HOKKAIDO & TOHOKU WITH AOMORI’S NEBUTA FESTIVAL

• 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 of Hokkaido and its traditional crafts, at 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

TUESDAY 20 JULY 2027 – 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.

WEDNESDAY 21 JULY 2027 – 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 before continuing to The Hill of the Hidden Buddha. Tadao Ando’s serene architectural centrepiece showcases a 13.5-metre-high Buddha surrounded by flowering lavender. There is also time to enjoy lunch in a nearby restaurant. Returning to the city, the later afternoon and evening are at leisure. Overnight Sapporo.

THURSDAY 22 JULY 2027 – 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 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 has a small Ainu Museum. Returning to the hotel, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Sapporo.

FRIDAY 23 JULY 2027 – 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 Sakaimachi Street, before we call in at the Yurigahara Park, 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.

SATURDAY 24 JULY 2027 – 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.

SUNDAY 25 JULY 2027 – ART & NATURE (B)

This morning we travel through a region known for its fertile commercial flower fields, to 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, his 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. Returning to Furano, the late afternoon and evening are at leisure. Overnight Furano.

MONDAY 26 JULY 2027 – TOKACHI MILLENNIUM 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 Millennium 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 and learning about it is a highlight of our time on Hokkaido. There is lunch together before an afternoon check-in to our hotel. Dinner is in the hotel. Overnight Obihiro.

TUESDAY 27 JULY 2027 – GARDENS & ART IN OBIHIRO (B)

This morning we visit the Rokkatei Art Village, a serene art space in a woodland setting. Its small galleries showcase temporary art exhibitions, sponsored by Hokkaido’s well-known Rokkatei confectionary company. We continue to another initiative that they sponsor, Rokka no Mori, where there is time for an independent lunch before our explorations. Here, in a local forest, relocated wooden houses from Croatia offer four more distinctive art galleries, with a focus on the charming floral designs created for the confectionery company over the years. Returning to the hotel, the later 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.

WEDNESDAY 28 JULY 2027 – HELL VALLEY (B, L, D)

Today we check out and travel south to Lake Toya. After lunch along the way, we call in at Noboribetsu, Hokkaido’s best-known onsen town. We make a visit to Jigokudani, or Hell Valley, where steam rises from the mountains and hot water bubbles up in geysers. Afterwards, we continue to Lake Toya, a scenic caldera lake in this volcanic district. There is time to enjoy the lakefront panoramas before we check in to our hotel, where we enjoy dinner together. Overnight Lake Toya.

THURSDAY 29 JULY 2027 – AINU CULTURE (B)

We spend today at 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, and the complex warrants a close inspection. There is time for lunch at leisure in one of the museum’s cafes or restaurant, before more time for exploration. Returning to Lake Toya, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Lake Toya.

FRIDAY 30 JULY 2027– HAKODATE (B, L)

After checking out, we depart for Hakodate, one of the first Japanese ports opened to Western trade during the Meiji Restoration. After lunch together, 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 later turned into a public park, with over 1,000 cherry trees along its moats. Tonight, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Hakodate.

SATURDAY 31 JULY 2027 – 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 there is the opportunity to pass by the ASPAM building, where finishing touches are being added to the floats that will feature in the parade. Overnight Aomori.

SUNDAY 01 AUGUST 2027 – AOMORI ART & CULTURE (B)

Today we survey local art and history, beginning at the Sannai Maruyama Archaeological Site, one of the Jomon Period’s best preserved and most complete villages (13,000–300 BCE). It was discovered by accident during surveys for a baseball field and now offers recreations of some 700 pit-dwellings, long houses and burial pits. After free time for lunch at the museum, we visit the nearby Aomori Museum of Art, a showcase of 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. 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 identifying your own winners! Overnight Aomori.

MONDAY 02 AUGUST 2027 – 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 Taishō 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.

TUESDAY 03 AUGUST 2027 – DEPARTURE (B)

Our tour arrangements conclude after breakfast in the hotel. There is an included transfer to Aomori airport, arriving ca 12.00pm to connect with afternoon flights to Tokyo. Please contact us when arranging your flights from Aomori to ensure smooth and viable connections. Our travel partners 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/

Toyako Manseikaku Hotel 4* Lake Toya, 2 nights
https://www.toyamanseikaku.jp/en/

Hakodate Kokusai Hotel 4* Hakodate, 1 night
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 at the Toyako Manseikaku Hotel in Lake Toya; contact us at the time of booking. Note that in Japan, rooms for sharing are usually twin-bedded, and double-bedded rooms are limited.

• 14 nights’ accommodation at 4* hotels

• All breakfasts and 11 lunches or dinners, including drinks

• 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 Aomori airport, from our hotel in Aomori

• Seats at Aomori’s Nebuta lantern festival

• 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 $2,500pp is due on 22 March 2027.

We will invoice you for final payment for the tour, due on 06 May 2027.

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