Hokkaido & Tohoku

• Experience the annual Nebuta Festival, with lantern floats, taiko drummers and dancers parading through Aomori, one of Japan’s most loved regional summer festivals

• Encounter the now-protected indigenous Ainu culture and its traditional crafts, at the Upopoy National Ainu Museum

• Explore fine gardens, ancient culture and excellent art in Sapporo and Aomori

• Understand the influence of the West following Japan’s era of isolation, at Sapporo and Hakodate

• Savour fresh seafood from Hokkaido’s pristine waters and enjoy the high quality produce cultivated in the farms around Furano

SUNDAY JULY 20 - ARRIVAL (D)
An arrival transfer from New Chitose Airport Sapporo is included for all participants; contact us for further information. Meet your tour leader Relle Mott and fellow travellers at 4.30pm in the lobby of our hotel in Sapporo, before departing by coach for Mount Moiwa. Here the Mount Moiwa Ropeway takes us three quarters of the way up the mountain, where we complete our journey to the summit by cable car. We enjoy panoramic views of Sapporo and the Ishikari Plain, before a fine welcome dinner. Overnight Sapporo.

MONDAY 21 JULY – ART IN SAPPORO (B, L)
This morning we travel to Sapporo Art Park, where the Sapporo Sculpture Garden and Sapporo Art Museum nestle in a verdant forest location. Both feature works by well-regarded Japanese and international sculptors and artists. We explore the 7.5-hectare sculpture garden followed by The Hill of the Hidden Buddha, Tadao Ando’s serene architectural centrepiece for a 13.5-metre-high Buddha surrounded by flowering lavender, and enjoy lunch in a nearby restaurant. Returning to the city, the later afternoon and evening are at leisure. Overnight Sapporo.

TUESDAY 22 JULY – HISTORIC SAPPORO (B, L)
Originally a simple trading post with the indigenous Ainu people, Sapporo city was established by the Meiji government and by 1868 had replaced Hakodate as the capital of Hokkaido. The city’s grid-pattern streets and avenues are modelled after Kyoto, which we understand as we drive through the town this morning past the historic Clock Tower and the American neo-baroque Hokkaido Government Office. We continue to the Historical Village of Hokkaido, an open-air museum consisting of 52 relocated and restored historic buildings of the Meiji and Taisho Periods (1861–1926). The village is divided into four distinct areas – the Town, Fishing Village, Farm and Mountain Villages – to illustrate the lifestyle and industries of that time. After lunch we visit the Hokkaido University Botanic Garden. It displays indigenous alpine and cool climate plants and also has a small Ainu Museum. Returning to the hotel, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Sapporo.

WEDNESDAY 23 JUly - OTARU (B)
This morning we head to Otaru, a small harbour town and an important fishing port since Hokkaido’s late nineteenth-century colonisation. Cobblestoned streets line the historic canal where old warehouses have been restored as shops, restaurants and museums. We visit the City General Museum, housed in the old Otaru warehouse, for a perspective on regional history and nature, from settlement by the Ainu to the Edo-era herring industry. There is time for lunch and to wander among the well-preserved Western-style merchant buildings on Sakaimichi Street, before we call in at the Yugihara Garden. It is known for its collection of lilies. We return to Sapporo in the afternoon, where there is the option to enjoy a tasting of fine Japanese Whiskey at The Nikka Bar this evening. Overnight Sapporo.

THURSDAY 24 JULY - TO FURANO (B, D)
Today we check out and travel east to Furano, an agricultural region in central Hokkaido known for its dairy, wine and abundant fresh produce. After check-in there is time at leisure for lunch before we explore the Kaze no Garden (Garden of Wind) located in the grounds of our hotel.  This delightful English-style garden is laid out to showcase the ever-changing blooms of the seasons. This evening dinner is in the hotel. Overnight Furano.

FRIDAY 25 JULY – ART & NATURE (B)
This morning we visit the Goto Sumio Museum to view the works of Sumio Goto, illustrator and master of Nihonga or traditional Japanese painting. Reflecting the pre-eminence of nature on Hokkaido, the monumental works are painted with pigments extracted from natural minerals and ores such as lapis lazuli, crystal and malachite. We continue to the Blue Pond, surrounded by a small wood of larches. Named for its deep hue, formed by minerals dissolved in the water, it is part of an erosion control system for Mount Tokachi. During summer, the fertile fields around Furano are carpeted with blooms grown for commercial use. At Shikisai-no-oka, where the lavender creates a colourful spectacle against the backdrop of the mountains, we wander through the orderly planted fields of flowers before free time for lunch in the cafe. Returning to Furano, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Furano.

SATURDAY 26 JULY – TOKACHI MILLENIUM FOREST (B, L, D)
After checking out, we travel to Obihiro, a rural farming town that was only settled in the late nineteenth century. We stop to explore the Tokachi Millenium Forest, designed by leading British garden designer Dan Pearson. The unique 1,000-year garden comprises different evolving ecosystems intended to reflect the surrounding environment. There is lunch together before an afternoon check-in to our hotel. Dinner is in the hotel. Overnight Obihiro.

SUNDAY 27 JULY - GARDENS IN OBIHIRO (B)
This morning we visit the Rokkatei Art Village, where four distinctive art galleries, each in an old house relocated from Croatia, are surrounded by oak forest. Local-born artist Masaru Bando’s sculptural pieces are displayed and there is a focus on the charming floral designs created over the years for Hokkaido’s Rokkatei confectionery company. After free time for lunch in the garden restaurant, we visit a garden with spectacular views from the hills overlooking Tokachi. Tokachi Hills Garden incorporates three English-style gardens with seasonal blooms. Returning to the hotel, the afternoon and evening are at leisure, or you may like to explore Kita no Yatai, an alley containing 20 unique food stalls serving a variety of dishes from yakitori to Chinese and even French cuisine. Overnight Obihiro.

MONDAY 28 JULY - AINU CULTURE (B, D)
Today we travel south to the Upopoy National Ainu Museum and Park. In the new museum, we learn about the Ainu people of Hokkaido, Sakhalin and Kuril Islands. A distinctive group with an ancient language and culture unrelated to Japanese, the Ainu have been ignored and at times suppressed. Here, the oral traditions of their way of life, history, spiritual beliefs, arts and crafts, and traditional dance are now being carefully recorded. This afternoon, we travel along the foreshore to the onsen town of Noboribetsu, where after dinner you may enjoy the soothing waters of the three types of hot springs available at the hotel. Overnight Noboribetsu.

TUESDAY 29 JULY - TO HAKODATE (B, L)
This morning after checking out, we depart for Hakodate, one of the first Japanese ports opened to Western trade during the Meiji Restoration. After lunch in Hakodate, we visit Fort Goryokaku, a large fortification built at the end of the Edo period to counter Western military threats. Based on a French design, the fort’s five-pointed star allowed for increased gun battlements and greater fire power, and it witnessed the final battle in the Civil War between shogun and emperor in 1869. The fort was turned into a public park, with over 1,000 cherry trees along its moats. After checking in to our hotel, there is an excursion up Mount Hakodate by ropeway to enjoy the views. Overnight Hakodate.

WEDNESDAY 30 JULY - HAKODATE (B)
An early start today allows us to experience the bustling atmosphere of the morning market, with a vast range of seafood and fresh produce from across the island. After breakfast at the hotel, we embark on a walking tour of the international quarter of Motomachi, located on the slopes of Mount Hakodate. The late nineteenth century brought an influx of merchants to Hakodate from the West, Russia and China, as we see in the Russian Orthodox Church and Old British Consul. The afternoon and evening are at leisure to explore the shops and restaurants in the red brick warehouse district, a final opportunity to pick up local souvenirs before our departure from Hokkaido tomorrow. Overnight Hakodate.

THURSDAY 31 JULY - TO AOMORI (B, D)
Today we depart by ferry, crossing the Tsugaru Strait between Hokkaido and Honshu to Aomori, a journey of 3 hours and 40 minutes. Following disembarkation at Aomori Port Ferry Terminal, we transfer to the hotel and check in, then take a short walk to the Nebuta Warasse Museum, where we learn about the annual Nebuta Matsuri. This 300-year-old traditional festival, with its carefully crafted floats, is one of Japan’s most famous and the museum allows us to experience the sights and sounds of the parade at close quarters. After our group dinner this evening we pass by the ASPAM building, where finishing touches are being added to the floats that will feature in the parade. Overnight Aomori.

FRIDAY 01 AUGUST - AOMORI ART & CULTURE (B)
Today we survey local art and history, beginning at the Aomori Museum of Art. It showcases contemporary works by artists from the Aomori Prefecture in a striking building designed to resemble the adjacent World Heritage Jomon-era site. A room with 19-metre-high ceilings houses Marc Chagall’s enormous backdrops designed for Massine’s 1942 ballet Aleko. Nearby, the Sannai Maruyama Archaeological Site is one of the Jomon Period’s best preserved and most complete villages (13,000–300 BCE), discovered by accident during surveys for a baseball field and now offering recreations of some 700 pit-dwellings, long houses and burial pits. Returning to the hotel, the evening is at leisure. We suggest you return to the nearby ASPAM building to join the celebrations as floats are officially unveiled. The Nebuta procession is competitive, so you might like to start nominating your own winners! Overnight Aomori.

SATURDAY 02 AUGUST - HIROSAKI & THE NEBUTA FESTIVAL (B, L)
This morning we travel inland to Hirosaki, the capital of the Tsugaru region during the Edo period. Surrounded by a large park planted with 2,000 cherry trees, Hirosaki Castle (1611) was a five-storey fortification with defensive walls, a moat and watch towers. It was rebuilt in 1810 after a lightning strike. We also visit the Fujita memorial garden, an Edo-style landscape garden created for a local businessman. It features a traditional Japanese teahouse and a Western style building reminiscent of the Taisho period (1912-1926). After a farewell lunch there is time to relax back at our hotel before we attend the Nebuta Festival this evening. The largest of the three great festivals of the Tohoku region, the Nebuta Matsuri is a Japanese fire festival held every August. It is a highlight of our tour. From our seats lining the parade route, we view spectacular lantern floats depicting mythical figures, ancient warlords, gods and Kabuki actors. Painstakingly constructed by locals over the course of a year, the floats are accompanied by taiko drums, musicians – and joyous dancers chanting rassera, rassera, an invitation to join the festivities! If you decide to acquire the colourful costume and learn the simple dance and chant, you are just as welcome to join in the procession, an experience that a number of previous Limelight Arts Travellers have enjoyed! Overnight Aomori.

SUNDAY 03 AUGUST - DEPARTURE (B)
Our tour arrangements conclude after breakfast in the hotel. There is an included transfer to either Shin-Aomori Shinkansen station or Aomori airport to connect with afternoon flights to Tokyo. Please contact us when arranging your flights from Aomori to ensure smooth and viable connections.  Our partners at Mary Rossi Travel would be pleased to assist with your onward travel arrangements, including flights, transfers and international travel insurance.

The Sapporo Grand Hotel 4* Sapporo, 4 nights
https://grand1934.com/en/

Shin Furano Prince Hotel 4* Furano, 2 nights
https://www.princehotels.com/shinfurano/

Nikko Northland Obihiro 4* Obihiro, 2 nights

https://www.jrhotels.co.jp/obihiro/

Noboribetsu Grand Hotel 4* Noboribetsu, 1 night
https://www.nobogura.co.jp/en/

Hakodate Kokusai Hotel 4* Hakodate, 2 nights
https://www.hakodate-kokusai.jp/en/

ReLabo Spa and Stay 4* Aomori, 3 nights

https://relabo.com/

All hotels but the Sapporo Grand and Nikko Northland Obihiro offer an onsen or thermal bathing experience.

A limited number of Japanese-style (i.e. tatami mat) rooms may be available on request in the Noboribetsu Grand Hotel; contact us at the time of booking. Note that in Japan, rooms for sharing are usually twin-bedded and double-bedded rooms are limited.

NB: hotels of a similar standard may be substituted.

• 14 nights’ accommodation at 4* hotels

• All breakfasts and 10 lunches or dinners

• All ground transport and ferry transfers, guided tours and entrance fees to sites as mentioned in the itinerary, and tipping

• An arrival transfer from Sapporo airport to our hotel in downtown Sapporo

• A departure transfer to either Shin-Aomori Shinkansen station or Aomori airport, from our hotel in Aomori

• Expertise of and commentary by Australian tour leader throughout

• Expertise and assistance of a Japanese-speaking national guide throughout

A $1,500pp deposit is required at the time of booking to hold your place on tour.

A second deposit of $2,500 is due on 20 March 2026.

We will invoice you for final payment for the tour, due on 05 May 2026.

When you book on one of tours, we ask you to accept our terms and conditions. You can read our terms and conditions here.