by Steve Corless

Japan is well known as a relatively small and very densely populated country.  This is true; most of the 127 million people live in the coastal regions in an area roughly the size of California.  About 75% of the country is forested and mountainous, limiting the land available for residential and other uses.  But the archipelago stretches some 1,800 miles from Hokkaido in the north to the southernmost subtropical islands.  A visit to Hokkaido reminds one of the geographical and historic diversity of the country.
I like to describe Hokkaido as Japan’s Alaska.  It has only been recently settled, boasts wide-open spaces and has plentiful seafood resources. Also, the people are hearty and embrace the weather and the outdoor activities the region offers. And yes, you can see Russia from Hokkaido — the Russian occupied (and claimed by Japan) Kuril Islands are visible from the eastern town of Nemuro.
First-time visitors to Hokkaido are struck by the landscape and differences in scale compared to the rest of Japan.  Small rice fields are rare in Hokkaido — traveling from the airport to Sapporo, you will spot large farms and pastures, American-sized farm machinery and perhaps even a grain silo reminiscent of the American Midwest. Upon arrival in Sapporo, Hokkaido’s largest city, something else seems different — streets and city blocks are laid out in a pattern similar to American towns. These similarities are not coincidental — Japan hired a number of Americans to assist with the agricultural and technical development of Hokkaido in the 19th Century, and the influences can still be seen.  In fact, here you will find what is probably Japan’s only statue honoring an American — William Smith Clark. Clark established what would become Hokkaido University in the 1870s. Today his visage overlooks Sapporo from several locations
Sapporo is Hokkaido’s capital and largest city. It is a new city, settled and developed following the Meiji Restoration of 1868. Almost a polar opposite to a city such as Kyoto, Sapporo is young and its history is recent. It is known as the host of the 1972 Winter Olympics and the annual Snow Festival, which attracts 2 million visitors a year. Parks and open space in the city are plentiful, and in the winter the skiing is just minutes away.  
The cool climate is good for the appetite, and Sapporo is a great place to eat. Restaurants specializing in fresh crab from the cold northern waters are ubiquitous in Sapporo’s Susukino restaurant and entertainment district. This is where miso ramen was born, and ramen fans from around the country visit just to slurp the noodles at the Ramen Yokocho, a collection of ramen stands claiming to have the town’s most authentic Sapporo ramen. But my favorite Sapporo food experience is the “Genghis Khan” lamb barbeque at the 1,000-seat Sapporo Brewery beerhall. Forty dollars buys you 100 minutes of all the grill-it-yourself  lamb and fresh beer you can handle.

King Crab cooked in hot pot	Sapporo ramen
Sapporo Brewery beer hall

The historic port town of Otaru, a short drive or train ride from Sapporo, is an excellent day trip out of the city. Otaru is an old fishing and trading village with well preserved architecture and the picturesque canals and restored brick warehouses used by seafood traders during Otaru’s herring fishing boom years. Otaru is well known as having some of the freshest sushi in the country, a reputation that is well deserved.
Prior to the settlement of Hokkaido by ethnic Japanese from the main islands, Hokkaido and parts of northern Honshu were populated by the Ainu people, a culturally and racially distinct indigenous ethnic group. Although today the Ainu population is small, there are places in Hokkaido where one can visit to learn more about the history, culture and art of the Ainu. The Shiraoi Ainu Museum near Noboribetsu south of Sapporo has an excellent museum that includes a reproduction of a traditional Ainu village.
As in the rest of Japan, the train system in Hokkaido is excellent. But Hokkaido is best seen by car — the expressways and roads are the best in the country thanks to government-funded public-works programs and a relatively small population compared to the rest of Japan. Before you go, pick up an international driver’s license, and once you get behind the wheel, just remember to drive on the wrong side of the road.

*Top picture is monkeys enjoy the hot springs in Hakodate Tropical Garden.

About writer: Steve Corless is an independent travel consultant based in Seattle.  Steve spent 15 years in Japan working in sales and marketing and as a US foreign service officer in Tokyo and Osaka. He lives in Lynnwood with his wife and daughter.