28 april to 10 may 2027 · japan
The Cherry Blossom Tour of Hokkaido
thirteen days · a maximum of eight guests · USD $18,500 per person, twin share
In the first days of May the blossom finally reaches Hokkaido. It has spent two months climbing the length of Japan, and in the far north it arrives changed: the deep-pink Ezo-yamazakura and Chishima-zakura that flower with their leaves already out, 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 nothing is asked of you but 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, in the first two weeks of May, 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 a canoe, 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 first two weeks of May. 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 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 Director meets 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
USD $4,800
ends
Kushiro
accommodation
accommodation
Where you stay
onuma · nights 1 to 3
Epuy or similar
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 or similar
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 or similar
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 or similar
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 or similar
An executive floor and club lounge at the centre of the northern capital, Odori Park a few minutes on foot.
*or similar
tour experiences
tour experiences
Moments along the way
A street tunnelled by cherry in full bloom, the petals coming down
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
A private chauffeur, at every arrival
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. Your Tour Director meets you in the arrivals hall at Hakodate, and two of us 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
USD $18,500
per person, twin share. Guests travel two to a room
Part of your journey
included, always
Every night of the journey, at the properties named above
Your Tour Directors, from the arrivals hall 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
A morning canoe on Lake Shikotsu, Japan's clearest lake
A Noguchi landscape in bloom at Moerenuma Park
at the table
Kaiseki at the ryokan of the lakes and Noboribetsu
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 time it ourselves
We plan, organise, and run every tour ourselves, and your Tour Director travels every mile with you, in a group that never exceeds eight, a small number of couples and no more. That scale is what keeps the journey personal. The northern bloom opens in relay across a full month, and it moves across the island from the southern coast where it lands to the gardens of Sapporo that flower last, castle park to lakeshore to city garden, and the route is built along that line, so the blossom is with you the whole way. It is why we keep the group small, and why we secure the year's most sought-after rooms long before the season turns.
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 Director is available, though many guests are happy to book on the strength of the itinerary itself. A deposit of USD $3,500 per person secures your place, and the balance falls due 95 days before departure. Nearer the time, your Tour Director calls you again, to prepare you for the days ahead.
Payment
One price, paid once, quoted in US dollars, tax included. It covers every night, every train, every transfer, every reservation, and every meal set out in this itinerary. Payment is 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 are on the tour?
Is the pace demanding?
What is included in the price?
Can you accommodate dietary requirements?
Where does the tour finish?
When does the tour run, and when should I enquire?
from The Japan Edition
Read before you go
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 under a canoe, 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 placesUSD $18,500 per person, twin share