28 april to 10 may 2027 · japan
The Cherry Blossom Tour of Hokkaido 2027
thirteen days · the blossom followed north · $18,500 per person, twin share
The blossom reaches Hokkaido last, after climbing the length of Japan, and in the far north it arrives changed: the deep-pink Ezo-yamazakura and Chishima-zakura flower with their leaves already out, in a stronger, redder colour than the pale south. This is the last of the Japanese spring, met on the island of clear lakes and living volcanoes, of a food culture the rest of the country looks north to, and of the Ainu, whose world runs through the whole journey. The route follows the blossom in the direction it moves, from its landfall in the far south to the gardens of Sapporo that flower last, and that is the whole art of this tour. We plan it, arrange it, and travel every mile of it beside you, so that across thirteen days your only work is to be there.
signature experiences
the blossom front
The country that watches a single line move north
Each spring Japan watches a single line move up the map. The sakura zensen, the cherry blossom front, is charted like weather: the day the first flowers open in the warm south, and the slow wave that follows over the weeks as the season climbs north and into the hills. The whole country reads it, plans around it, travels to meet it. Hokkaido is where that wave finally arrives, long after the south has turned to leaf, and the northern cherry that greets it is a species apart, flowering with its leaves and holding a deeper colour. And even here the wave keeps moving: it comes ashore on the far southern peninsula and travels north across the island, so we begin where it lands and follow it to where it finishes. To follow the blossom all the way to its last landfall is to see the Japanese spring whole, from a different angle than any single garden gives, in the company of people who have spent their lives learning where and when it opens.
signature moments
The heart of the journey
noboribetsu
Arriving through the blossom
An avenue eight kilometres long where the cherry closes overhead, driven slowly, the canopy above you the whole way.
matsumae
A castle park of two hundred and fifty cherries
Ten thousand cherry trees of two hundred and fifty kinds around a feudal castle, and a picnic laid beneath the walls.
a single thread
The thread of the Ainu
The indigenous culture of the north, followed as a single thread from a first workshop to a living community.
clear water, living fire
Clear water and living fire
Japan's clearest lake from your own open-air onsen, and a hillside that rose from a farmer's field.
The blossom's last landfall
The cherry reaches Hokkaido as the rest of Japan is finishing, and the island's varieties open one after another across the north. We follow that relay in the direction it travels, castle park to lakeshore to city garden, so the blossom is with us the whole way.
the cherry blossom tour of hokkaido
28 April to 10 May 2027
1
Onuma, near Hakodate
three nights
2
Lake Toya
two nights
3
Noboribetsu Onsen
two nights
4
Lake Shikotsu
two nights
5
Sapporo
three nights
the itinerary
the itinerary
The shape of the journey
The tour opens where the northern blossom lands, on the Oshima Peninsula in the far south, with a lake beneath a volcano and a soft first night, then a full day at Matsumae, a feudal castle town with two hundred and fifty varieties of cherry in a single park, and a day in old Hakodate. From there it follows the season north, through a landscape of calderas and hot springs, drives the eight-kilometre cherry avenue into Noboribetsu, and gives a still morning of relaxation on Japan's clearest lake. It ends in Sapporo, among the great counters of the island and a Noguchi landscape in bloom last of all. Running through all of it, from the national museum to a workshop by the lake and, for those who go on, a living community in the east, is the culture of the Ainu. Thirteen days, following the blossom across the island the way it moves.
the journey begins at home
Before you depart
The journey begins weeks before Japan. Your Tour Directors meet you in a private video call: introductions, the shape of the thirteen days, and your preferences gathered quietly, so every kitchen knows your table before you land. A pre-journey welcome pack follows: packing guidance for the season, arrival instructions, and reading worth the flight. By the time you clear arrivals at Hakodate, you are already known, and already expected.
1 · three nights
Onuma, near Hakodate
2 · two nights
Lake Toya
3 · two nights
Noboribetsu Onsen
4 · two nights
Lake Shikotsu
5 · three nights
Sapporo
the extension
continue east · 3 days, 4 in all
The Lake Akan extension
For those who want to follow the Ainu thread to its end, the journey carries on east, by a short flight into the deep interior of Japan's largest national park. Lake Akan is wilderness: a boat out to see the rare marimo, the green algae that form into velvet spheres found in only a handful of lakes on earth; a living Ainu community of carvers and weavers on the lakeshore, and an evening of Ainu dance set against contemporary light and sound.
A day among the great caldera lakes of the eastern highlands follows: Mashu held to be among the clearest in the world, Kussharo spread below the Bihoro Pass, and a sulphur mountain breathing steam between them. It is the quietest and wildest part of the whole journey, and it closes the chapter the tour has followed from the first evening. The extension ends at Kushiro, either home or back to New Chitose as your onward flights require.
duration
3 days, 4 in all
price, per person
$4,800
ends
Kushiro
accommodation
accommodation
Where you stay
onuma · nights 1 to 3
Epuy
A lake-view resort in the far south's national park, Komagatake reflected in the water of Lake Onuma.
lake toya · nights 4 to 5
Hikari no Uta
A hillside ryokan above the Toya caldera, the lake spread below and several rooms with their own open-air onsen.
noboribetsu · nights 6 to 7
Takinoya
A ryokan in the onsen town at the head of Hell Valley, with private kaiseki dining rooms and its own hot springs.
lake shikotsu · nights 8 to 9
Mizu no Uta
A room with its own open-air onsen a few steps from Japan's clearest lake, the northern cherry opening at the water's edge.
sapporo · nights 10 to 12
Sapporo Grand Hotel
An executive floor and club lounge at the centre of the northern capital, Odori Park a few minutes on foot.
tour experiences
tour experiences
Moments along the way
The keep at Matsumae, through the blossom
The thread of the Ainu, from workshop to museum
A sushi counter, the chef working through the omakase
The star-shaped ramparts of Goryokaku, seen from above
The seafood culture the country looks north to
what is included
Looked after, entirely
From the moment you land, everything is anticipated. This is omotenashi, the Japanese art of caring for a guest before they think to ask, and for thirteen days it is the texture of the whole tour. A private car and chauffeur meet you at Hakodate and see you off at the end, and your Tour Directors travel with the group throughout, by private van, so you never navigate a timetable or wait on one person. Every reservation is made and every arrangement is settled long before you arrive. Your only task is to give the island your whole attention, while someone who knows it completely carries the rest.
One price, settled before you travel
$18,500
per person, twin share
Part of your journey
included, always
Every night at the properties named above, in one of the upper room categories or a suite: a room with its own open-air onsen at Mizu no Uta, a private dining room at Takinoya, and three nights on the Executive Floor of the Sapporo Grand Hotel
Your Tour Directors, from the first evening to the final departure
Private vehicles throughout, and the internal flight for the extension
Every entrance, and every arrangement in between
the days
Matsumae, two hundred and fifty cherry varieties around a feudal castle
Old Hakodate, and one of Japan's three great night views
The caldera of Lake Toya by private boat, and the volcanoes around it
The eight-kilometre cherry avenue into Noboribetsu, and Hell Valley
The national Ainu museum at Upopoy, with a private guide
Two nights on the shore of Lake Shikotsu, Japan's clearest lake
A Noguchi landscape in bloom at Moerenuma Park
at the table
French dinners at Epuy on Lake Onuma and above Lake Toya, kaiseki in a private dining room at Takinoya two nights running, and kaiseki at Mizu no Uta on Lake Shikotsu
Two hanami picnics under the northern cherry
An Ainu-inspired lunch at Upopoy, and lamb over charcoal in Susukino
An omakase sushi counter in Otaru, and a whisky tasting at Yoichi
A farewell at one of Sapporo's great counters
More than twenty-five meals in all, every one included
Every night, more than twenty-five meals, and every arrangement in between: one price covers everything from Hakodate to the last dinner in Sapporo.
how we work
We plan it, we run it, and we travel it with you
We plan, organise and run every tour, and your Tour Directors travel every mile with you, in a group that never exceeds eight, a small number of couples and no more. The route runs from the southern coast, where the northern bloom lands, to the gardens of Sapporo that flower last, castle park to lakeshore to city garden, and every night is spent at a property named on this page.
how it works
How it works, and the terms
The process
Enquire through the form and we reply personally. If you would like to talk the journey through, a call with your Tour Directors is available, though many guests are happy to book on the strength of the itinerary itself. A deposit of $3,500 per person secures your place, and the balance falls due 95 days before departure. Nearer the time, your Tour Directors call you again, to prepare you for the days ahead.
Payment
One price, tax included. It covers every night, every train, every transfer, every reservation, and every meal set out in this itinerary. Payment is safe, secure and encrypted, by card or bank transfer.
The terms
Your booking is governed by our Booking Conditions, which set out what is included and excluded, and our cancellation terms in full.
Good to know
International flights into Hakodate Airport and home from New Chitose Airport are not included. Comprehensive travel insurance is a condition of booking.
questions
frequently asked
Questions before you enquire
If your question is not answered here, ask us; it is what the enquiry is for.
How many guests travel on the tour?
What is the pace of the tour like?
What is included in the price?
Can you cater for dietary requirements?
Where does the tour finish?
When does the tour run, and when should I enquire?
Further questions
when to speak to us
A journey that keeps coming back to you
This is a journey that keeps coming back to you long after you are home: the clear blue of Shikotsu beyond your own onsen, the eight kilometres of blossom closing overhead, the picnic under the castle wall at Matsumae, the Ainu voices on a wilderness lake. Months later a certain slant of spring light brings the whole northern spring back, and you find you know an island most travellers never reach.
Considered. Intimate. Perfect.
The next step is a conversation. Begin your enquiry, and we will confirm your dates and your extension before you book a single flight.
28 April to 10 May 2027eight places$18,500 per person, twin share
Not these dates? The Private Collection travels on the dates you choose.
other journeys
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from The Japan Edition
