1. Hokkaido’s land is much wider than Tokyo or Osaka!

Please reserve more time when planning your itinerary. Hokkaido is the northernmost island in Japan. It occupies 22% of the total land area of ??Japan, with 83,450 square meters. It is larger than imagined. It is among all the prefectures in Japan.

It is the well-deserved first among prefectures and counties.

The second-placed Northeastern Iwate Prefecture (approximately 15,000㎡) only accounts for 4% of Japan's total area. Therefore, Hokkaido's land is more than five times that of the second place, 37 times that of Tokyo, and Osaka.

44 times that of the government.

Hokkaido's gateway "Sapporo" is located on the west side of Hokkaido, known as the central area, about 50km from New Chitose Airport.

Moving between cities takes quite a lot of time, so you should allow more time for moving when planning your itinerary.

The distances and driving times from Sapporo to various places in the prefecture are as follows: Sapporo Otaru about 40 km/about 45 minutes Sapporo Furano about 115 km/about 2 hours Sapporo Asahikawa about 140 km/about 1 hour and 50 minutes Sapporo Hakodate about 305 km/

About 4 hours and 15 minutes. Sapporo Obihiro is about 215km/about 3 hours. Sapporo Kushiro is about 342km/about 4 hours and 40 minutes. Sapporo Shiretoko is about 377km/about 5 hours and 44 minutes. In addition to driving, you can also use trains or buses.

travel.

However, there are not many buses, and limited express trains and intercity buses require reservation in advance.

2. It is almost at the same latitude as Toronto in Canada and New York in the United States!

You need to wear a coat in the morning and evening in summer. Hokkaido is located at 41~45° north latitude. In Europe, it is equivalent to central and southern France to Spain, central to northern Italy, in the United States, it is equivalent to New York, and in Canada, it is equivalent to Toronto.

Even if the latitude is the same, the climate will be different due to the influence of ocean currents, but it is common that they are all cold zones.

The best time to visit Sapporo is from July to August in the summer.

The average temperature in July is 20.5℃ and in August is 22.3℃, making it a cool and pleasant climate.

However, the temperature varies greatly within a day, and there are many days when the temperature is below 20°C in the morning or evening. It is recommended to bring a knitted jacket, hooded jacket and other outerwear to keep warm.

In addition, the coldest time in Sapporo is January, with the average temperature as low as minus 3.6°C. Be sure to bring warm clothing such as down jackets, coats, hats, gloves, and scarves.

Hokkaido covers a vast area, and the temperature in each area varies greatly. Be sure to check the temperature and prepare clothes before setting off.

3. Hokkaido’s metropolis is distributed in a grid pattern!

Don’t worry if you’re visiting for the first time. Hokkaido’s oldest city, “Sapporo,” was conceived and began construction in 1869 during Japan’s Meiji period.

Using the grid-shaped street planning of Kyoto as a reference, Sapporo, which was originally a wilderness, was built into the big city it is now.

It is now divided into east, west, north and south with Minami-ichi-dori and the Sosei River as the boundary. Government institutions are on the north, residential and commercial land is on the south, and factories are on the east. Odori Park is used as a fire break between the north and the south.

Therefore, the roads in Sapporo are distributed in a grid pattern, which is very easy to understand.

For example, the address is "Minami 3jo Nishi 4-chome". It has southeast, northwest and numbers, making it easy to find the right direction.

Large cities such as Asahikawa and Obihiro also have the same grid-like streets, so even first-time visitors can quickly grasp the direction of the city.

4. The local convenience store "Seicomart" in Hokkaido can be found everywhere. Although there are also convenience stores such as 7-11 and Lawson in Hokkaido, the one that is most commonly seen and has the largest number of stores is the local convenience store "Seicomart" in Hokkaido.

"Seicomart" has approximately 1,190 stores, and "Seico mart" can be found in cities and outlying islands.

The signboard has an orange background, white Seicomart text, and a phoenix painted inside the o.

A convenience store is a store that sells necessities such as drinks, food, alcohol, books, stationery, etc., but the special thing about "Seicomart" is that it also provides its own brand of milk, bread, soft drinks, ice cream, red wine, etc.

They also sell a variety of home-cooked meals in small packages, which is perfect for when you’re feeling hungry.

Some stores have kitchens and sell freshly made katsudon, rice balls and other foods, and many have dine-in seating.

In addition, there are instant noodles, seasonings and other products that are limited to Hokkaido, attracting many tourists to buy souvenirs here.

Although business hours vary from store to store, many are open 24 hours a day.

Long queues at convenience stores!

Convenience store "Seicomart" started in Hokkaido 5. The food on the coast and inland are very different!

Hokkaido is a vast land, so the specialties and specialties vary from place to place.

Cities along the coast such as Hakodate, Otaru, Kushiro, Abashiri, and Shiretoko mainly serve seafood dishes.

But even if they are both coastal areas, the seafood that can be caught on the Pacific side and the Sea of ??Okhotsk side are different. Even if they are both on the Sea of ??Okhotsk side, the types of seafood that are abundant in each place are also different, such as Hakodate

The specialty of Japan is squid, Otaru is shrimp and sea urchin, Kushiro is saury, Abashiri and Shiretoko Peninsula are Utoro salmon.

They are all inland, but dairy farming flourishes in the Tokachi region, and dairy products such as cheese and yogurt are local specialties.

At the same time, cattle are also raised for food, and there are branded beef named after places in various regions.

Famous ones include Biei beef, Furano Wagyu beef, Wakkanai Soya beef, Shirao beef, Yakumo beef, etc.