Hokkaido

Hokkaido is the northernmost of Japan's four main islands. Home to Japan's aboriginal Ainu people, Hokkaido continues to represent the untamed wilderness with many great national parks. For many visitors the scenery resembles northern Europe, with rice paddies and concrete warrens replaced by rolling fields and faux-German cottages. However, the ubquitous hotspring resorts in much of the island still serve as a reminder that you are still in Japan.

Hokkaido is by far Japan's largest prefecture, consisting of Japan's entire northern island and its surrounding islets. Hokkaido is cooler than the rest of Japan, and the merciful lack of Japan's muggy summers and rainy season makes it a very popular domestic destination between May and August. Some of Hokkaido's inland areas have a continental climate, with large daily and yearly temperature variation. Most of Hokkaido was settled by the Japanese within the last 100 years, compared to the thousands of years of Japanese history and pre-history. As a result, its architecture and cities are much more modern, and mostly based on western-like grid layouts.

Sapporo's Chitose Airport is Hokkaido's sole international gateway of significance. However, there are only limited international flights and most visitors will need to transit through hubs such as Tokyo and Osaka. The route between Tokyo and Sapporo is, in terms of capacity and planes flown daily, the busiest in the world. In addition, there are a few international flights (mostly from Seoul and Taipei) to both Asahikawa and Hakodate.

Much of Hokkaido's population lives by the sea, and consequently seafood figures heavily in Hokkaido fare.