Advice on Honeymoon - Hokkaido

ohoh

New Member
Hi May. Think package tour can be good also since you don't have to be carrying ur heavy luggages around like us...
 


momiji

New Member
Hi May, don't worry, the hotels should be fine.

Be it package tour or F&E, hope all of us have a good time in Hokkaido. ^_^
 

amanda_cyoung

New Member
Hello May,the tour with CTC, are you taking morning flight by Northwest Airline or evening JAL? All admission fee included in the package?
I was thinking taking the evening JAL cos it's one day after my wedding dinner. If morning flight we won't be able to to make it.
 

mzlt7879

New Member
Hi Amanda,I am taking e morning flight...bcos they onli hv morning JAL flight on our desired date..so no choice.

Oppss I forgot to check on e admission fee issue..will go check out ..

Which dates are u looking at?
 

summerkitty

New Member
hihi, anybody just came back from Hokkaido recently ? wonder hows the temp there.. i am travelling on the 25 May ... wat's nice to buy there other than the chocolates ? got any big departmental shopping ma ?
 

s__h

New Member
which part are you going ?
I went to the central and south...

got nice pudding and cheese cake there...esp otaru street...walk along the street and buy snacks to eat good enough

the temp is in the 8 deg C to 19 dege C.
Most impt is to have wind breaker
 

rara

New Member
the wind in hokkaido is freaking strong in this season so not only do u need a windbreaker - u need a good thick one.

Daimaru right at Sapporo station itself where u can get all ur branded stuff, as well as a few other malls. then, there is Marui Imai (丸井今井), Mitsukoshi (三越) and PARCO at Odori, which is one subway station or 15 min walk south of Sapporo station.

the mega Chitose Rera outlet mall is located 10min by the free shuttle service away from Chitose airport, or 1hr by bus or 35min by JR away from Sapporo.

for attractions in other towns, dun even expect to see many shops besides those selling food and souvenirs.

as for otaru, i agree with S & H. dun bother taking a full meal cos u'll be eating along the long stretch of touristy shops selling huge fresh grilled scallops for less than $1.50 and meaty succulent half crabs for less than $10.
 

pooh83

New Member
crown, i am also planning to go hokkaido in sept for my HM.. when are you going? will you be taking the package or F&E?
 

pooh83

New Member
Hi, anyone been to hokkaido tour with CTC or SA? can share your experience? coz i am deciding on either one of them..
 

rara

New Member
it'll be cool in september. between 10-20 degrees. as i mentioned earlier, it's always the wind that kills. and those suay rainy days when it drizzles the whole day.
 

rara

New Member
Li Leng, the 2 itineraries you posted are vastly different. the ctc one focusses on Hokkaido alone whereas the chan brother one only covers Sapporo, Lake Toya and Hakodate for Hokkaido, and then moves southwards to the Tohoku region in Honshu, the main island of Japan.

It's hard to say which is better because the attractions included in each itinerary are different in nature so it really boils down to your personal preference.

Generally speaking, I think both are good in the sense that they are well-varied and there are quite a few hands-on experiential highlights, provided you don't mind the mad rush typical of guided package tours.
 

sclorra

New Member
Hi
I'm also plannin to go honey in hokkaido in Sep. F&E...self drive...
Hakodate, Lake toya, Noboribetsu, Sapporo, Otaru, Furano, Biel, Asahikawa... & tokyo..
 

lileng66

New Member
Thanks ¨·◦• ♥RaRa♥ •◦·¨ (rara), appreciate your advice.
This is my first time travel also, think I focus on one destination is better, now look at the chan brother one indeed bit rush. I think have to re-plan my trip, seem like lot of people suggest to go for F&E instead of package tour.
 

rara

New Member
what do u mean by bad? if u want to experience a true blue but not so harsh (jan, feb) winter, then dec is a great time.
 

lingandyang

New Member
i had just confirmed my honeymoon trip to hokkaido. Going on 23 june. Hope it will be fun
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I booked with CTC, taking the 7 days wonderous Hokkaido. Anyone going on the same date?
 

lileng66

New Member
Do u mind share why you choose CTC for this trip?? I also consider the hokkaido packages among few agencies, then some of friends advise go for F&E also
 

mzlt7879

New Member
Hey lingandyang..I am also going on the same package tour but diff date. Let me know if its gd when u come back k..thanks...
 

cheapsale

New Member
I'm going with ctc to hokkaido in late june. will keep you posted on their service and iternary... Also for consideration, you can extend in tokyo after the tour. My iternary is departing sg on fri nt on JAL, the tour will end on thurs, ie the gp will fly back on thurs nt. however I extend in tokyo and fly back on sun, giving me 3 days more to explore tokyo on my own. So taking a 5 days leave will allow abt a 10 days Japan... Also ctc allow extension (with a small fee) only in tokyo not in saporo. will keep u posted after my trip.
 

lingandyang

New Member
Hi Li Leng,
actually before that i'm Going to gold coast but our trip is cancelled due to not enough headacount. So tat's why we switch to Hokkaido. So for this trip i nvr compare with other agencies. But seem like the itininery is not bad. When you thinking of going?
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Hey may,
ooh that's good! when you going? sure no prob. will keep you updated.
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Hi lynn,
that's good you can explore tokyo too.
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When you Going too?
 

mzlt7879

New Member
Btw Lynn, is ur extension approved? Mine still pending...hope will be extended too. Im gg on a wednesday & tour ending on a tuesday tts why hoping to get an extension in Tokyo as well.
 

tingie

New Member
I want to go for one where there are snow-mobile activity etc..anyone knows what they call that over there?
 

blessedger

New Member
hihi anybody plannig to go in end Oct , deepavali that period? .. any suggestions on which Travel Agency is good? ..We are planning our honeymoon that period but seems like the package is not out yet...
 

holiday_ger

New Member
hi all, tinking of going hokkaido.. do you knw which travel agency include crab buffet as the meal? otherwise where do you go for the crab buffet and how much per pax?
 

s__h

New Member
Hi Ger,

if the agency provide crab buffet, will surely highlight.

I saw in some ad of tour agency before..

keep your eye open when going thru the ads
 

holiday_ger

New Member
hi S&H, thks for ur reply. but i tink normally ppl go with tour will nt eat too much.. muz maintain their image.. heeheee..
 

s__h

New Member
are you sure Singaporean maintain their image when they are overseas ?

Is all about getting their $$$ worth man
 

mzlt7879

New Member
Hi All,

Just wanted to check if anyone has gt recommendations for shinjuku hotels? Anyone stayed in Keio Plaza and Century Southern tower before? Need advise fast.thanks..
 

bopeep

New Member
i'm trying to plan my honeymoon to hokkaido in november but my hubby is quite against it, saying it's not a good time to go coz i believe there won't be flowers to see... and it's not snowing yet.. so it's like in-between.

how can i convince him to go? =(
 

rara

New Member
hmm... if you're talking about nature, then perhaps there really isn't much to see. unless u'r very very lucky and come in the first week of nov, the leaves would've fallen and indeed, the snow would've yet to come in the city, tho you can experience a true blue winter already by late novemeber and enjoy snow activities in the mountains.

however, places like noboribetsu, toya, otaru and of course sapporo wouldn't be affected by the season. noboribetsu and toya look magnificent all year round and exude a different flavour at different times.

Night falls really early at 4-5pm in November so you can take ropeways up to see the night scenery of Sapporo, or if you're game for a 3hr JR ride each way to Hakodate to see one of the top 3 most beautiful night views atop Mt Hakodate.

One more thing you can and MUST try is onsen. the single-digit temps in November will make soaking in an onsen your most craved for activity.

By all means, come if an itinerary of mainly museums, night sceneries, fresh food for every meal and shopping excites you (not forgetting Noboribetsu, Toya and the onsens of course). Else, you can probably spend the same amount of money for a better holiday elsewhere.
 

s__h

New Member
agree that the sun set at 4pm plus onwards so may or may not be a good thing, depend on what you want to see
 

idono

New Member
winter in hokkaido is basically jsut ski & snowboarding, nothin' much to see. bleak landscape. sunset 4+. everyone huddles indoor to drink & eat.

if u really like winter, then go during end dec period, at least hv snow festival.
 

rara

New Member
erm... winter is not just skiing and snowboarding lah... there are still places like Lake Toya, Noboribetsu, and you can also do milder activities like snowshoeing, snowmobiling etc. the mountains and ropeways are all in operation too.

you can still go to touristy places like Otaru (music boxes and glassware) and Hakodate. Frankly speaking, the Otaru Canal def looks better in snow. Indoor attractions like Chocolate Factory and other museums are open too albeit for shorter hours.

Snow Festival is not end dec. it is usually the second weekend of February, which happened to coincide with the CNY period this year. end Jan to early Mar is also the drift ice season in eastern Hokkaido.

Most of all, com'on! it doesn't snow in sg so even if it's just to experience a true blue winter I think it's more than your money's worth.
 

jsoh7783

New Member
hi all

just booked 7D Hokkaido Winter Special package with CTC for 20 Dec 08 dept. anyone going as well? it has inclusion of one full day at ski resort!
 

nesame

New Member
hi rara
where is those beer garden you talking abt? is that the beer factory?

me going in nov but till now, still very blur about hokkaido. how to travel around, what to see etc. Its so big there. Cos' we are going wz family and group of frens so it is a big group cum also include children. Really big headache. Btw, it Lake Toya and Noboribetsu near to each other? we like to stay 1 or 2 nites in a ryokan/onsen. lake toya is better?

since we are not travelling on package, but would luv to try out all the good foods. Any recommendations? Frens who travelled wz tour had been giving thumbs up for the food provided. Wonder would we be able to get gd food on our own and at where too.
 

rara

New Member
there are 3 main beer gardens in sapporo operated by the 3 main beer manufacturers:

Sapporo Beer Garden: At the Sapporo Beer Museum. Alight at Higashikuyakushomae (æ±åŒºå½¹æ‰€å‰) subway station on the blue Toho line (æ±è±Šç·š) and walk 10min, or take the Beer Museum bus from Odori or Sapporo Bus terminal.

Kirin Beer Garden: Alight at Nakajimakoen (中島公園) subway station on the green Namboku line (å—北線) and walk <5min.

Asahi Beer Garden: Alight at Nango 7chome (å—郷7ä¸ç›®) subway station on the orange Tozai line (æ±è¥¿ç·š) and walk <10min.

At the beer gardens, people usually eat Genghis Khan, which is lamb and veg table BBQ. If you think you don't take lamb, don't worry. The lamb there is so fresh it doesn't smell or taste like the lamb/mutton we have in sg at all. Just very fresh and tender meat with sweet and juicy vegetables.

You can get a Genghis Khan buffet for between 2500-5000yen/pax, depending on the quality/type of meat (seasoned or not) you choose, and whether you opt for free-flow beer.

Lake Toya and Noboribetsu are near by Hokkaido standards lah. The distance is farther than travelling across singapore but <40min on the JR train is relatively near.

I usually recommend staying at Lake Toya because I think that most of the hotels there give you a good view of the lake. I'd recommend Toya Kohantei if you're thinking of staying the night there. The view from the outdoor tubs are absolutely breathtaking. Erm, but I heard that the view from the men's onsen is nothing that great.
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http://www.toya-kohantei.com/fl/english/index.html

Basically, you can get good food at many places. But typically, you get the best seafood either at the morning markets like Nijo Fish Market at Odori in Sapporo, or along the street in Otaru. Otaru is a eat-as-you-walk place, famous for sushi, roadside freshly grilled gigantic scallops (100yen each!!), roadside steamed crabs (500yen only for one big plate!! they'll be in season in Nov!!)... And I mentioned Genghis Khan above which is also a must-try. Even the meat that comes without seasoning tastes really yummy, not to mention the sweet and succulent vegetables.

If you've never tried Japanese ramen, then you can probably give it a try, but in all honesty, you can get better ramen elsewhere in Japan. Sapporo ramen tends to be more oily.

What else... oh snacks to buy as souvenirs. There are a million and one kind to buy so make sure you bring an empty hand-carry with you!
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nesame

New Member
hi Rara,
thanks for yr explanations. For those beer garden you mention, its the factory of the local beer as well right? yeah, i dun take lamb. hehe.

Oh, heard there's this famous ramen street in Sapporo. what's the place name? That stretch of street is full of good ramen shops? Basically, i quite like ramen cos' i luv those soup.
 

rara

New Member
I know I know... most Singaporeans don't like lamb. Neither DID I. I didn't like the lamb we have IN SINGAPORE. But trust me. You really can't tell you're eating lamb. The beer gardens are not beer factories. They are huge halls where people eat and drink and chat the night away.

There are 2 ramen streets in Sapporo; one on the 10th floor of the Esta building at Sapporo station and the other in Susukino.

I haven't been to the one in Susukino, but the few stalls I've tried at the one at Sapporo station... well, like I said, you can find ramen of the same standard, if not better, anywhere else. Or maybe I just find Sapporo ramen too oily.

There is one ramen place I would recommend that is near Sapporo station though. It's called Barikiya, situated next to Yodobashi Camera under the JR tracks to the west of Sapporo station. However, they specialise in Hakata ramen, which uses pig bones soup base instead of the soy sauce soup base for Sapporo ramen.
 


nesame

New Member
haha, i got mistaken for the beer garden. I thought there's this Sapporo Beer Museum and the beer garden is there. hehe. Is this beer garden everywhere?

Btw, which hotel did you stay when you are in sapporo?
 

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