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Travel to HOKKAIDO, JAPAN |things to do in Hokkaido During winter| Lilac Suitcase
1) Snow Mobile
Hokkaido usually snows heavily in winter. We came during the late winter and everywhere was still covered with thick snow. If you don't know how to ski or skateboarding but want to do some sports in the snowy land, Snow mobling may be the right choice for you. The snowmobile was easy to master, it took us less than an hour to drive the snowmobile with a steady and controlled speed. We further challenged ourselves to drive our snowmobiles to the top of the mountain. It was really challenging especially when had to drive in curves to reach the mountain but it was all worth it after we saw the beautiful scenery from the top of the mountain.
If you are new to snowmobile, the snowmobile renting agent could pair you with an experienced snowmobiler to guide you and give you advice & training on operating the vehicle.
2) Shikotsu Toya National Park
The National park was quite big. We were told that the Valcanose were all still active at varying degrees but obviously they were safe to visit or else we won't be allowed to go there.
When we arrived, we were soon welcomed by a strong smell (the smell of sulphur), it really smells like rotten eggs >.< Despite the smell, we think it worth a visit because the mountains/Volcanoesis are beautiful and you would see a natural hot spring there as well.
3) Try their strawberry dessert
We were not sure if it was the strawberry season when we were there but we saw a lot of strawberry desserts at the bakery. Strawberry and cream go really well together and if you like strawberry desserts like us, you will need to try them!
We came across this bakery when we were on the way to our dinner and we came back after dinner so that we could buy them🍰 back to the hotel for supper. We were quite full already from the dinner but well, there is always room for dessert!
4) Doraemon Wakuwaku Sky Park
it is located inside the New Chitose Airport so make sure you have plenty of time before departure if you have to explore the airport like us. There was also a Sanrio character-themed restaurant in the airpirt as well, be sure to check out this place if you are a Snario fan!
We used to watch Doraemon all the time when we were young so we thought it would be fun to spend some time there. This place requires entrance fees. Adult: 800 yen, Ages form 13 to18: 500 yen, Ages from 3 to 12: 400 yen, Ages below 2: free. You will see a lot of familiar places from the Doraemon series, there were a lot of places which was designed for taking photos with special effects. Do not worry if you don't have good photo-taking skills because the staff will guide you/ even take photos for you!
We really had fun taking lots of funny and interesting photos ar this place.
If you wanna have more fun with Doraemon, no worries, you can try the Doraemon-themed cafe near to the park or get yourself some Doraemon themed souvenirs by playing the claw machines (if you are skilled/luckily enough).
5) Try the local seafood buffet
Hokkaido is famous for its fresh seafood. We went to an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet which gave us so many options for seafood but be aware that most of the restaurants have a time-limit (usually about 1 hr 30 mins/ 2 hours).
We thought everyone should try Hokkaido's snow crabs first because it is something that you cant get often outside Hokkaido then you can go ahead to eat other seafood like mussels, squid and octopus which are easier to get outside Hokkaido.
6) Eight views of Toyako
The water in this lake was so clear that you could see fishes in there. You don't have to spend a long time here, about 30 mins will be enough. This is a great place for taking photos of nature, the clear lake with swans swimming in there and the mountains behind the lake make beautiful scenery.
7) Royce' Chocolate Factory
Inside the airport, there is also another fun activity that you can do apart from the Doraemon Wakuwaku Sky Park.
The Royce' chocolate factory is famous for their Nama chocolate (which taste like chocolate truffles but in cubes). They come in different flavours. They are the Nama Chocolate [Champagne Pierre Mignon], Nama Chocolate [Bitter], Nama Chocolate [Au Lait] and Nama Chocolate [Matcha]. Our favourite was the matcha and champagne flavoured Nama chocolate 🤤. Nama chocolate needs to be refrigerated for storage. If you want to bring it with you to the plane, they will provide you with cooler bags to keep it nice and cool! 😎😎
And.. If you are an adventurous foodie like us, you might want to try their chips covered with chocolate. The chocolate chips were suprisingly tasty! 🔥💖
The Royce' Chocolate factory is built inside the airport of Hokkaido, New Chitose Airport. it was like an open kitchen where you can see how their chocolates are made through the big glass windows.
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