Travel Hokkaido Without a Car – A Free & Easy Trip to Explore Otaru Canal and Feast on Seafood Rice Bowls

Text & Photos /The Married Life of Xiao Lin & Guo Guo

This was the first time Xiao Lin and her husband Guo Guo saw snow!! Snowy Hokkaido is truly, incredibly beautiful~~~ Every photo turns out gorgeous. We couldn’t bear to delete any of the pictures in Guo Guo’s camera—even candid shots by the roadside were absolutely stunning. This view outside the window as we sat on the JR train—can you believe how much it looks like a fairyland!!

We spent six days and five nights in Hokkaido. Worried about poor road conditions due to snow, we didn’t rent a car. Instead, we bought a five-day JR PASS and explored various city itineraries—it was still loads of fun~~~ Recommended for first-time visitors to Hokkaido who don’t want to drive. As usual, we flew to Japan on a budget airline—this time it was a flight operated by Tigerair Taiwan, entering and exiting via Hakodate.

As soon as we arrived in Hakodate, we took the JR straight to Sapporo and stayed there for four days. We used our JR PASS to make one-day trips to nearby cities. In Sapporo, we stayed at two great hotels, which I’ll write about later. One was in the bustling Susukino area, perfect for late-night snacks and shopping, and the other was closer to Sapporo Station, making it easy to catch the 7am JR train to Hakodate the next morning.

Here's how we roughly planned our six-day, five-night trip:

D1: Tigerair Taiwan IT236 6:00-10:35 Taipei Taoyuan > Hakodate
JR 13:51-17:41 Hakodate > Sapporo
Half-day Tour in Sapporo
Stay: Hotel Nikko Sapporo Susukino
D2: Half-day Tour in Sapporo City + Shopping at Mitsui Outlet
Stay: Hotel Nikko Sapporo Susukino
D3: One-day Trip to Otaru
Stay: Hotel Nikko Sapporo Susukino
D4: One-day Trip to Asahiyama Zoo to See Penguins
Stay: Hotel Richmond Sapporo Ekimae
D5: JR 6:52-10:38 Sapporo > Hakodate
One-day Tour in Hakodate
Stay: La Vista Hakodate Bay
D6: Tigerair Taiwan IT 237 11:45-15:40 Hakodate > Taipei Taoyuan

After this brief overview, let’s dive right into our six-day, five-night journey through Hokkaido—packed with amazing photos and unforgettable experiences!!

【Day 1】：

Winter in Hokkaido really depends on the weather. When we arrived in Hakodate that day, our flight circled in the air for an extra half hour due to heavy snow, causing a delay in arrival. Hakodate Airport is quite small, almost like an old-style domestic terminal. But the moment we stepped outside and saw the snow falling thick and fast, Xiao Lin and Guo Guo were absolutely thrilled!! “Snow!! It’s snow!!” Scenes we usually only see in movies were actually happening right before our eyes. It was unbelievable~~~

【Hakodate Morning Market + JR to Sapporo】：

Due to the flight delay, we missed our original JR train to Sapporo, so we left our luggage at the station and walked 100 meters to the Hakodate Morning Market nearby for a bite. Isn’t this white DESENO suitcase absolutely gorgeous?! It’s also super lightweight and easy to pull.

We arrived at the market around noon, and it was still open. Originally, Guo Guo wanted to have some fresh sashimi, but the cold was just too intense—we just craved something hot. So we got grilled scallops with butter & raw sea urchin!! The grilled scallops were really delicious, but you have to eat them in small bites to fully enjoy the flavor. The frilly part and the scallop meat should be savored separately to get their full sweetness!!

After finishing the scallops and sea urchin, we couldn’t linger too long because we had to catch our train. But since we’d be back in Hakodate on the last day anyway, we headed out~~~ Snow really looks amazing in every shot. Even that staircase in the background looks so pretty!! Only after taking the photos did we realize it’s the super famous 500-yen seafood N staircase online.<，听说超便宜又好吃！就在函馆朝市旁边超级好找！有经过的朋友千万不要错过啊

【17:40 Arrive in Sapporo: Check-in at Hotel Nikko Sapporo Susukino】：

We highly recommend the Daiwa Roynet Hotel where we stayed—the location is absolutely amazing!! It’s just a 1-minute walk from Exit 3 of Toyohira Station on the Toho Line subway~~~ There’s a 7-11 on the 1st floor, a Lawson just across the street, and it takes less than 5 minutes to walk to Tanukikoji, and only 6 minutes to get to Nijo Market in the morning. Isn’t that just irresistible? Haha

Our room had a view of Tanukikoji right outside the window!! Seriously, what an awesome place to stay～～

【Shopping at Tanukikoji】:

After checking in, we couldn’t wait to explore Sapporo!! Since we were staying in the bustling Susukino area, we had to check out Tanukikoji first!! But who would’ve thought that our first day in Sapporo would bring insane amounts of snow!! The phone showed the temperature as “minus 9 degrees,” and the feels-like temperature was “minus 16 degrees” (that’s the same as our home freezer temp!!), and we got so cold after just a short stroll that we couldn’t take it anymore. We originally wanted to try the Hokkaido specialty soup curry at Garaku, but when we saw the line—it stretched all the way onto the main road—we immediately gave up. Even though it was freezing, Guoguo still managed to snap this photo of the “playing card man,” which is pretty much on par with the Osaka Glico sign.

The bicycles on the roadside were completely buried in snow!! So crazy!!

【Dinner: Jingisukan Lamb BBQ at Daruma 4.4 Second Floor】

Because we couldn’t handle waiting in line for the soup curry in such freezing weather, we rushed to the next place—Jingisukan lamb BBQ—which Guoguo had been talking about wanting to try for three months straight!! If you Google “must-eat in Hokkaido,” you’ll definitely see: Jingisukan lamb BBQ, soup curry, and crab!! Jingisukan = grilled lamb on an iron plate. There are tons of restaurants in Hokkaido that serve Jingisukan, and we went to the very famous “Daruma.” Actually, I (Kobayashi) am someone who absolutely refuses to eat lamb, but it was seriously so cold that day, and I just felt like eating anything would be fine!! To my surprise, I summoned the courage to try a bite of the grilled lamb~~ Oh my god, it was super delicious!! There was absolutely no lamb smell at all!! In the end, I actually ended up eating more than Guoguo haha. People who love lamb might actually be a bit disappointed because it really doesn’t taste like lamb—if no one told you, you’d probably think it was beef!!

【Day 2】Breakfast: Seafood at Nijo Market<＋买干燥干贝

Guoguo loves sashimi so much, so how could we not have seafood when we’re in Hokkaido?? So on the second morning, we immediately headed to Nijo Market near our hotel for breakfast!! Actually, we were more interested in grilled crab legs, but we didn’t get to try them this time, which was a bit of a bummer (fist clenched), but we’ll go back next time!! At Nijo Market, you can actually bargain for prices!! Even though I (Kobayashi) am usually terrible at bargaining, I still asked the vendor if he could give us a better price XD In the end, we bought a pack of dried scallops for 10,000 yen to give to my grandma who’s an amazing cook~~ The auntie at the market kindly said in Japanese, “This is super delicious in soup!!” Even though it was expensive, hearing her say that made me feel like I just had to buy it haha. Luckily, my grandma was super happy when she received the scallops and even said she’d use them to make soup for New Year’s!!

【Unexpected Encounter with the Munich Christmas Market】

On our way to the Clock Tower, we unexpectedly stumbled upon this Munich Christmas Market. Compared to the French Christmas Market currently happening in Taiwan, this one is free to enter haha. We drank a cup of super heartwarming mulled wine~~ Snowy Hokkaido really has that magical Christmas vibe!!

【Must-Photo Spot in Sapporo: The Clock Tower】

This is a must-photograph spot in downtown Sapporo~~ Absolutely gorgeous!! Before coming, I even thought this Clock Tower didn’t seem like much of a photo op XD But the snow-covered Clock Tower looked like something straight out of a fairy tale—so cute and adorable!! (I’m not talking about myself haha!!)

As we were walking along, this fairytale-like building suddenly appeared~~ This Clock Tower is a building preserved since the 19th century, and you can pay to go inside and look around!! When the staff saw Guoguo taking photos, a Japanese uncle started chatting with her in Japanese. Through guessing and some charades, he basically meant that he also enjoys photography and recommended a secret photo spot where you can capture the entire Clock Tower building. It’s actually just by crossing the street to a staircase leading up to a second-floor balcony (you can get the whole building in the shot, but people look super tiny—you can see me standing at the entrance looking a bit silly XD) (Mystery voice: Hey old man, we didn’t ask you to stand there for a photo, we wanted Guoguo to shoot the whole building!!)

Later, we walked around the exterior of the Clock Tower, and the whole building covered in snow was truly dreamlike!!

It was impossible to take enough photos!! Guoguo’s camera didn’t stop clicking the whole time, so I took a side shot of her looking super cool (you can’t see her face but she looks awesome!! haha, she glared at me)

Oh wow, I love this photo so much!! (screaming!!) Taking photos in the snow made me feel so whimsical too～～～ I promised everyone I’d write about winter outfit tips, and I’m seriously working on it, so just hang tight!!

【Must-Photo Spot in Sapporo: The Former Hokkaido Government Office】

After the Clock Tower, it’s just a 5-minute walk to another must-photo spot in Sapporo—the “Former Hokkaido Government Office.” When I (Kobayashi) and Guoguo saw this scene, we both screamed on the street!! We really wanted to run over and roll around in the snow~~～～～ But we couldn’t do that!! Walking in snow is honestly scary—those TV scenes of people running wildly through snow are all fake!! Walking in snow, one wrong move and you can easily slip and fall flat on your back, or even break a bone!! So we could only suppress our excitement, scream quietly, and slowly waddle over like penguins.

Honestly, before we came, the introductions made the Former Government Office seem kind of meh, but once you add the snow scenery, the red-brick building becomes nothing short of dreamy—so beautiful, so incredibly stunning!! It was surprisingly touching!!

This place is honestly perfect for taking those “falling in the snow” photos like from “My Love from the Star,” but our pants weren’t waterproof, so we could only pretend to throw snow for fun.

【KINOTOYA BAKE Cheesecake】

Hokkaido’s super famous KINOTOYA cheesecake~~ Previously in Fukuoka, I (Kobayashi) fell in love with Fukuoka’s BAKE cheesecake, and this time a friend who traveled to Hokkaido raved about this KINOTOYA cheesecake and insisted I had to try it!! There are actually lots of KINOTOYA branches in Sapporo, and there’s even one right next to the Clock Tower!! But this time we bought ours inside Sapporo Station.

This cheesecake was really delicious!! It had a rich creamy flavor without being overly sweet. But personally, I still think Fukuoka’s BAKE cheesecake tastes even better.

【Sapporo Kitahiroshima Mitsui Outlet】

Winter in Hokkaido gets dark around four in the afternoon, and it’s not great for taking outdoor photos, so we decided to head straight to the outlet for some shopping!! I had been planning to buy another LC rice cooker to bring home for ages, hahaha!!

But we ended up misreading the bus schedule for weekdays vs. weekends @@. We were leisurely thinking we had the timing all figured out, only to realize—dun dun dun—we had missed the last bus from Sapporo to the Outlet!! Thankfully, Guoguo had checked backup transport options beforehand. Since our JR PASS lets us ride for free, we immediately decided to take the JR to Kitahiroshima Station and then transfer to a bus. But then another small issue popped up—the last bus to Mitsui Outlet from Kitahiroshima Station had already left!! We were ready to just take a taxi, but then a station staff member at Kitahiroshima noticed we were going to the Outlet and kindly handed us a magical alternate schedule that listed other bus times!!

The bus driver dropped us off at this “Omagari Station,” and gestured for us to keep walking forward to find the Outlet. Yay yay yay!! We finally made it to the Outlet!!

Mitsui Outlet is seriously so much fun to shop at!! This time I had planned to lug another LC rice cooker home, but they didn’t have the color I wanted, which made me a bit sad, but then I quickly shifted all my energy to clothes haha. Mitsui Outlet has two buildings, and there are so many brands inside, so I recommend checking out the stores you want to visit beforehand so you can shop efficiently!!

【Dinner: Kitachi Ramen】

After happily lugging our loot of shopping spoils back to Sapporo, to be honest we were completely wiped out. The shopping spree instantly drained all our energy, haha. So we looked around near the hotel for something to eat. On the way to Tanukikoji 2-chome, we spotted this tiny ramen shop, pushed the door open, and went in—and it was unexpectedly delicious!!! The broth was rich but not overly salty. Winter is definitely the season for a steaming bowl of ramen. I highly recommend everyone staying nearby to give Kitachi Ramen a try.

【Day 3: A Day Trip to Otaru】

Today, we used our JR PASS again to head to Otaru for a day trip. We did tons of research on Otaru beforehand, but after actually going, we felt that a half-day trip would’ve been enough. Most online guides say to get off at “Otaru Station” when visiting Otaru, but actually, taking the train to “Minami-Otaru Station” from Sapporo and walking back toward “Otaru Station” makes for a smoother route. In fact, many Japanese tourists on the same train as us also got off at Minami-Otaru. Once you exit the station, you’ll find yourself in a residential area. At that point, check Google Maps—you’ll reach the lively Otaru Up in about three minutes. But honestly, the empty residential area is even better for photos. My husband Guoguo could totally star in a snow-covered fashion ad, haha.

【Otaru Music Box Museum (Otaru Orgel Dohma)】

The most popular items sold in Otaru are “music boxes” and “glassware.” Following Google Maps from Minami-Otaru Station, you’ll quickly come across Otaru’s most famous music box museum. It’s said there are seven music box buildings in Otaru, each showcasing slightly different music boxes. Some of the sections even have scheduled performances of antique music boxes!

【A Must-Try in Otaru: LeTAO Cheesecake】

Right at the start of exploring Otaru, we immediately spotted the famously raved-about LeTAO cheesecake—and there was no line for dine-in (online reviews all mentioned having to wait!). So even though it was lunchtime and we were craving something hot, we went for dessert first, haha. I wouldn’t say the cake was particularly mind-blowing, but their black tea was amazing. Kobayashi (me) immediately bought some tea leaves to take home. The following week when my girlfriends came over, I proudly served it, and everyone ended up falling in love with that tea. Highly recommended!

Aside from buying cheesecake in-store or enjoying afternoon tea, the 3rd floor of LeTAO’s main store is actually a super-secret spot!!! It’s free to visit, and you don’t need to make a purchase to go up. The view from the observation deck is: absolutely stunning. You can see the entire streetscape of Otaru. I’ll write another post later dedicated to Otaru’s scenic spots!

【Lunch: Manjirou Seafood N】<】

This Manjirou食堂 (Manjirou Restaurant) is the one I saw recommended by 【Sister 13’s recommended Manjirou】Seafood N<饭，听说850日币的海鲜N<就非常好吃！听说中午时间会排队耶！立刻放入口袋名单（海鲜N<现在涨价为900日币）但我们有种到了日本就要点丰富一点不然好像会后悔的病，一进到店里就被迷惑点了2000日币的鲑鱼亲子N<哈哈，鲑鱼亲子N<老公郭郭说非常好吃！不过2000日币又让人觉得有点贵
, so why didn’t I just follow Sister 13’s recommendation and order the 900-yen Seafood N in the first place?<咩～～

【Otaru Canal】:

The must-photograph “Otaru Canal”~~~ There weren’t actually many tourists in Otaru in winter. The temperature today was 5°C, and when there was no wind, it didn’t feel cold at all, haha. But I was still spooked by the frigid temperatures from the previous two days, so I bundled up super tight.

Guoguo was happily snapping photos of the Otaru Canal non-stop, while I leisurely strolled behind. Okay, fine, I was actually being super careful about walking in the snow because I was scared of slipping, haha. Unexpectedly, I ended up becoming a cute little part of the scenery on the right.

Our one-day trip to Otaru officially ended after Guoguo finished photographing the Otaru Canal. We took a 30-minute JR ride back to Sapporo, and then felt completely exhausted again, haha. Why do we always feel so tired even though the itinerary was so relaxed? Winter travel really does drain your energy, XDD. Since we took way too many great photos, I’ll split the itinerary for the next two days into the next post. There’s super adorable stuff that’ll definitely melt your heart—like the Penguin Parade—and also incredibly nice hotels in Hakodate + the little Paris of Motomachi.

Just two days after returning from Hokkaido, we saw news reports about how heavy snow had led to the closure of Sapporo Airport, stranding 6,000 travelers there!! I really felt like we were so lucky on this trip. Winter trips to snowy regions really are a game of luck. I hope everyone can have an amazing snowy memory. This time, we’ve also prepared our six-day, five-night Excel itinerary sheet for everyone. Please go to “Xiaolin & Guoguo, the Couple” and like their page, then send us a private message to request it!

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