding the mountains. Snowmobiling tour at Wonderland Sapporo is something you hardly want to miss experiencing!
This fun winter activity can be done right there in Sapporo, and you don’t need to visit Niseko or elsewhere to do the same. All you have to do is to make an online reservation at their official website beforehand.
Don’t worry about how to access Wonderland Sapporo, as they provide a free shuttle bus from designated pick-up locations.
Snowmobiling is so much fun and it’s much more interesting when you do it deep in the mountains with stunning scenery around. You can experience the nature of Hokkaido by joining on this snowmobiling tour.
When you’ve finished the tour, get back to Sapporo and make your way to the Sapporo Beer Museum, the only museum in Japan dedicated to beer. Here you will learn the history of beer in Japan and the process of beer making.
Next to the museum is Sapporo Beer Garden. This building consists of a few restaurants serving guests Jingisukan, one of the most famous dishes in Hokkaido. Try this along with a glass of Sapporo Beer!
Your final attraction for the day is Hokkaido Shrine. Located in Maruyama Park, this is the most popular and important shrine in Sapporo. Take a leisurely stroll in the park after your visit to the shrine’s main building.
Day 3 – Lake Shikotsu, Lake Toya, and Usuzan Ropeway
Why don’t you enjoy a sightseeing one-day bus tour right from Sapporo? This tour is a fantastic way to learn more about Hokkaido’s amazing natural landscapes. You will have lots of sights to see while visiting the all attractions they offer.
You can search “Hokkaido Chou Bus” on google and then visit its official website to see their sightseeing bus tours.
With snow on the grounds and in the mountains, Lake Shikotsu and Lake Toya both offer incredible late winter scenery in March. The view of Mount Yotei from the shore of Lake Toya is a great sight to behold.
In addition, you will be taken to Usuzan Ropeway, which takes you close to the summit of Mount Usu. There you will find two observation platforms. The first observatory offers panoramic views of Lake Toya and good views of Showa Shinzan, a volcanic lava dome!
The second observatory, known as Usu Volcano Observatory, is about a 10-mintue walk from the first observatory. There, you will have stunning views of the ocean and Mount Usu’s largest crater.
On the way back to Sapporo, you will come across lots of stunning sights, which include the rural landscapes of Hokkaido, Mount Yotei, Rusutu Ski Resort, and Jozankei Onsen.
Day 4 – Hokkaido Museum and the Historical Village of Hokkaido
If history is your thing, Hokkaido Museum and the Historical Village of Hokkaido are ideal places to visit. These two popular museums in Sapporo exhibit a lot of precious items and share information about the history of Hokkaido.
Hokkaido Museum introduces the nature, history and culture of Hokkaido. If you want to learn about the Ainu culture and their way of living, this museum is the right place to go and explore everything it offers.
Located inside Nopporo Forest Park, the Historical Village of Hokkaido is an open air museum, which consists of four sections: the city, fishing village, farm village, and mountain village. It’s a huge open air museum with relocated and restored buildings that represent the history of Hokkaido (Meiji, Taisho, and early Showa eras).
Try to visit each building and see the lifestyles, cultures, and industries of the people that lived in Hokkaido during those eras.
To reach Hokkaido Museum, first get to Odori Subway Station, then take the subway on the Tozai line bound for Shin-Sapporo Station. From there, you will get on the JR Hokkaido Bus No. “Shin 22” bound for the Historical Village of Hokkaido, then get off at Hokkaido Museum. The entire ride takes about 15 minutes.
A 10-minute walk from Hokkaido Museum will take you to the Historical Village of Hokkaido.
In the evening, head over to Mount Moiwa Ropeway and spend your time looking at the night view of Sapporo from the observatory! The night views are incredible, and we believe it’s something worth your time.
Day 5 – Otaru
Visiting Otaru from Sapporo is very easy. The fastest way to access Otaru from Sapporo is by the JR rapid airport train (30 minutes). On the other hand, if you take the local train it would take about 45 minutes and it’s less expensive.
Located on Hokkaido’s southwestern coast, this harbor city is a charming place to visit. With eye-catching old buildings, historic attractions, museums, souvenir shops, and restaurants, Otaru is the place to go and enjoy a day trip from Sapporo.
You can start the fifth morning by hoping on a train to Otaru from JR Sapporo Station. Get off when you reach at JR Otaru Station, and there you have some options to choose from. It’s all about where you will go first.
Either you can visit Otaru Aquarium by bus or take a stroll to the famous Otaru Canal. Let’s assume you are going to visit Otaru Aquarium and want to spend half a day there.
To reach the aquarium you have to wait for the Chuo Bus bound for Otaru Aquarium from the 3rd bus stop at Chuo Bus Terminal, located in front of Otaru Station. The ride takes about 25 minutes.
Otaru Aquarium is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Otaru, which exhibits about 5000 warm and cold water animals of 250 different species. Don’t forget to explore each and every tank that holds various kinds of sea and river creatures.
One of the best highlights of this aquarium is that you can enjoy a couple of mammal shows. The dolphin show is incredible there and you really don’t want to miss it! Do you? The penguin walk, the seal and the sea lion shows are also great to watch.
Day 6 – Sapporo to Noboribetsu
A trip to Hokkaido isn’t complete without a visit to Noboribetsu onsen. This is the famous onsen (hot spring) resort town in the region.
It’s easy to get to Noboribetsu from Sapporo, especially if you take the bus. For your comfortable stay and most importantly to have a nice onsen vacation, this hotel in Noboribetsu is hard to beat. We highly recommend you stay overnight there!
For indoor hot spring baths, this hotel is top-notch and provides five of the ten different mineral springs officially recognized in Japan! The hot spring waters contain many health benefits, so soak your body and relax for a long time.
When you are at Noboribetsu, be sure to walk around the hot spring resort. Try the food at the restaurants you find there and don’t forget to pay a visit to the Hell Valley, also known as Jigokudani, which displays volcanic activities!
It does not matter when you want to travel to Hokkaido in March. It could be in early March or in mid-March. The reason we are sharing this itinerary is for those who want to see some of the best attractions in Hokkaido within a short period of time.
If you come to see the popular Kawazu Cherry Blossom Festival in late February and are looking to spend a week in Hokkaido in early March, you can easily follow this suggested itinerary.
Besides, if you are coming to Japan to see the cherry blossoms in Tokyo around late March, then you can easily spend a week in Hokkaido in mid March!
When cherry trees bloom in Tokyo, winter still remains in Hokkaido. So, don’t miss this chance to see cherry blossoms and snow in Japan in March.
